Buying into a franchise system is all about the processes and expertise available. And when it comes to delivering practical and time-saving support, there’s no better example than Home Caring.

The aged care and NDIS services provider has the team to provide premium support so franchisees can achieve their goals.

In this Australia-born business franchisees can rely on expert guidance, industry knowledge and technical proficiency, from the leadership team through to the frontline team members.

Group chief operating officer Michaela Brown says “At Home Caring we are delivering a high level of support, and always looking to improve, evaluating our structure and services. It’s important that we continue to provide a top quality foundation on which our franchisees can build a good business.”

Compliance with rules and regulations

One challenging aspect of a home care business is the highly-regulated arena it operates within. As an aged care provider the business must show consistent and ongoing compliance. 

At Home Caring, there’s a compliance team that tackles the more onerous elements of the business. It conducts regular internal audits on franchises and seeks customer feedback.

“The audits are quite detailed; we look at each client’s file, in every franchise,” Michaela says. 

“At Home Caring we have a team that does this for franchisees and if there is change needed, the franchisee and franchise support manager will work together on improvements.”

It’s an important layer of support that underpins the value of a Home Caring franchise.

In a sector that demands extensive regulatory compliance, it helps business owners to have experts on hand to provide insights and guidance.

Implementing change

And now the aged care and disability care landscape is set to shift. New rules and processes for aged care services will apply from July 2025. Home Caring is working with franchisees to understand the changes.

“There are more rules for the NDIS too. We have always stayed within the lines so for us the biggest change will be around short term accommodation. There will be a lot more hesitation around approvals,” Michaela says.

“We are working through how these new rules affect us, and how we might need to change systems and processes accordingly. 

“The rules are getting very difficult to understand so for a franchisee it’s a real benefit to have us there to interpret and implement them,” Michaela says.

Multi-departmental approach

The new legislation will affect how aged care packages are implemented, and the Home Caring finance team is assessing what this will mean for franchisees. 

Home Caring’s franchisees benefit from this multi-departmental collaboration to assess how to embrace the new rules.

“Our chief technology officer has implemented new processes this year and will adapt these to suit a new regime,” Michaela points out.

Robust systems provide a strong framework for the franchise network. Home Caring’s newly-appointed CEO takes up the reins with a particular focus on process and structure, Michaela says.

As a result, franchisees will see the benefits of more streamlined processes that will be easily accessible and easy to navigate.

Home Caring’s technology refinements have already helped franchisees. They now have greater visibility of the quality of their processes, and the systems.

Support office delivers for Home Caring franchisees

Home Caring is continually striving to provide premium support for franchisees, whether that’s in technology, operations or marketing. The most recent recruit is a head of marketing who is engaging with franchisees on ways to maximise the brand impact.

When it comes to employing carers and other staff, while franchisees conduct their own recruitment, Home Caring provides guidelines and tools to optimise the process. The in-house HR experts can provide support for franchisees who might face industrial relations or performance management issues.

Frontline support team

Home Caring has also boosted its franchise support manager team. This vital, frontline role ensures a franchisee has appropriate support at whatever point they are at in their journey, depending on their tenure and the size of the business.

“It might be quality control, or financial support with P&Ls, rostering and efficiencies, some franchisees might seek support with particular processes,” Michaela explains.

“I’m still in direct contact with many of our 84 franchisees and I am very particular about who I bring in to the team to help support them,” Michaela says.

The carefully-selected support managers attend regular, scheduled meetings with franchisees, as well as ad hoc visits if needed. 

Further training and operational support is provided by the executive operations manager.

Home Caring support office brings a value-add

A new initiative in 2024 has introduced relationship managers to the network. These corporate support staff nurture and deliver leads to franchisees, taking potential clients to the point they are ready to sign up.

Sourcing leads

This is an important value-add for franchisees as it boosts their own client acquisition programs.

“Our franchisees build their own networks and relationships with local organisations and also get direct client leads,” Michaela explains.

“We don’t charge our franchisees for the leads we provide. We see this as adding value to franchisees’ businesses,” she adds. 

Optimising business opportunities

With a reliable support team behind them, Home Caring franchisees have the space and time to pursue business opportunities – with help from the support office.

“We are always looking at how we can improve our leads and increase business revenue,” Michaela says.

“One of the best elements of Home Caring is our growth attitude. We are flexible and agile and always looking to expand; it’s in our brand DNA,” she says.

Comprehensive support from head office and field teams provides Home Caring franchisees with a strong framework for success.