When you are knee-deep in paperwork, juggling compliance updates, and making sure your staff are ticking all the right boxes, it can be easy to mix up what goes where. Residential care. Home care. Different services. Different needs. Different policies.

But if you are using the same aged care policy templates for both, you might be walking a fine line.

Let us sort that out.

What Are Care Type Policies?

Care type policies are written procedures and rules that are shaped around the type of care you provide. That means residential aged care policies are not interchangeable with home care policies. You cannot swap one for the other and expect everything to fall into place.

They are tied to the service model. And in Australia, those models are very clearly defined under the Aged Care Act.

Your organisation must meet different regulatory requirements depending on the care setting. This affects how your policies are written, how they are reviewed, and how they are implemented in daily practice.

Residential Care vs Home Care: What Is the Difference?

Let us not beat around the bush. If you are running both services, you already know they are chalk and cheese.

Residential care is a facility-based model. Think 24-hour support, clinical oversight, and structured living environments. Residents receive daily living support, medication management, and round-the-clock supervision. Your policies in this setting must reflect a higher level of responsibility and risk management.

Home care, on the other hand, is community-based. Clients live in their own homes. Services are more flexible and usually based on a care plan that supports independence. Workers visit at scheduled times and are often alone with the client. The policies for this model need to account for lone working, travel safety, and varying household conditions.

Same goal—safe, respectful, and regulated care. But the way you get there? Completely different.

Why You Need Separate Policy Templates

Using aged care policy templates that are not fit for purpose can be a disaster waiting to happen.

For instance, a medication policy designed for a residential setting will not translate well to a home care environment. In a facility, staff administer medications from a central storage area. In a home, the client might manage their own medication or keep it in the fridge next to the butter.

If your policies are not aligned to the care type, you are at risk of:

• Non-compliance during audits
  
• Staff confusion
  
• Increased safety incidents
  
• Poor care outcomes
  

Governa AI offers a library of aged care policy templates tailored to both residential and home care services, so you do not need to start from scratch.

Residential Care Policy Requirements

Let us dig into what you need on the residential side of things.

1. Clinical Governance

You will need clear policies covering:

• Medication administration
  
• Clinical incident reporting
  
• Infection prevention and control
  
• Palliative care
  
• Wound and skin care
  

These are non-negotiables in any facility-based service. Your staff need to know how to act without hesitation. There is no room for guesswork.

2. Staffing and Rostering

Shift handovers, after-hours protocols, and skill mix all require structure. Policies should define how staff transitions are managed, who is in charge of each area, and how residents’ needs are prioritised across rosters.

3. Meal Services and Nutrition

Policies should reflect kitchen hygiene, menu planning, and resident dietary requirements. You will also need food safety policies in line with state regulations.

4. Behaviour Support

Aggression, wandering, or confusion require immediate and skilled responses. A behaviour management policy needs to explain who does what, when, and how. This is especially important for facilities supporting residents with dementia.

5. Security and Building Safety

You are responsible for the physical environment. That means access control, fire drills, lockdown procedures, and emergency management policies are all essential.

Home Care Policy Requirements

Now, let us take a look at what changes when your team is out in the community.

1. Lone Worker Safety

Home care workers are on their own most of the time. You must have clear protocols for:

• Check-in systems
  
• Emergency contacts
  
• Vehicle safety
  
• Incident response
  

These policies should reflect your duty of care without creating unnecessary red tape.

2. Infection Control in Non-Clinical Settings

Your infection control policy should consider different households. Does the client have pets? Shared bathrooms? Limited access to hygiene products? Your policy should help staff adapt safely.

3. Client Choice and Control

Unlike residential care, home care supports people to live independently. Policies must promote client autonomy, decision-making, and service flexibility.

4. Manual Handling and Mobility Assistance

In-home environments are unpredictable. Narrow hallways, low couches, uneven floors—you name it. Your manual handling policy must cover what workers can and cannot do, and when to call for assistance.

5. Cultural and Religious Considerations

Workers enter people’s private spaces. This means greater attention to respect, privacy, and personal routines. Your policies should include respectful engagement and cultural sensitivity guidelines.

Shared Requirements Across Both Care Types

Not everything is different. Some policies need to exist across both service models, though they might be written differently. These include:

• Complaints management
  
• Incident reporting
  
• Privacy and confidentiality
  
• Code of conduct
  
• Mandatory reporting of abuse or neglect
  

These are the bread and butter of compliance. You cannot get away with copy-paste jobs. Each policy should be specific to the care type and reviewed regularly.

The Role of Governa AI in Policy Development

If writing policy documents makes your eyes glaze over, you are not alone.

At Governa AI, we work with aged care providers across Australia to make policy compliance easier. Our aged care policy templates are written by industry experts and are regularly updated to meet new legislation and standards. They are customisable, plain-English, and formatted for both residential and home care settings.

You can browse the full collection here: Aged Care Policy Templates

How to Know Which Policy Template You Need

A few questions can point you in the right direction:

• Does your service operate 24 hours? You need residential care policies.
  
• Do your staff work alone in people’s homes? You need home care policies.
  
• Are you delivering both services? You need both sets.
  
• Are you preparing for an audit? You need policy templates that match your service type, word for word.
  

And remember: the Aged Care Quality Standards apply to both care types. But the way you meet those standards will differ depending on where the care is delivered.

What Happens If You Get It Wrong?

Let us say you are audited and your medication policy only covers what happens inside a facility—but your staff are delivering care in homes across three suburbs.

The assessors will not give you a pat on the back for effort. You could face:

• Non-compliance notices
  
• Required improvements
  
• Impact on accreditation status
  
• Loss of client confidence
  

Do not leave it to chance. If your policies do not reflect your care type, you are essentially putting square pegs in round holes.

Updating Old Templates? Read This First

If your policies were written before 2021, you might be working with outdated standards.

Here is what to check:

• Does your documentation refer to superseded legislation?
  
• Are there mentions of roles or processes that no longer exist?
  
• Are you still using “nursing home” when your service is classified under “residential aged care”?
  
• Are your home care policies silent on lone worker safety or incident notification?
  

Governa AI helps providers spot these gaps with modern templates that are ready to go. There is no guesswork involved.

Conclusion: The Right Template Saves You Time and Trouble

Writing good policy templates is not just a compliance task—it is how you keep your care team safe, your clients protected, and your service on the right side of regulation.

When you pick the right care type policies—whether for residential or home care—you build trust and reduce risk.

If you are tired of copy-pasting and second-guessing your templates, it is time to make the switch.

Ready to get started? Visit Governa AI's policy templates today and choose the care type policies that fit your service. The right policies are already waiting for you.