Business Council of Cooperatives and Mutuals
The challenge
In Australia, the social care sector faces significant challenges, particularly in providing quality and diverse services to vulnerable populations. This includes older Australians, individuals living with disabilities, veterans, and First Nations peoples, especially in remote, rural, and regional areas where services are often lacking. Current approaches to social care are inadequate and have resulted in critical workforce issues, making it difficult to deliver dignified, safe, and high-quality care. There is a pressing need for innovative solutions that can effectively address these challenges and improve service delivery.
The Solution
In response to these challenges, the Care Together Program has been established as Australia’s first co-operative and mutual enterprise support program in social care and Strategic is trusted to manage the program on behalf of the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM). The program aims to enhance the quality and diversity of social care services, support the establishment of new co-operatives and mutual enterprises, as well as assist existing social care organisations in transitioning to these models. By promoting co-operative and mutual enterprise values and principles, the program fosters business model innovation and provides education, advisory, and research services.
A flagship initiative within the program focuses on co-designing and developing a digitally enabled prototype for a member-owned shared business service co-op. This innovative approach aims to empower smaller organisations, ensuring they receive the support necessary to thrive in areas where traditional strategies have failed.
The program will fund information, education, research and advisory services to support these projects and to build capacity more widely across social care sectors about co-operative and mutual models. Specifically, the Care Together Program will embed co-operative values and principles into each project to demonstrate how a diversity of ownership in care services can deliver improved outcomes for workers, consumers and communities.
The Outcome
The ultimate goal of the Care Together Program is to create dignified, safe, and quality social care for vulnerable individuals in all settings. By empowering workers through well-trained and decent jobs, the program envisions a future where cross-sector, multi-disciplinary care models can deliver improved outcomes for workers, consumers, and communities alike. With funding allocated specifically for projects that support the formation of new co-operatives or the scaling of existing ones, the Care Together Program aims to instil co-operative values across the social care sector. This approach not only seeks to enhance service delivery but also aims to create a more resilient workforce capable of meeting the diverse needs of Australia’s vulnerable populations.
