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Action to Empower: Social Care Mutuals

Why Australia needs more co-operative and mutual enterprises in health, community, and social services

Action to Empower is our campaign to empower consumers and carers in social care markets to take back control through business model innovation.

Co-operative and mutual business models can increase diversity and choice in health, community and social services in Australia with positive outcomes for accountability, innovation, quality and productivity.

The Action to Empower report is a ‘call to action’ for targeted policy measures focused on enabling different forms of ownership. We discuss the potential contribution of co-operatives and mutuals to innovation and reforms in aged care and disability services, informed by Australian experiences and a BCCM study tour of UK mutuals.

The BCCM provides advice and helps organisations, staff, clients and other stakeholders seeking to learn about, form and grow co-operatives and mutuals in health, community and social services as well as aged care. We have a demonstrated track record of helping organisations to transition to mutual models at all stages of development.

New Care Together program

The BCCM is working on a new Commonwealth funded education, training and advisory program to start and grow more co-ops and mutuals in social care. The Co-operative and Mutual Enterprises Support Program (Care Together) will help improve the quality and diversity of services provided to older Australians, people living with disability, and veterans in remote and regional areas and other areas of high need. Read more

Social Care Community of Practice

About the Social Care Community of Practice

The Social Care Community of Practice (CoP) is a series of online meetings and events designed to develop a network of people and enterprises interested in business model innovation involving new models of ownership that empower consumers and workers in social care.

These collaborative meetings enable the sharing of information and resources about co-operatives and mutual enterprises fostering a spirit of self-help and innovation in social care. Being part of the CoP is an opportunity to learn from other co-operatives and mutuals both in Australia and overseas.

Emerging from the Action to Empower Report and Roundtable held on 25 August 2021 the CoP is designed as a place for sharing ideas and learning from co-op experts about how the co-operative and mutual business model can help transform social care services.

Terms of reference
  1. The purpose of the Social Care Community of Practice (CoP) is to develop a community of practitioners to share knowledge, learnings, and experiences about how to establish co-operatives and mutual enterprises in social care.
  2. Social Care CoP members will consist of people who are interested in knowing more about co-operatives and mutuals and understanding how this business model can apply either to existing enterprises or start-ups.
  3. The Social Care CoP will start as a self-help initiative based on open sharing of ideas and knowledge. As commitment grows, and as resources become available, the aim is for this to evolve to foster deeper learning and application through the establishment of a Mutual Support Program for some targeted innovation projects in thin markets.
  4. Social Care CoP members should ensure regular representation at the CoP meetings.
  5. BCCM will provide a secretariat function for the Social Care CoP.
  6. BCCM will invite practitioners to join the Social Care CoP based on a registration of interest.
  7. BCCM members may request to join the CoP.
  8. Following two introductory sessions led by BCCM, the CoP will co-design a program of meetings and/or events that will be promoted by BCCM and members of the CoP.
  9. BCCM commits to organising three free CoP meetings annually with an agenda circulated prior to the meeting. Other events will be held on a cost-recovery basis reflecting the shared interests of the CoP.
  10. Discussions and sharing of information will be done under the Chatham House Rule.
Join the Community of Practice

Please email Nicole Vlakic to apply to join the Social Care Community of Practice.

Upcoming meetings

 Invitation only

The Social Care Community of Practice (CoP) is a series of online meetings and events designed to develop a network of people and enterprises interested in business model innovation involving new models of ownership that empower consumers and workers in social care.

Attend our Social Care Community of Practice on Thursday, 23 May 2024, 3 – 5 pm AEST.

Please email Nicole Vlakic to apply to join the Social Care Community of Practice.

Find out more about the Social Care Community of Practice (CoP) and watch past CoP videos.

Social Care Community of Practice

play videoCare Together's Social Care Community of Practice online meeting Thursday, 22 February 2024.

Social Care Community of Practice - February 2024

With Care Together's Melina Morrison, Uncle Ray Minniecon, Gillian McFee, Peter Hunt, Clare Fountain, Michael Pilbrow and Nick Hislop.
play videoSocial Care Community of Practice - November 2023

Social Care Community of Practice - November 2023

With Care Together's Melina Morrison and Gillian McFee, HNECC PHN's Dr Alison Koschel and Annabelle Williams, Carolyn Finis, The Summer Foundation, and Sophia Petrov, COTA Australia.
play videoSocial Care Community of Practice - September 2023

Social Care Community of Practice - September 2023

Care work: Through the lens of the care worker with Emma Back, Equal Care (UK), Jen Smith, Singalise Co-operative (UK) and a facilitated panel discussion introducing Australian workers' perspectives.
play videoCare Together COP June 2023

Social Care Community of Practice - June 2023

Katrina Kazda, The ICA Group and Adria Powell, Co-operative Home Care Associates, shared their US co-op journey to establish a network of worker owned home care co-ops.
play videoCare Together CoP March 2023

Care Together: A co-operative and mutual enterprises support program

An introduction to the BCCM's new Care Together Program (Social Care Community of Practice, March 2023)
play videoInterview with Nundah Community Enterprises Co-operative's Richard Warner, Co-ordinator and Bernard Denny, President

Case study: Nundah Community Enterprises Co-operative's

Interview with Nundah Community Enterprises Co-operative's Richard Warner, Co-ordinator and Bernard Denny, President (Social Care Community of Practice, 19 October 2022)
play videoEqual Care Co-op case study video

Case study: Equal Care Co-op

Equal Care Co-op case study (Social Care Community of Practice, 9 June 2022)
play videoSocial Care Community of Practice Case Study Kudos Services

Case Study: Kudos Services

Kudos Services case study (Social Care Community of Practice, 9 March 2022)
play videoCase Study: The Co-operative Life

Case Study: The Co-operative Life

The Cooperative Life's Margaret Ciarka, Olena Gonzalez, and Kseniya Ivanchyk (Social Care Community of Practice, 8 December 2021)
play videoApproaching Social Care with a different mindset with Mr Robert Fitzgerald AM

Approaching Social Care with a different mindset

Robert Fitzgerald AM, NSW Ageing and Disability Commissioner (Social Care Community of Practice, 14 October 2021)
play videoApproaching Social Care with a different mindset with Cliff Mills

Approaching Social Care with a different mindset

Cliff Mills, a UK expert in co-operative design (Social Care Community of Practice, 14 October 2021)
play videoCase study: Supporting Independent Living Co-operative (SILC)

Case study: Supporting Independent Living Co-operative (SILC)

Steve Anthony OAM, Founder, SILC (Social Care Community of Practice, 14 October 2021)

Aged Care Industry Roundtable

play videoRobert Fitzgerald AM

Robert Fitzgerald AM, NSW Ageing and Disability Commissioner

Robert Fitzgerald AM, NSW Ageing and Disability Commissioner speaking on empowering workers and consumers: why now is the time to address leadership, governance and cultural deficiencies in health,...
play videoLinda Seaborn and Kathryn Johnson

Linda Seaborn and Kathryn Johnson

Discussion on 'Different perspectives on ownership' facilitated by Gillian McFee with Linda Seaborn and Kathy Johnson (TAS).

Social care news

Nundah Community Enterprises Co-operative staff smiling over coffee machine
28 April 2023

Happy birthday Nundah Co-op

Happy birthday Nundah Co-op. We join with Richard and the team in celebrating the potential for further growth.
woman with Down's syndrome gardening
18 April 2023

BCCM welcomes Bill Shorten’s comments regarding the need for major systemic reforms to NDIS

BCCM CEO Melina Morrison welcomes the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Bill Shorten’s comments regarding the need for major systemic reforms to the NDIS to ensure its...
3 April 2023

The future of care is co-operative

Australia is not alone as a country in being found to be failing our most vulnerable citizens when it comes to care. Several landmark inquiries into our care system have shown Australia faces...
elderly woman and young man playing board game
23 January 2023

BCCM launches $7m social care program

The BCCM has started work on a new Commonwealth funded education, training and advisory program to start and grow more co-ops and mutuals in social care.
Australian cash
30 March 2022

A strong economy is every Australian’s business: BCCM responds to the Federal Budget

The BCCM welcomed measures in the Federal Budget aimed at balancing the economy towards the interests of all Australians to build back better and fairly.
Co-operatives and mutuals a key focus of Budget funding for aged care innovation
30 March 2022

Co-operatives and mutuals a key focus of Budget funding for aged care innovation

The Federal Government is turning to Australia’s co-operatives and mutuals sector to help improve the quality and diversity of services provided to older Australians, people living with disability...
elderly woman and young man playing board game
1 September 2021

ACSA and co-op peak sign MOU

The MOU will give aged care provider members greater opportunities to explore and consider different models of ownership and governance.
Close up of carer supporting patient by hand, aged care, istock
30 August 2021

ACSA and BCCM MOU expands opportunity for diverse models of aged care

ACSA and the BCCM have signed an MOU so ACSA member non-profit aged care providers can find out more about the attributes and benefits of co-operative and mutual enterprises models of care giving.
carer helping elderly client into house
11 May 2021

The key to aged care transformation is consumer choice

The Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM) welcomes the Government’s recognition of the aged care sector in this evening’s budget announcement.

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Co-operatives and mutuals have a long tradition of responding to critical needs and market failure.

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Blueprint for Australia

Our policy guide for a sustainable economy that works in the interests of all Australians.