Audience: Aged care workers, Providers (i.e service administrators, owners)
Topic: Residential Aged Care
Location: Online
Time: Registration time: 10 minutes. Programs take between 20 minutes and 12 months (part time) to complete.
Contact name: Ingrid Leonard
Contact email: NutritioninAgedCare@health.gov.au
The Australian Government has partnered with the Maggie Beer Foundation to deliver the free Improving Food in Aged Care through Education and Training program over the next 3 years.
The program aims to support chefs and cooks to source, prepare and serve more nutritious and delicious food. Participation will also help residential aged care homes to meet the draft dedicated food and nutrition Aged Care Quality Standard currently being piloted.
The Maggie Beer Foundation may contact residential aged care homes directly to invite them to participate in the programs.
Program opportunities include:
Online learning modules
11 free online training modules for chefs and cooks are available now.
From late 2023, 6 new modules will be added.
Each module is 20 – 40 minutes long. Once completed, participants receive certification and access to the online Professional Community (details below).
These modules will assist chefs and cooks to improve the food, nutrition, and dining experience for older people in their care.
To begin your training visit the Maggie Beer Foundation website.
Food Satisfaction Questionnaire
All residential aged care homes are invited to complete a food satisfaction questionnaire.
The questionnaire, developed by Flinders University, captures feedback from staff, residents, and families on the food and dining experience in individual homes.
Participants are provided with online training, a user guide and ongoing support to help complete the questionnaire. It can be completed online, or in print.
Results will guide homes on how to improve the food, nutrition, and dining experience for older people in their care.
The questionnaire can be completed between now and the end of December 2023.
You can sign up now on the Maggie Beer Foundation website. Flinders University will then contact you to provide more information and help you to complete the questionnaire.
State and Territory Training Hubs
State and territory training hubs bring aged care cooks and chefs together in small groups to learn practical skills from expert chef trainers.
135 training hubs will be available in all states and territories, in metropolitan and regional areas.
The hubs will be offered in virtual and hybrid (online and in-person) formats. They’ll be delivered as a series of short sessions over 3-4 weeks, at various times and days, to allow as many chefs and cooks to attend as possible.
This program includes optional access to:
The training hubs will be available from September 2023.
To register your interest visit the Maggie Beer Foundation website.
Trainer Mentor Program
The trainer mentor program is a 12-month mentorship program with an expert chef trainer.
The program is designed to provide support tailored to the needs of individual residential aged care homes and includes a:
This program will be available from early 2024 to 120 aged care services across Australia.
More details on this program and how to apply will be available soon.
Professional Community
All chefs and cooks who have completed program activities will gain access to the Foundation’s online Professional Community.
In the online community chefs and cooks can share experiences, ask questions and seek support.
A chef moderator will provide:
Download and share the free education and training factsheet
Sign up for regular updates on changes to aged care, open consultations and news for aged care providers.
SIGN-UP