Education for health and care professionals
This page contains information about Carers NSW current and upcoming educational resources for health and care professionals on how to better identify and support family and friend carers early in health and community care service settings.
What's on this page?
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Identifying and supporting carers in health and care settings
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Carer awareness for general practice
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Carer awareness training for pharmacists
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Carer awareness training for palliative care settings
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Carer awareness for Aboriginal Health Services in NSW
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AoD workforce development project
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Carer inclusive aged care eLearning and Practice Guide
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Partnering with Carers NSW
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Sharing your experience of health and community care
Identifying and supporting carers in health and care settings
Family and friend carers often have high levels of engagement and interaction with health and care professionals. Some carers may be patients at your practice or attend with or on behalf of the person they support. However, many people in caring roles do not know that they are carers or identify as carers, and as such often are not aware of or don’t access the services and supports that can assist them.
Health and care professionals are a common point of contact for carers, and this provides opportunities for these professionals to identify carers early in their carer journey and at points of crisis, and to link them with appropriate supports. Early identification of carers within community care settings is critical to enabling timely access to, and uptake of carer supports that can improve carer wellbeing, patient outcomes, and ultimately the sustainability of caring arrangements.
Carer awareness for general practice
Carers NSW, funded through the Carers Investment Program Grant through the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) is working directly with general practices across NSW to strengthen the identification, inclusion and support of carers in their practice population. The project offers:
- In-person practice visits
- Practice resources
- Monthly webinars: Strengthening Clinical Outcomes in General Practice through Carer Identification and Support"
Carer awareness training for pharmacists
Carers NSW, in partnership with the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA), have launched the new Pharma+C (Pharmacists and Carers) Project. This project offers a series of online, self-directed carer awareness learning resources for pharmacists and pharmacy staff in NSW to support the identification and support of carers in pharmacy settings.
Carer awareness training for palliative care settings
Supporting someone at the end of life can be a challenging and stressful time for carers. Carers NSW has a range of training and resources to build the confidence of residential aged care staff, palliative care teams and other palliative care professionals in supporting family and friend carers of patients/ clients/ residents who are approaching their end of life.
Carer awareness for Aboriginal Health Services in NSW
Carers NSW, in partnership with the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (AH&MRC) to develop and deliver tailored carer awareness training to Aboriginal Health Services in regional NSW. This project is funded by the Carers Investment Program Grant (CIP) through the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ).
This project will run from April 2025 to April 2027, with a focus on regional and rural health care settings. The content can be adapted to benefit any members of the Aboriginal Health Workforce across NSW.
AH&MRC is currently seeking ACCHOs to participate in this training. If you would like further information on the Carer Recognition Project coming to your ACCHO, please contact clowcock@ahmrc.org.au
AoD workforce development project
Carers NSW, in partnership with The Buttery, has released the Carer, Family and Kin Inclusive Practice Guide for AOD Organisations, a practical resource to support services to consistently recognise and respond to carers, families and kin as part of everyday AOD care.
The Guide translates existing policy and quality expectations into practical approaches that can be applied within current service scope, without creating additional compliance burden.
It is supported by two companion resources:
- Toolkit for AOD Organisations - for governance and system-level implementation
- Toolkit for Frontline AOD Staff - providing practical guidance for everyday practice
These resources are designed to complement existing quality improvement activities and support gradual, locally responsive uplift in practice. They can be used flexibly, depending on organisational context and readiness:
Carer inclusive aged care eLearning and Practice Guide
Carers NSW has developed a suite of resources to support aged care staff, managers and providers to better recognise, include and support family and friend carers of older people accessing aged care in the home and community.
Explore principles of carer inclusive practice and how you can implement them by accessing our new Including carers in your work eLearning module and Practice Guide.
To access this free eLearning module, log in to Learn with Carers NSW below using your current login details or register as a new user if you have not previously joined.
To access the Carers NSW Carer Inclusive Aged Care Practice Guide and accompanying resources, click on the button below.
Partnering with Carers NSW
Carers NSW is currently developing a range of educational resources on carer awareness and support within the health and care sectors. To express your interest in partnering with Carers NSW, please email policy@carersnsw.org.au.
Alternatively, if you’re interested in future training and resources for your specific practice or service, get in touch with education@carersnsw.org.au.
You can also subscribe to the Carers NSW Education Mailing List to receive the latest updates on training, workshops, and carer wellbeing events delivered directly to your inbox.
Sharing your experience of health and community care
You can raise issues or concerns about an experience you have had with the health and care sector by filling out the Carers NSW Policy Advice Form below.
This information is used to inform our policy work, including writing submissions and providing feedback to governments on key issues affecting carers.