1. Ageing in a Foreign Land 2017 Conference
The CALD workforce: findings from the 2016 National Aged Care Workforce Census and Survey
Ageing in a Foreign Land 2017 Conference
21-22 June 2017
Dr. Genevieve Knight

2. The CALD workforce: findings from the 2016 National Aged Care Workforce Census and Survey
The 2016 National Aged Care Workforce Census and Survey data collection
The 2016 snapshot of aged care services with ethnic/cultural specialisation
Key changes since 2012

3. Background
NILS were commissioned by the Australian Govt. Dept of Health to provide the 4th National Aged Care Workforce Census and Survey
The data collection is of two major populations:
A Census of all Australian providers
A large Survey of the workforces
Provision takes place in two main ways:
In residential facilities
In the home and through community outlets

4. 2016 National Aged Care Workforce Census and Survey
Information about Australian aged care services and their workforce
Four discrete questionnaire forms were produced to collect the data:
Residential Census
Home Care and Home Support Census
Residential Worker Survey
Home Care and Home Support Worker Survey

5. 2016 National Aged Care Workforce Census and Survey
A combination of mail back and web-based questionnaires as the core modes of data collection.
Sent to all aged care providers [based on DoH records].
A census and survey package sent for each service, with 1 census form and a set of worker surveys, a set of reply paid envelopes and cover letter

6. 2016 National Aged Care Census and Survey
The nominated workers fill their surveys
Service outlet location Personnel Manager or the person who recruits and manages staff at each of your aged care service locations fills the census and gives surveys to selected workers
Provider organization receives and distributes census and survey packages to each of their service outlet locations

7. The 2016 National Aged Care Workforce Census and Survey
Of 2,952 residential facilities, 2,240 valid responses: a 76 per cent response rate for the residential census.
Of the 17,717 surveys, 8,885 valid responses: a 50 per cent response rate for the residential worker survey.
Of the 5,442 home care and home support outlets, 2,307 valid responses: a 42 per cent response rate for the Home Care and Home Support outlet census.
Of the 27,206 surveys, 7,024 valid responses: a 26 per cent response rate for the home care and home support worker survey.

8. Overseas born Residential workers
Of direct care staff, 32% born overseas
Recent hires:
40% born overseas
HCHS workers
Of direct care staff, 23% born overseas
Recent hires:
21% born overseas
Table 3.7 & 5.7 NACWCS report

9. Overseas born

10. Overseas born, occupation
Table 3.8 column 1 and Table 5.8 column 1
Amongst overseas born workers, the occupational distribution
Additionally controlling for speaking a non-English language doesn’t change this picture

11. Within occupation: share with up to 2 years in Australia, for workers overseas born and non-English speaking background
Overall 11 per cent (Residential workers) but only 2 per cent of home care and home support workers were overseas born, from non-English speaking background and with less than 2 years living in Australia.

12. Lingual Backgrounds of PCA/CCW % of facilities/outlets
At least 1 PCA/CCW CALD

13. Catering for specific ethnic/cultural groups % of facilities/outlets
Residential facilities 25%
HCHS outlets 44%

14. Catering for specific ethnic/cultural groups facilities/outlets

15. Characteristics of good aged care workers
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 100 workers; August to October 2016, 30 minutes
Residential workers (52) HCHS workers (48) interviews.
Across occupational groups, 43 nurses (29 RNs, 11 ENs and 3 NPs) and 57 care staff (31 CCWs and 26 PCAs)
Focus on newly hired and mature-aged workers, recruitment, retention

16. Characteristics of good aged care workers
When respondents were asked about their perception of what makes a good aged care worker, overwhelmingly they spoke about particular “qualities” needed to be able to work with older people.
While respondents reported overall that a worker’s cultural background made little contribution as to whether they provided good care or not,
Having staff who shared a mutual language and cultural background with CALD clients was a good employee characteristic.

17. Characteristics of good aged care workers
The importance of English proficiency in an aged care worker was also thought important in order to aid communication with clients.
“My last facility…was more of a multicultural facility, and staff as well, and certainly if we have staff on that are multicultural and actually can speak a native language to a resident who kind of reverts back to their native tongue in dementia, it’s a great resource.”

18. Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) definition in NACWCS 2016
Individuals who identify as having a specific cultural or linguistic affiliation because of their place of birth, ancestry, ethnic origin, religion, preferred non-English main language or language(s) spoken at home, or because of their parents’ identification on a similar basis.

19. Benefits of CALD PCA/CCWs
All facilities outlets responded to at least one benefit

20. Difficulties of PCA/CCW (from list), for facilities/outlets indicating PCA/CCW lack of English language skills cause difficulties
For 32%
Asked ‘Does lack of English language skills amongst your PCAs cause any difficulties in your facility/outlet? (yes/no)
Then asked to select from the list

21. 2016 National Aged Care Workforce Census and Survey
Mavromaras, K.; Knight, G.; Isherwood, L.; Crettendon, A.; Flavel, J.; Karmel, T.; Moskos, M.; Smith, L.; Walton, H.; Wei, Z.; (2017) The 2016 National Aged Care Workforce Census and Survey - the Aged Care Workforce, Australian Government Department of Health Research Report.