Hearth Australia

Hearth Australia: comprehensive disability support under the NDIS model

Hearth Australia is a registered and audited National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provider operating across Metropolitan Melbourne and Greater Bendigo. Its activities cover the provision of support workers, allied health, positive behaviour support and supported independent living (SIL) solutions. The organisation presents itself as an alternative within the sector, with an interdisciplinary and participant-centred approach.

Key services

Hearth's offering is structured across several service lines:

• Support Workers: Hearth recruits, employs, matches, trains and provides ongoing support to support workers who meet NDIS standards. These professionals help participants progress towards their goals.
• Allied Health: Includes speech pathology, physiotherapy and occupational therapy services.
• Positive Behaviour Support (PBS): An approach to supporting behaviour change in children or adults with disability. It teaches alternative behaviours and modifies the environment to reduce and eliminate restrictive practices.
• Hearth Home Solution: Solutions for supported independent living (SIL), for both non-SDA and SDA homes. Hearth is a registered SIL provider and prioritises quality, wellbeing and safety.
• My Pathway: A program fully managed by the Hearth team that uses a creative, person-centred approach to bring each participant's NDIS goals to life, reflecting their unique strengths, needs and aspirations.
• Hearth Hospital Discharge: Support service for transition from hospital.

The Hearth approach

Hearth has developed a participant-centred, interdisciplinary model of disability support, care and management. This approach is based on the belief that long-term, sustainable support is best achieved through a holistic team surrounding the participant, including relationship managers, support workers and allied health professionals, to address all facets of their wellbeing.

History and origins

Hearth was founded by Justin, motivated by his personal experience as the father of Tristan, a child with cerebral palsy. The organisation began in 2017 with the aim of transforming disability support, and has evolved through experience with hundreds of support workers and participants, as well as through collaborations with leading universities. Initially, the focus was on recruiting, employing, matching and training support workers. In 2021, services were expanded to incorporate allied health and housing, responding to the needs of participants and the sector. Justin continues to hold a dual role as founder and as the parent of a person with complex disability, which brings ongoing learnings to the organisation.

Commitment to Aboriginal communities

Hearth acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands, seas and waters of Australia and is committed to providing the highest standard of individualised support for Aboriginal people with disability. The organisation understands that the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is grounded in continued connection to culture, country, language and community.

Presence and contact

Hearth operates across Metropolitan Melbourne and Greater Bendigo. The organisation has a free phone number and several email addresses for different purposes, such as general enquiries, feedback, intake, after-hours intake, employment, housing and allied health.

Phone: 1800 894 013 · Email: info@hearthaustralia.com.au