The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing is conducting a Volunteering in Aged Care Mandatory Training Consultation.
We want to hear from volunteers, Volunteer Managers and providers who engage volunteers in the aged care sector about a proposed mandatory training manual for volunteers.
This initiative is part of the new Aged Care Act and ensures all volunteers have the skills and knowledge to support older people safely and respectfully.
Your feedback is essential and will help shape the development of the training manual.
About the mandatory training manual
Volunteers play a vital role in the lives of older people. To ensure volunteers are supported and confident in their roles, the new Aged Care Act requires them to be appropriately trained.
The proposed mandatory training manual will outline the minimum training requirements for all aged care volunteers. It will ensure training is consistent and helps volunteers understand their responsibilities under the new rights-based legislation.
We proposed that the manual will cover 5 key training topics:
- Code of Conduct for Aged Care
- Serious Incident Response Scheme
- complaints and feedback
- elder abuse awareness and advocacy pathways
- understanding diversity and inclusion.
Get involved
- Read the consultation paper.
- Provide feedback in our online survey by 12 September 2025.
- Access the consultation here:
New Aged Care Act Resources for Volunteering Available
Explore new resources to help volunteers, Volunteer Managers, and providers understand what’s changing, and staying the same, under the new Aged Care Act. Access the booklets click here
Please reach out to us at agedcarevolunteer@health.gov.au if you have any questions or feedback.