This website has been developed as a resource for Home and Community Care (HACC) services in New South Wales. It aims to provide information, reference and contact points and questions and answers to services currently, or those seeking to work with clients with HIV or AIDS. We welcome feedback and comment, either by using the feedback page or emailing the project at alannac@pwd.org.au.
The aim of this project is to enhance the effectiveness and capacity of HACC services to support HACC-eligible people living with HIV/AIDS through the development of an online community of practice using HSNet (Human Services Net). The New South Wales Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care is funding the project.
The project builds on the HACC/HIV Liaison Project conducted during 2003 - 04, (see below) which aimed to increase the accessibility and responsiveness of HACC services to eligible persons with HIV/AIDS through a range of training and development activities.
HSNet is an intranet for staff of government and non-government community and welfare service providers in New South Wales. It is part of the New South Wales Government's Better Service Delivery Program for human services.
The impetus for the HACC/HIV Liaison Project was a report commissioned by the New South Wales Ageing and Disability Department in 2000. The Improving access report sought to highlight good practice and provide resources for services seeking to improve access for people living with HIV and AIDS (plwha). For futher information about the HACC/HIV Liaison Project, see the 'Project' page on this site.
Since the early 1990s, community-based care and support services have formed a key part of the services needed to support plwha and their carers living at home. Principally, especially in central and eastern Sydney, these services have been provided by volunteer services developed out of gay community responses to the HIV crisis. Services such as CSN (Community Support Network), BGF (Bobby Goldsmith Foundation) and Ankali were all developed in this way. The 'Poverty Sucks' campaign, begun in 1993, sought to highlight the stresses, both financial and otherwise, of the lack of access to general community-based support services for plwha.
Since 1996, and the successes of combination therapy for many plwha, the need for such crisis responses has been replaced by a need for a long term, sustainable service system which can meet the service needs of plwha and their carers. Many HACC-funded services have shown themselves able to do this, and have been working with plwha over this time.
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