About the Cultural Care Compass Planning Tool
The Cultural Care Compass Planning Tool assists aged care organisations to become better equipped to address the diverse needs of their consumers. The tool enables people working in aged care to take a systemic and holistic approach to improving their organisation’s current services and practices so they are welcoming, safe and accessible for everyone.
By meeting the Cultural Care Compass Performance Indicators, aged care services will be able to:
- Better meet the needs of consumers from diverse backgrounds
- Empower consumers to make informed decisions about the service they receive
- Deliver flexible, accessible services free of barriers and discrimination
- Implement a consumer-directed approach
- Achieve quality outcomes for all consumers.
Alignment with the Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards
The Cultural Care Compass Planning Tool complements the diversity approach embedded within the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards (2025). These 7 Standards require all aged care organisations to deliver inclusive and non-discriminatory care and services.
Meeting the performance measures listed in this tool provides evidence that your organisation has embedded an inclusive, non-discriminatory approach in its care and service delivery.
Each performance measure aligns with the relevant strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards requirements set out by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.
Providing culturally inclusive, safe and non-discriminatory high-quality care also aligns with the legislative stipulations of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975.
The themes of the Tool may support providers in preparing to apply for CALD Specialisation Verification.
How to use the Tool
This tool has been designed for self-assessment, enabling aged care organisations to:
- Evaluate current practices against performance measures
- Identify key areas for improvement
- Plan and implement strategic developments to achieve inclusive care.
To get started, download the PDF version of the tool below. Open it using a PDF reader such as the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can easily enter text and save your progress.