Core Support · Melbourne, Victoria
NDIS Core Support in Melbourne
Core Support is the part of your plan that pays for the ordinary things — a shower in the morning, a hot meal, getting to the shops and back, a hand around the house. Caring Hearts delivers those supports right across Melbourne, with workers you'll actually see again next week.
- Personal care
- Household help
- Community access
- Transport
- Overnight
Same team, every week
Matched workers, not whoever the roster spits out
Registration
Registered NDIS provider · ABN 41 618 087 988
Coverage
North, west, east & south-east Melbourne
Availability
Weekdays, weekends, evenings & overnight
Plan types
Self, plan & NDIA-managed welcome
Start here
What Core Support pays for
NDIS Core Support in Melbourne covers the everyday assistance that keeps an ordinary week running: personal care, meal preparation, household tasks, getting out into the community, and transport to where you need to be. It's usually the largest and most flexible budget in a plan.
Caring Hearts Home Care is a registered NDIS provider delivering Core Support across metropolitan Melbourne — from Werribee and Point Cook in the west, through Broadmeadows and Craigieburn in the north, to Dandenong, Cranbourne and Frankston in the south-east, and Box Hill, Ringwood and the CBD in the east.
Because we're registered, participants with NDIA-managed, plan-managed and self-managed plans can all book with us. And because we roster by region, the same small team keeps turning up — which is the part families tell us actually matters.
Four categories
Daily life · Community participation · Consumables · Transport — all funded from your Core Support budget.
How it actually runs
A week of NDIS Core Support in Melbourne
An example roster, built the way we build them: around when you get up, where you need to be, and what you'd rather do yourself. Tap a day.
Monday — an example roster
Morning
7:00 – 9:00 am
Start of the day
Shower and dressing at your pace, medication prompt, breakfast made the way you like it, and the kitchen left clean.
Assistance with daily lifeMidday
11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Physio in Footscray
Picked up from home, walked in, and your worker waits through the session so you're not managing the trip on your own.
TransportEvening
5:00 – 7:00 pm
Dinner and wind-down
Cooking together where you want to, plated up where you don't. Bins out, laundry on, everything set for tomorrow.
Assistance with daily lifeTuesday — an example roster
Morning
7:00 – 9:00 am
Start of the day
The same routine and, wherever we can roster it, the same worker — so nobody has to be told twice where the towels live.
Assistance with daily lifeLate morning
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Pool and coffee after
Support in the change room, in the water and back out again, then a proper sit-down somewhere you actually like going.
Social and community participationEvening
5:00 – 6:30 pm
Tea and tidy
A light shift — meal, dishes, and a check that continence and personal-care items haven't run low.
ConsumablesWednesday — an example roster
Morning
7:00 – 9:00 am
Start of the day
Up, showered, fed and out the door on time — the part of the day that makes everything after it possible.
Assistance with daily lifeDaytime
9:30 am – 2:30 pm
Work or day program
Dropped off, collected, and supported on site if that's what the placement needs. We talk to your coordinator, not around you.
Social and community participationEvening
5:00 – 7:00 pm
Cooking, hands on
One meal a week you lead and the worker assists. Small thing, but it's how independence in the kitchen actually gets built.
Assistance with daily lifeThursday — an example roster
Morning
7:00 – 9:00 am
Start of the day
Personal care and breakfast, plus a quick look at what the day and the rest of the week are holding.
Assistance with daily lifeLate morning
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
The grocery run
List written together, aisles walked at your speed, and everything put away at home rather than left in bags on the bench.
Social and community participationAfternoon
1:00 – 3:00 pm
Household reset
Floors, bathroom, linen change and laundry through — the jobs that quietly pile up when nobody has the energy for them.
Assistance with daily lifeFriday — an example roster
Morning
7:00 – 9:00 am
Start of the day
Same start, same steady routine. Fridays we also check whether anything about next week needs to shift.
Assistance with daily lifeMidday
11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Out and about
The market, a visit to family, the men's shed, church — whatever getting out of the house means for you that week.
Social and community participationEvening
4:00 – 6:00 pm
Dinner and the weekend ahead
Meal made, house settled, and any Saturday appointments confirmed so the weekend doesn't start with a scramble.
Assistance with daily lifeSaturday — an example roster
Morning
9:00 – 11:00 am
A slower start
Later shift, longer shower, breakfast that isn't rushed. Weekends should feel different from weekdays.
Assistance with daily lifeAfternoon
12:00 – 4:00 pm
The good part of the week
Footy, a film, a barbecue at your sister's, a drive somewhere green. Your worker is there to make it happen, not to run it.
Social and community participationSunday — an example roster
Morning
9:00 – 11:00 am
A slower start
Personal care and a proper breakfast, with no clock to beat.
Assistance with daily lifeLate afternoon
4:00 – 7:00 pm
Setting up the week
Dinner, meals prepped for Monday and Tuesday, washing folded away, and the calendar checked together.
Assistance with daily lifeOvernight
From 10:00 pm
Sleepover, if you need it
A worker stays the night and is there if something goes wrong. Available every night of the week, not just weekends.
Assistance with daily lifeEvery roster is different. Some participants want two hours a week, some want support morning and night plus overnight cover. You choose the days, the times and — as far as our roster allows — the people. Change it whenever life changes.
What we actually do
Core Support services, done properly
Every participant gets a plan we write together — what happens, when it happens, and who's coming. Change it whenever you need to.
Daily life
Assistance at home
Showering and dressing, medication prompts, cooking, dishes, laundry, changing the beds. Whatever the morning and evening actually take.
- Personal care
- Meals
- Household
- Overnight
Community
Social participation
A worker alongside you at the pool, the shops, a class, a volunteer shift or a family barbecue — as much or as little help as the day calls for.
- Community access
- Groups
- Shopping
- Outings
Transport
Getting where you need to be
Door to door in an insured vehicle, or beside you on the tram if that's the goal you're working towards. Recurring runs get the same worker each week.
- Appointments
- Work & study
- Day programs
- Travel training
Short term
Cover and respite
When a regular worker falls through, a carer needs a break, or you're home from hospital and need someone this week — we'll tell you straight whether we can cover it.
- Respite
- Hospital discharge
- Gap cover
- Trial shifts
Where we work
Our Melbourne service area, on the map
We staff by region rather than city-wide, so travel time stays short and the same faces keep coming back. Pick a region to move the map.
Metropolitan Melbourne · 4 staffed regions Showing: all Melbourne
West
Wyndham, Brimbank & Melton
Werribee, Hoppers Crossing, Point Cook, Williams Landing, Tarneit, Truganina, Sunshine, St Albans, Deer Park, Caroline Springs, Melton, Footscray, Yarraville, Altona.
North
Hume, Merri-bek & Whittlesea
Broadmeadows, Craigieburn, Roxburgh Park, Glenroy, Coburg, Brunswick, Preston, Reservoir, Epping, Mill Park, South Morang, Thomastown.
South-east
Greater Dandenong & Casey
Dandenong, Springvale, Noble Park, Clayton, Keysborough, Narre Warren, Berwick, Cranbourne, Pakenham, Frankston, Carrum Downs.
East & inner
Whitehorse, Manningham & the city
Box Hill, Blackburn, Ringwood, Doncaster, Glen Waverley, Mount Waverley, Camberwell, Hawthorn, Richmond, Fitzroy, Carlton, Melbourne CBD.
Regional Victoria and the outer fringe are handled case by case — tell us the suburb and we'll give you a straight yes or no on the phone.
From first call to first shift
Four steps, usually inside a fortnight
You can stop at any point, and nothing is charged to your plan until supports actually start.
Tell us what you need
A ten-minute call. You don't need your plan in front of you — just a sense of what the week is missing and where you are.
A free home visit
A coordinator comes to you, reads your plan properly, and works out what's possible — including whether we're the wrong fit.
Agreement and roster
A plain-English service agreement, agreed days and times, and the workers we're proposing — introduced before they start, not on the day.
First shift, then a check-in
We call you after week one and review formally at three months, or sooner if something isn't working. Workers can be changed without a fuss.
Paying for it
However your plan is managed, we can invoice it
We're a registered NDIS provider, so the way your plan is managed doesn't limit whether you can book Core Support with us.
NDIA-managed
We claim directly through the NDIA portal after each service. You see the shifts, you never see a bill. This is the option that requires a registered provider — and we are one.
✓ Nothing for you to pay
Plan-managed
We send the invoice to your plan manager on a set cycle, with service dates and support item numbers already itemised the way they need them.
✓ Invoices sent for you
Self-managed
You get a clear invoice with the support item and hours spelt out, so claiming through myplace takes a couple of minutes rather than an afternoon.
✓ Claim-ready invoices
Quality and safeguards
Who we let through your front door
Registration isn't a logo — it's an audited set of obligations about screening, supervision, incidents and complaints.
You can complain about us to someone other than us. If you're not satisfied with how we handle a concern, contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission on 1800 035 544, or use the complaints form at ndiscommission.gov.au. We give you those details in writing at sign-up too.
NDIS Worker Screening Check
Cleared and current for every worker who attends a shift, verified before their first rostered day.
Working with Children Check
Held by every worker supporting a participant under 18, alongside the screening check.
First aid and CPR
Current certification, refreshed on schedule rather than at audit time.
NDIS Worker Orientation
The Quality and Safeguards Commission's module completed by all staff, plus induction on your specific supports.
Insured and covered
Public liability, professional indemnity and workers' compensation held at all times.
Incidents and complaints
A documented process aligned to the NDIS Practice Standards, with an outcome you're told about in writing.
Supervision and training
Ongoing supervision, manual-handling and disability-specific training, and spot checks on shift quality.
Your right to choose
Change workers, change days or leave us entirely — the NDIS Code of Conduct protects that, and so does our agreement.
Why families stay
Consistency is the whole service
The thing families notice first isn't the roster software. It's not having to explain the routine again.
The same workers
You're matched with a small, named team. Meet them before the first shift and say no if it isn't a fit.
Someone picks up
A real coordinator answers the phone during business hours and an on-call line covers the rest. No ticket numbers.
Checked and covered
Screening check, Working with Children Check where relevant, first aid, and completed NDIS Worker Orientation.
Culturally at home
We match on language, gender or cultural background where you want us to, across the north, west and south-east.
“We stopped explaining Mum's routine to a new person every fortnight. That's the difference.”
What is NDIS Core Support?
Core Support funds the everyday assistance that helps you get through an ordinary day and take part in your community. It covers four categories: assistance with daily life (personal care, meals, household tasks), assistance with social and community participation, consumables, and transport. It's usually the largest and most flexible part of a plan.
Can I use Core Support funding for a support worker in Melbourne?
Yes. Paying a support worker to help at home or out in the community is the most common use of Core Support funding. Caring Hearts provides those workers across metropolitan Melbourne, including the north, west, east and south-east.
How much does NDIS Core Support cost in Melbourne?
Registered providers charge within the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, published by the NDIA and updated each year. Rates change with the day and time of the shift — weekday daytime, evening, Saturday, Sunday, public holiday, sleepover and active overnight are all priced differently. We quote you against the current published limits before anything is booked, and nothing is charged to your plan until supports start.
Can I move funding between Core Support categories?
In most plans, funding moves fairly freely between assistance with daily life, social and community participation, and consumables. Transport is generally paid as a set periodic amount and is often the least flexible of the four. Check your own plan or ask your plan manager before you rely on moving money across.
Is Caring Hearts a registered NDIS provider?
Yes. Caring Hearts Home Care Pty Ltd (ABN 41 618 087 988) is registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, which means participants with NDIA-managed, plan-managed and self-managed plans can all book with us.
Which Melbourne suburbs do you cover?
We service the west (Werribee, Hoppers Crossing, Point Cook, Williams Landing, Tarneit, Sunshine, St Albans, Melton), the north (Broadmeadows, Craigieburn, Coburg, Preston, Epping), the south-east (Dandenong, Springvale, Narre Warren, Cranbourne, Frankston) and the east and inner suburbs (Box Hill, Ringwood, Doncaster, Richmond, Melbourne CBD). If your suburb isn't listed, call us — we may still be able to help.
Can I get Core Support on weekends or overnight?
Yes. We roster weekday, evening, weekend, public holiday, sleepover and active overnight shifts. Weekend, evening and public holiday supports are rostered under the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits that apply to every registered provider.
How do I start with Caring Hearts?
Call 1800 844 995 or send us your details and we'll arrange a free conversation — by phone or at your home. We'll go through your plan, what you want to change about your week, and who might suit you. If we're a fit, we set up a service agreement and book a first shift. If we're not, we'll say so and point you elsewhere.
Talk to the Melbourne team
Tell us what your week looks like
No pressure and no sales script — just a conversation about what you need, when you need it, and whether we're the right team for it. We'll be honest if we're not.
Call us — 7 days
1800 844 995 Request a callbackOr email info@caringhearts.com.au — we reply the same business day.