SupportNetworkSupport at Home in Cronulla

• Workers who live locally in the Shire
• You choose who supports you
• Units and apartments sorted properly
• No agency margin on your rate

Cronulla, Caringbah, Miranda, Sylvania and the bays

you pay for nursing and allied health, whatever your income

personal care becomes fully funded for everyone

What We Provide Under Support at Home

All the care and support your funding pays for, based on your normal routine and care needs. Begin with a weekly visit, or opt for daily support, it is up to you to decide.

Personal care

Bathing, dressing and grooming, continence care and assistance, with compassionate care from someone you know and trust.

Domestic assistance

Cleaning, laundry, bed changes and the chores that get more difficult, such as salt-air window and balcony cleaning for coastal homes.

Meal preparation

Grocery shopping at Cronulla Plaza or Miranda and cooking the meals you want to eat, just as you like to cook and eat them.

Social support & community access

To take a stroll along the Esplanade, have a coffee on the beachfront, visit the bowls club, church or community events, or simply have company at home on a quiet afternoon.

Appointments at Sutherland Hospital or Caringbah specialists, the shops, family visits, with someone who comes in with you if you would like.

Respite for family carers

Planned breaks to allow the individual who is giving the most care to rest, work or enjoy an afternoon to themselves.

Overnight & sleepover support

Someone staying in the house overnight for safety, support or to provide a family carer with a continuous night's sleep.

Wound care, medication management, continence support, dementia care and clinical oversight from registered nurses, all fully funded so it does not cost you anything.

Allied health & therapy

Occupational therapy, physiotherapy and podiatry, including home assessments which can often mean that less paid support is needed.

Clinical services cost you nothing

Support at Home covers the cost of nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and podiatry, which are fully funded by the government, and you will not have to pay anything, no matter your income or assets. Then from 1 October 2026, personal care becomes fully funded as well.

Why Local Matters More In Cronulla

The Shire is not an ordinary place to grow old, and the elements that make it a great place to live also make home care logistics unique. This is what we plan around.

The peninsula problem

Cronulla has limited road access in and out and is close to the water on three sides. The flow of traffic at Taren Point and over the Captain Cook Bridge is slow during peak periods, and a worker from elsewhere in Sydney can take an hour each way for a one-hour visit.

This has predictable consequences. The worker is late. Travel gets charged. Then they refuse to take the shift and you begin again with a different person. It is the most prevalent reason Shire families go through the support worker cycle.

We're different in that way; we're looking for workers who are already in the Shire, they live in Cronulla, Caringbah, Miranda, Sylvania, Gymea or in the surrounding suburbs. The distinction is between those workers who will service the area and those who live in it. This makes it more dependable and it tends to last years, not months.

Units, buildings and access

Many of our Cronulla clients reside in units. A large number had moved away from their family homes and settled in the Shire, close to the train, the shops and the beach, sensible, but with one practical wrinkle.

If it's not sorted right, building access is a friction point for every visit, not just the fobs, intercoms and lift keys, but the rules of visitor parking too, and the permissions of building managers. If not, each new worker will need to solve the building once more before beginning work.

We do it once at the beginning. A spare fob, the intercom code written down, the building manager informed and any strata requirements understood. It sounds small. It eliminates one weekly irritation and it is another reason continuity of the worker matters here.

Parking, honestly

Parking near the beach, The Kingsway and the Esplanade is challenging, especially during the summer and on weekends. This is not a trivial issue for home care, a worker who circles for fifteen minutes is fifteen minutes not spent with you, and there's an extra cost that someone has to absorb.

If you have a visitor bay, driveway, garage space or resident permit, advise us at the initial call. It really helps with rostering and reduces lateness. If parking is necessary, we discuss it with you in advance, not on a bill.

Bundeena and Maianbar

It is worth mentioning on its own, since it's a true edge case. Bundeena and Maianbar are reached by the ferry from Cronulla wharf, or a long drive through the Royal National Park. Regular rostering is not applicable there.

It is not impossible, support must be organised around ferry timetables or a longer window for journeys, and is likely to involve locating one worker who lives in the village. It requires greater lead time. If you are out this way, please give us a call and we will tell you what is realistic rather than promising you what we can't do.

A settled community

A large number of those we support in the Shire have been living here for 40 years and more. They know the pharmacist, the club, the neighbours, and the walk they have done every morning since they retired. Staying at home, rather than moving into an aged care home or residential aged care services, isn't simply about the house, it's about staying in a life they created.

That's how we think about social support here. Community access in Cronulla is rarely a program or a centre. It's the Esplanade walk, the coffee at the same place, the bowls club on a Thursday, church on Sunday, or a drive down to Bass and Flinders Point when the weather is nice. Support which keeps those things going does more for a person than a planned outing ever will.

Tell us when you call

Your street and the type of property (house or unit).

Whether there is visitor parking, a driveway or a permit.

Access to the building: fob, intercom, lift key.

The time and days that work best for you.

Local hospital

The primary hospital at Caringbah is Sutherland Hospital, and we regularly arrange support for people coming home after an admission there.

Call early if there is discharge; support arranged before someone gets home works much better than after.

Why Shire Families Choose Us

Most providers send whoever is rostered. We do things differently, with person-centred support, and it changes both what you pay for and the people who come through your door.

Local workers, not dispatched ones

We first consider support staff who currently reside in the Shire. It means the difference between a worker who will work for years and one who will start to refuse shifts.

You choose your own support worker

You converse with or meet people first before making any arrangements, and you make your own decision. If a person doesn't fit, it's not a problem, we keep going.

Your funding buys more hours

There's no agency margin between you and your worker, which means our rates are around $45 to $70 per hour versus traditional agencies' rates of $70 to $95 per hour. On a mid-level classification, that is about three additional hours of support per week.

The same person, week after week

Support is all about continuity. If you have a carer who is familiar with your habits, they'll know when something is amiss, which is how problems are caught early.

Straight answers about money

We always provide you with a full written price list before you commit, let you know what is included in your classification, and if we are not the right company for you, we tell you.

Rated 4.9 out of 5

From 157 Google reviews of our disability and aged care services.

Already with a provider?

You may change at any time. No exit fees and your funding is with you. The transition is managed by us so there is no break in your support.

Tell Us Your Suburb And We Will Tell You Who Is Available

There is no charge and no obligation. We will say so if we can't find the right person in the Shire.

What Our Services Cost

Few aged care providers have rates published. We do, as it is the best comparison you can make, and ours stand up.

Service	With Support Network	Typical full-service agency
Personal care, weekday	$45–$70/hr	$70–$95/hr
Domestic assistance	$45–$62/hr	$65–$88/hr
Social support & community access	$45–$65/hr	$68–$90/hr
Overnight sleepover	Flat rate, from ~$280	$280–$450/night
Nursing & allied health	Fully funded — $0 to you	Fully funded — $0 to you

Indicative Sydney ranges for 2026. Loadings are applicable on weekends and public holidays. Before you make a commitment, we'll send you a complete written price list.

What that difference is worth

Take a Classification 5 participant: $39,697 per year, in quarters of $9,924 each. After the 10 percent care management charge, approximately $8,932 per quarter will be left for services.

Hourly rate paid	Hours per quarter	Hours per week
$88, typical agency rate	101.5	about 7.8
$62, with Support Network	144	about 11.1

That's an additional three and a quarter hours of support per week, using the same funding.

What you contribute

Your contribution is a percentage of the service cost, determined by an income and assets assessment conducted by Services Australia. All clinical care is free. Personal care and other independence services are 5 to 50 percent depending on your means, and everyday living is 17.5 to 80 percent.

A full pensioner paying for a $65 hour of personal care contributes $3.25. A self-funded retiree (no health card) pays $32.50. Both pay nothing for nursing.

One piece of paperwork worth doing

If you have not done a Services Australia income and assets assessment, you will be assessed as “means not disclosed” and pay the highest contribution rate based on assumed figures, not your actual income and assets. Others forgo it for privacy and pay self-funded-retiree rates on a pension income.

Making sure none of your funding is wasted

Support at Home funding is received quarterly and only $1,000 (or 10% of the quarterly budget) may be carried over. All funds in excess of that are returned to the government at the end of the quarter. On Classification 6, underspending by $5,000 in a quarter means losing about $3,825 forever.

This is monitored for the individuals we support and flagged while there is still time to move services forward.

No hidden charges

Providers cannot charge separate administration, entry or exit fees. The service price is the whole price.

Price caps were legislated for 1 July 2026 but deferred in May 2026, so rates are not the same between providers. Your safety is in using published price lists.

Funding outside your budget

Equipment and home modifications are funded separately, so your service hours won't be deducted for rails and ramps.

Restorative Care, up to 16 weeks, typically following hospitalisation or a fall, and can cost around $6,000.

Four steps, and the first step is free and comes as a phone call.

Call 1300 671 931. Let us know your suburb and street, house or unit, classification (if applicable) and the support you are seeking. If you don't have funding at this time, we will tell you what you can expect from My Aged Care.

We look for workers in the Shire

We begin with local people who fit the parameters you have requested, time, gender, experience. You view who is available and don't get assigned to anyone.

You meet them and decide

Talk with or interview the people we recommend before finalising any contracts. You choose. If the first person is not right, we continue to search.

Support starts, and we stay in touch

Your worker will start work at the time you agreed. Our care coordinators make sure it's working, monitor your budget each quarter to ensure no overspending, and make changes when necessary.

Do not have funding yet?

Start with My Aged Care on 1800 200 422. The time between approval and funding is often three to six months, and it may be beneficial to apply early rather than when help is needed immediately. During that waiting period many families from the Shire use us privately and then move forward with the same worker when they start their plan.

The one thing that is more important than any other: at your assessment, talk about the most difficult day of your average week, not the easiest day. Assessments take place on a good morning, families are protective about the picture, and the classification becomes a reflection of performance.

Coming home from hospital?

Don't wait until you are discharged to call. The support that's offered during a person's stay in Sutherland Hospital is much more effective than support that's put together once they're home, and it's the most important way of preventing a person coming back in.

Questions People Ask Us

Yes. Support workers are co-ordinated throughout Cronulla and the Shire, Woolooware, Burraneer, Caringbah, Caringbah South, Miranda, Gymea, Sylvania, Lilli Pilli, Yowie Bay, Dolans Bay, Port Hacking, Grays Point, Kurnell, and Bundeena and Maianbar. We specifically search for staff who reside within the Shire rather than send someone across Sydney.

Cronulla is at the end of a peninsula where there is restricted road access and slow traffic at peak times through Taren Point and over the Captain Cook Bridge. Late, travelling workers from other parts of Sydney may charge travel and often refuse to take the shift. Staff members already residing in the Shire make the difference between reliable support and constant rescheduling.

Yes, and many of the Cronulla clients we support have units, and many of them have downsized from family homes in other parts of the Shire. We sort out building access properly at the beginning, via fobs or keys, the intercom, lift access and any building manager requirements. It's a minor, but important, item which will save a lot of the hassle, especially if there are multiple workers involved.

Parking close to the beach, The Kingsway and the Esplanade is difficult, especially over summer and on weekends. If you have a visitor space, driveway, garage bay or resident permit, inform us on the phone so we can make our rostering easier and lessen the risk of someone being late. If parking is necessary, we talk with you before you arrive rather than charge you for it.

It can be done, and it will take planning. Bundeena and Maianbar can either be accessed by the ferry from Cronulla wharf or a long drive through the Royal National Park, so support has to be built around ferry timetables or longer travel. It is viable, it has been done before, but needs more lead time and normally involves locating a worker who already resides in the village. Give us a call and we'll be candid about what is viable.

Personal care, domestic assistance, meal preparation, social support and community access, transport, respite for family carers, overnight and sleepover support, nursing, and allied health (e.g. OT, physio). It can be once a week and gradually increase, or daily, high-intensity support from the beginning.

Our support worker rates in the Shire typically run $45 to $70 an hour for personal care and domestic assistance, compared with roughly $70 to $95 an hour through traditional full-service agencies. Loadings are applied for weekends and public holidays. Nursing and allied health are fully government funded under Support at Home, so they cost you nothing regardless of income or assets. A complete written price list is sent prior to commitment.

Yes. Before arrangements are made you talk and/or meet with workers, you choose which ones are there to support you, and you can change if it is not the right person. That's important in a community as stable as the Shire, many would prefer someone who knows the area and routines rather than whoever is rostered.

It will be based on hours and/or requirements. We can usually organise something in a week or so for weekday daytime support in Cronulla, Caringbah or Miranda. Early mornings, weekends and Bundeena take longer. We'll provide you with a realistic timeframe rather than a date that we cannot attend.

No. We work with Support at Home participants, those who used to receive a Home Care Package and are now transitioning, those in the Commonwealth Home Support Programme, as well as privately funded families. A lot of people initiate the process with us privately and keep working with the same worker once their plan begins.

The 8 classifications range from approximately $10,731 at level 1 to approximately $78,106 at level 8. The funding is allocated for every quarter, and 10% of the quarterly funding is allocated to care management prior to services being purchased. These figures are updated on 1 July every year; check with My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.

From 1 October 2026, personal care, which comprises showering, dressing, grooming and continence care, is now a clinical support which is 100% government funded and no longer included in the participant contribution of your allocated budget.

Prefer to just talk?

In most cases the answers are easier to provide over the phone, and there is no commitment at the end of it.

Let's Find The Right Support Worker In The Shire

Provide us with your suburb, your classification and what you require. We will inform you clearly of our availability in your area, the cost and how quickly we can get started.

Monday to Friday. Free and confidential.