Person-centred care
An approach that puts a person's needs, preferences and dignity at the centre of their care.
Person-centred care means treating each person you support as an individual, not a set of tasks. Their goals, preferences, culture, routines and dignity guide how care is planned and delivered. Rather than fitting the person to the service, the service flexes around the person.
For care workers, this shows up in small but meaningful ways: asking how someone likes things done, offering genuine choice, respecting privacy, and supporting independence rather than doing everything for them. It also means listening to family and informal supports, and noticing when someone's needs or wishes change over time.
Person-centred care sits at the heart of Australian care standards across Aged Care, disability and childcare. It is an expectation of the Aged Care Quality Standards, the NDIS Practice Standards, and child safety frameworks, all of which ask providers to demonstrate that the people they support are heard and respected. For providers, embedding this approach is both a quality requirement and a cultural one. It depends on a stable, well-supported workforce who have the time and skills to build trusting relationships with the people in their care.
This is general information, not compliance advice. Always confirm requirements with the relevant regulator, and remember that providers keep the legal responsibility to sight credentials and decide who can work.
We work hard to keep it accurate, but the rules change and we will not always get every detail right. If you think something here needs updating, email us at resources@koora.care. We would genuinely rather know, because we all do better when we help each other get it right.