Community and human services

Mutual community service providers…

  • Are a new expression of public interest ownership
  • Build trust and confidence in service providers through participative ownership
  • Enable staff to reach their full potential

Are a new expression of public interest ownership

Mutuals are focussed on the services they exist to deliver, affording a direct relationship between service providers and users, rather than through public authority bureaucracies or private sector operators.

Build trust and confidence in service providers through participative ownership

By engaging staff and service users directly, mutuals provide a voice for all stakeholders, ensuring that services are co-produced and trusted by all.

Enable staff to reach their full potential

Employee owned mutuals deliver superior business performance because employees tend to be more entrepreneurial and committed to the company and its success.

Find out more

Read about our Care Together Program to start and grow more co-ops and mutuals in social care.

Browse our campaign Action to Empower: Social Care Mutuals and read our Action to Empower report.

Read our Discussion Paper: Co-operatives and Mutuals as Social Enterprises

Community and human services examples

Bhive Co-operative Logo

Bhive Co-operative

bHive is based in Bendigo, Victoria. Local Bendigo residents will build, operate and own the platform that will build over time to provide skill sharing, car sharing, lifts, food sharing, logistics, house sharing, crowdfunding, insurance and lots more.
Established Year: 2016
Type: Platform co-operative
Kingdom Community Life Care LTD (KCLC)

Kingdom Community Life Care LTD (KCLC)

Benevolent organisation established in Logan City, Queensland, Australia
Established Year: 2020
Kudos Services logo

Kudos Services

Kudos Services is Australia’s first employee-owned public service mutual, with a focus on empowering children, young people and their families to live their best lives.
Established Year: 2018

Nundah Community Enterprises Cooperative

Creates meaningful employment for members with cognitive and psychological disabilities. One of Australia's first social enterprises.
Established Year: 1998
Original Power

Original Power

Indigenous-led and community-focused not-for-profit working to build the collective power of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Established Year: 2018
Supporting Independent Living Co-operative Logo

Supporting Independent Living Co-operative

SILC is a hub to support families to develop their own independent housing models under the NDIS. Its aim is to assist families to connect and create sustainable homes and life experiences for their family member living with disability.
Established Year: 2016
The Co-operative Life Logo

The Co-operative Life

The Co-operative Life is a financially sustainable, employee owned co-operative providing support services to adults of all aged groups who have mild, to very complex and multiple disabilities, people who live with chronic disease or are frail and elderly.
Established Year: 2013

Community and human services submissions

Study on Indirect Employment in Aged Care

BCCM’s submission provided information on the role co-ops can play in workforce development in aged care.
Jurisdiction: Commonwealth
Committee: Productivity Commission
Submission Date: 09 May 2022

Aged Care Royal Commission

BCCM’s submission highlighted the potential of the CME sector to help support investment in achieving the generational change in aged care.
Jurisdiction: Commonwealth
Committee: Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety
Submission Date: 20 Nov 2020

Tackling climate change in Victorian communities

The submissions provides examples of how co-ops and mutuals, as community-owned businesses, are taking action on climate change.
Jurisdiction: Victoria
Committee: Legislative Assembly Environment and Planning Committee
Submission Date: 26 Aug 2019