Louise Callaghan
Home Care Package Specialist
Sunbury,VIC
Summary
Dedicated and motivated Home Care Package Customer Service/Administrative/Customer engagement/Care Management professional looking for a new challenge. Proficient at handling a wide range of tasks while providing a high level of care management to clients. A confident and effective communicator, who maintains a high work standard with a commitment to excellence. Ability to provide professional guidance and assistance to the communities most vulnerable members in an empathetic and caring manor. Ability to mentor, recognise and encourage current staff to reach their full potential.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
Work History
Care Manager Home Care Packages
People First Health Care
09.2023 - Current
- Manage portfolio of Home Care package clients
- Organize services and referrals
- Reassess needs on a regular basis
- Conduct home visits
- Manage budgets
- Advise upon Inclusions and Exclusions
- Develop work instructions
- Mentor new staff
- Attend and participate in meetings
Client Service Manager
Claro
09.2022 - 07.2023
- Care Manager for Home Care Package clients.
- Care planning
- Service provision
- Recommending and sourcing available services
- Building trust and rapport
- Ongoing relationships with client and support workers
Home Care Package Administrator
Claro
03.2022 - 09.2022
- Quickly learned new skills and applied them to daily tasks, improving efficiency and productivity.
- Adapted to new computer programs
- Carry out day-day-day duties accurately and efficiently.
- Demonstrates respect, friendliness and willingness to help wherever needed.
- Creating efficient procedures to accurately process invoices
- Being proactive in implementing change and educating staff of HCP budget legislation and requirements
- Suggesting and implementing improvements to best practice.
Care Planner and Assessment Officer
Sunbury Cobaw Community Health Centre
09.2021 - 02.2022
- Social Support Group at Sunbury Cobaw Community Health Assessment officer & Care planner
- Attending clients homes to assess appropriateness for Social Support program and encourage attending
- Creating new care plans for potential participants assessing eligibility finding the right program for the right client
- Updating and expanding current care plans
- Assessing for best fit for program and finding placement of participants
- Updating MAC portal with details of assessment
Program Support Officer and Engagement HCP
Sunbury Cobaw Community Health
11.2017 - 09.2021
- First point of contact for clients with approved or assigned HCP, or questions on how to obtain one
- Regular use of MAC and Medicare and internal Health care computer programs
- Regular contact with Finance team to ensure all government requirements are being met and budgets are accurate an up to date for claiming
- Adaptability–able to embrace change, as proven with past team and leadership changes being approached with a positive outlook, taking on extra more challenging tasks to improve client experience including initiatives such as moving engagement into the Program Support role at Sunbury Cobaw Community Health to create more time for the care managers and give diversity to the role
- Taking ownership of engagement with Home Care Package clients and their families, giving thorough understanding of available government programs and grants to improve and enhance their lives
- Senior Officer for Home Care Packages Team creating and implementing work instructions, directing and training new staff and implementing change
- Growing the program numbers from 16 clients to 100 from Nov 17- Sept 21
- Visiting clients in home with Care Managers
- Running community information sessions to promote and educate people about HCPs
- Providing timely response to clients needing additional services and organising them promptly
- Creating new processes and procedures and work instructions
Hardship/Customer Support Officer and Credit
Western Water
10.2007 - 11.2017
- Customer Support for vulnerable community members experiencing hardship.
- Attending various locations to reach out to vulnerable customers.
- Organising and participation in mobile kiosks.
- Reducing debt whilst assisting people to empower their financial situation.
- Assistance with bill reduction.
- Building rapport and trust while meeting business guidelines.
- Administration–ongoing record keeping and raising of service requests for vulnerable customers, inputting Utility Relief Grants to Department of Human Services, negotiating and setting up payment plans and preventing debt collection
- Participation in initiating change–taking part in the working group to instigate changes and develop ideas to move forward and streamline tasks to better resource the business
- Showing forethought in suggesting and instigating changes such as renaming Hardship to Customer Support and assisting leadership in rewriting the hardship policy and practices to better suit customer and business needs
- Initiation of Western Waters mobile information kiosk at various locations in Melton to build trust and recognition with our vulnerable customers
- Acting Team Leader of Service Quality and Customer Support - as required
- Senior member of Service Quality Customer Support - training and assisting team members with Utility Relief Grants, Hardship, Centrepay and concessions, negotiation of ongoing payment plans and being a point of escalation for more complex customer calls/visits to and from difficult customers making decisions on level of assistance given to benefit the business and support the customer
- Pro-active interactions with local Financial Counsellors, maintaining regular contact, creating information brochures tailored to them every 6 months and visiting, building rapport to strengthen and build networks within the community, assisting in usage reduction of utilities helping to initiate the water tight program including water audits and identifying vulnerable members of the community
- Organizing a site visit both to and from Moorabool Shire and participating in relationship strengthening with Moorabool Shire and Western Water leadership groups to cement ongoing good will
- Initiation of visit to Centrelink’s Melton office to engage with customers facing financial challenges
- Participation at Woodgrove Shopping Centre discussing accounts and encouraging payment plans with customers engaging face to face
- Planning instigating and participating in Western Water’s mobile information kiosk at the Melton Library and Learning Centre
- Attending community meetings with local services such as Melton Shire, Financial counsellors, CALD community leaders and Victoria police
- Previous president of Western Water’s Social Club
Customs Officer
Australian Customs and Border Security
11.2005 - 10.2007
- Explained laws and regulations to travelers and distributors and promoted comprehension to foster adherence to requirements.
- Identified contraband items and seized according to customs laws.
- Evaluated shipments to determine duty and taxes due, completed applicable paperwork and informed individuals of expected liabilities.
- Identified and seized contraband, undeclared merchandise and vehicles or boats containing such merchandise.
- Examined baggage and personal items upon entering or leaving country to verify adherence to customs requirements and identify suspected violations.
- Summoned law enforcement to detain persons found to be in violation of customs or immigration laws and arrange for legal actions.
- Validated immigration documents, asked questions and reported discrepancies to authorities for further review.
Customer Service Consultant
TXU assignment–Rusher
11.2003 - 07.2005
Administrative Officer
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
06.2003 - 11.2003
Customer Care Relationship Officer
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
12.2002 - 06.2003
Education
Certificate III - Business
Victoria University
Melbourne, VICCertificate III - Government
Australian Border Security
Melbourne Airport, VICCertificate in Case Management
Australian Online Courses
Currently Undertaking StudyGraduate Certificate - Care Management
Australian Online Courses
12.2023
High School Diploma -
Preston East Technical School
Preston10.1990
Skills
- Care management of Home Care packages - care planning and reviewing, budgeting, referrals
- People Skills / Communication–Customers internal and external interactions, building long term relationships, trust and rapport, dealing with difficult personalities and circumstances with sensitivity, excellent feedback from supervision, ability to make clients feel comfortable to be open in discussions and honest about their needs
- Team Player–able to work as both part of a team and independently to ensure best results for the greater team, prioritizing work, assisting and training staff, always maintaining reliable, consistent and dependable attitude, a can do attitude with flexibility to recognize team needs and offer assistance to ensure all task get done
- Conflict Resolution–handling escalated and complex customers both face to face and over the phone, with a natural ability to diffuse difficult situations by using negotiation skills and the ability to maintain a calm and patient professional demeanour
- Vulnerable/Hardship focus–proven focus on Hardship in the role of Hardship/Customer Support Officer since its inception, bringing a new program to life and assisting it to evolve, showing compassion and empathy whilst assisting clients with reduction of usage and bills by educating them about best practices in utilities and making the most of what they had, aiding them in getting government grants
- Building ongoing relationships with outside organizations including local financial counsellors, Centrelink, CALD and community groups
- Assisting the local ageing community in how to engage services and get appropriate assistance to help support a healthy and full enriched life safely at home
- Acting Team Leader of Credit management/Hardship–as required
- Organizing and participating in information sessions on My Aged Care, Commonwealth Home Support Program and Home Care Packages
- Care planning and assessment to assist with achieving clients' goals
Additional Information
Australian Drivers Licence
Fully vaccinated (and flu shot) and booster shot
Working With Children Check
NDIS Workers Check
REFEREES
Kirsten Graham
Team Leader - Claro
0401 818 561
Charlie Dorito
Aged Care Manager - Claro
0456 261 341
Timeline
Care Manager Home Care Packages
People First Health Care
09.2023 - Current
Client Service Manager
Claro
09.2022 - 07.2023
Home Care Package Administrator
Claro
03.2022 - 09.2022
Care Planner and Assessment Officer
Sunbury Cobaw Community Health Centre
09.2021 - 02.2022
Program Support Officer and Engagement HCP
Sunbury Cobaw Community Health
11.2017 - 09.2021
Hardship/Customer Support Officer and Credit
Western Water
10.2007 - 11.2017
Customs Officer
Australian Customs and Border Security
11.2005 - 10.2007
Customer Service Consultant
TXU assignment–Rusher
11.2003 - 07.2005
Administrative Officer
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
06.2003 - 11.2003
Customer Care Relationship Officer
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
12.2002 - 06.2003
Certificate III - Business
Victoria University
Certificate III - Government
Australian Border Security
Certificate in Case Management
Australian Online Courses
Graduate Certificate - Care Management
Australian Online Courses
High School Diploma -
Preston East Technical School
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