Historically, In Home Care services followed a set of National Standards first introduced in 2008, which provided minimum service expectations. Individual providers developed their own policies and procedures based on these standards to guide quality and compliance.
These National Standards have now been replaced by the In Home Care National Guidelines, most recently updated as Guidelines 2025 Version 1.3. These Guidelines set out the legislative, policy, quality, and operational framework for the In Home Care program across Australia. They provide a single, nationally consistent reference for how services, educators, and support agencies are expected to operate and deliver care.
Under the Guidelines, services are responsible for developing and maintaining their own internal policies and procedures that align with the expectations set out in the IHC National Guidelines. This allows services to tailor their practices while ensuring consistency with government requirements.