Community Visitors Scheme

Overview

The Community Visitors Scheme (CVS) supports organisations (auspices) to recruit volunteers to provide friendship and companionship for older people who receive Australian Government subsidised aged care and who are isolated or at risk of social isolation.  This CVS Grant Opportunity is divided into the following 3 Activities: Activity 1:  CVS Home Care involves volunteers conducting one-on-one visits to consumers of an Australian Government subsidised Home Care Package. These visits are conducted by a single volunteer in the home of the care recipient. Activity 2:  CVS Residential Care is comprised of one-on-one and group volunteer visits to consumers of Australian Government subsidised residential aged care. One-on-one visits are conducted by one volunteer with a single care recipient. Group visits involve one or more visitors to two or more consumers of Australian Government subsidised residential aged care at the same time, occurring in the residential aged care home. Activity 3:  CVS Network Members represent and support CVS auspices within each state and territory. A Network Member for each state or territory (combined NSW/ACT) will be appointed. The local CVS Network Member can advise which CVS auspices are operating in the area. The Network Members have responsibility for facilitating links between CVS auspices and the department and supporting the CVS auspices.  This program has particular focus on specific groups that are at higher risk from social isolation. These special needs groups include but are not limited to: people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities; people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds; people who live in rural or remote areas; people who are financially or socially disadvantaged; veterans; people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless; care leavers; parents separated from their children by forced adoption or removal; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people.