Decision update

At the Ordinary Council Meeting on Tuesday 13 August, Council decided to move forward with the proposal to transition its in-home and social support services to Bayside City Council.

The decision follows extensive consultation with clients of the service, their carers and families, our staff and the wider community on the proposal for Bayside City Council to provide in-home and social support services to Glen Eira residents. Our consultation showed a high level of support for the change, because it safeguards the option for a council-run service for Glen Eira residents into the future.

Our engagement focused on understanding the service needs of our staff, clients and community, to hear their views about the potential benefits and challenges of the proposal.

We received 742 survey responses from the community with 91 per cent saying it is important for Glen Eira residents to have the option to receive in-home and social support services from a council-run service provider. Support from our Independent Living staff was similarly strong with 91 per cent of those who participated in the survey in support of the change.

Our focus now is on seamlessly transitioning the services which will commence on 11 November 2024, while maintaining the highest quality of care for all clients. We are developing a detailed plan to make the changeover as smooth as possible. We will continue to communicate with clients, their carers and families and staff to provide support, advice and information about the transition.

For more information about the engagement, please see the Independent Living Services Engagement Summary Report below.

  • 78 per cent (540 survey respondents) who participated in the engagement were service users of Council’s independent living services.

  • 50 per cent (284 service users) told us they are able to access the services they would like to receive from our independent living services.

  • 33 per cent (184 service users) told us they are not able to access all the services they would like to receive from our independent living services.

  • 91 per cent (665 survey respondents) believe it is important for the Glen Eira community to have the option to receive independent living services from a council-run service provider.

  • There will be access to more services that are reliable, available, and affordable (n=131)
  • The proposal will keep people at home and independent (n=88)
  • Having a council-run service is preferable because it is more accountable, trusted and reliable, with better quality of care,compared to for-profit services (n=73).
  • The proposal will ensure continuity of care, coordination of services and sustainability to bridge gaps in supporting individual needs, such as home care packages (n=65).
  • The proposal will continue a local service by a provider who connects and understands the needs of the community (n=45).
  • There might be a decrease in the quality of care provided (n=96).
  • The proposal might be challenged by a lack of funding, availability of resources or increased costs (n=80).
  • There may be challenges in cooperation and cohesion across two council areas, leading to decreased prioritisation of Glen Eira residents (n=65).
  • Service users might experience a change to the services provided and changes in relationships with existing staff (n=61)
  • There may be changes to staffing, or a potential lack of staffing under the proposal (n=46)
  • Council should retain the service because it has an obligation to ratepayers and residents (n=57)
  • It is important to provide and maintain access to consistent and additional services that meet the needs of the residents to remain at home as their needs change (n=30).
  • I (the respondent) agree with the proposal and see the benefits (25).
  • Service users need more resources for gardening, home maintenance, cleaning, domestic assistance, social support, delivered meals, exercise classes, and welfare checks (25).