Outcome 1.3 of the Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards represents one of the most fundamental aspects of person-centred care: empowering older people to exercise choice, maintain independence, and live their best possible lives. This outcome moves beyond basic service delivery to embed deep respect for autonomy, informed decision-making, and dignity of risk in every aspect of aged care practice.

Under the strengthened standards, providers must support individuals to exercise choice and make decisions about their funded aged care services, provide them with timely and accurate information they can understand, and support them to take positive risks that maintain their independence and quality of life. Getting this training right is not just about compliance - it's about creating a culture where every person's autonomy and right to self-determination is upheld every day.

Let's walk through exactly what this means for your training programs and how to implement it systematically to meet regulatory requirements while genuinely empowering the people in your care.

Understanding What Outcome 1.3 Actually Requires

Under the strengthened standards, providers have three core responsibilities that your training must address comprehensively:

First, you must support individuals to exercise choice and make decisions about their funded aged care services, providing support when they want or need it. This isn't about offering limited options - it's about creating genuine opportunities for self-determination in all aspects of care.

Second, you must provide individuals with timely, accurate, tailored and sufficient information about their funded aged care services, in a way they understand. Your training must equip workers to communicate complex information clearly and adapt their approach to each person's communication needs and preferences.

Third, you must support individuals to exercise dignity of risk to achieve their goals and maintain independence and quality of life. This requires sophisticated understanding of when and how to support positive risk-taking while maintaining safety and wellbeing.

Recommended Ausmed Training Modules for Outcome 1.3

Based on our review of available Ausmed Training Modules, the following modules directly support compliance with Outcome 1.3 requirements. All modules require an Ausmed subscription (individual module purchases are not available):

The Six Essential Training Areas for Outcome 1.3

Training Frequency and Refresher Requirements

While the strengthened standards do not mandate specific training frequencies, best practice recommendations include:

Role-Specific Training Considerations

While the strengthened standards do not specify different requirements for different roles, providers should consider tailoring training intensity and focus areas based on worker responsibilities:

Role Category	Training Focus Areas
Direct Care Workers	Daily choice facilitation and quality of life support Practical skills in communication and information provision Recognition of decision-making support needs Quality of life monitoring and reporting
Senior Care Workers & Team Leaders	Advanced decision-making support facilitation Dignity of risk assessment and management Family and supporter engagement strategies Quality of life intervention planning
Registered Nurses & Allied Health	Complex consent and decision-making scenarios Advocacy coordination and external referrals Advanced quality of life assessment tools Risk management and clinical decision-making
Management & Supervisory Staff	Policy development for choice and independence System implementation and monitoring Staff coaching and competency development Quality assurance and improvement processes

Competency Assessment Requirements

Your assessment framework must demonstrate that workers can competently implement all aspects of Outcome 1.3. This requires both knowledge verification and practical skill demonstration:

Knowledge Assessment Components

• Information and Consent: Understanding of informed consent requirements, communication adaptation strategies, and legal frameworks
• Decision-Making Support: Knowledge of capacity assessment, supported decision-making approaches, and substitute decision-maker roles
• Advocacy and External Support: Understanding of advocacy services, access processes, and collaborative working approaches
• Dignity of Risk: Comprehensive knowledge of risk assessment, positive risk-taking principles, and autonomy preservation
• Quality of Life: Understanding of quality of life domains, assessment methods, and intervention strategies

Practical Skills Demonstration

• Communication Skills: Adapting information delivery to individual needs and preferences
• Support Facilitation: Enabling decision-making support and advocacy access
• Risk Collaboration: Working with individuals to assess and manage risks while preserving autonomy
• Quality Monitoring: Conducting quality of life assessments and developing appropriate responses
• Documentation: Recording choice, independence, and quality of life information accurately

Documentation and Evidence Requirements

For audit purposes, you must maintain comprehensive documentation demonstrating compliance with Outcome 1.3:

Training Records Documentation

• Individual worker training completion records for all six modules
• Competency assessment results and certification dates
• Regular refresher training completion (recommended annually)
• Role-specific training variations and additional requirements
• Training effectiveness evaluation and improvement records

Operational Evidence Requirements

• Policies and procedures for information provision and informed consent
• Decision-making support assessment and implementation protocols
• Advocacy access and support procedures
• Dignity of risk assessment and management frameworks
• Quality of life monitoring and response systems
• Individual care records demonstrating choice and independence support

Implementation Timeline and Compliance

While the exact implementation date remains to be confirmed, providers should begin preparation immediately to ensure readiness. The transition from the current 8 standards to the new 7 strengthened standards represents a significant shift towards more person-centred, rights-based care.

Immediate Preparation Steps

• Audit current choice and independence training against Outcome 1.3 requirements
• Review policies and procedures for alignment with strengthened standards
• Assess current competency frameworks and documentation systems
• Plan training rollout across all relevant staff groups

Building Your Evidence Base for Audits

As you implement training, you must simultaneously build evidence that demonstrates its effectiveness in supporting choice, independence, and quality of life. This evidence base will be critical for audit preparation and continuous improvement.

Training Documentation Requirements

• Individual Records: Completion certificates for all six training areas
• Competency Evidence: Assessment results demonstrating practical skills
• Refresher Training: Annual competency reviews and updates
• Incident Learning: Training responses to choice and consent incidents
• Performance Monitoring: Ongoing competency assessment records

Operational Evidence for Choice and Independence

• Policy Framework: Current policies covering all six actions under Outcome 1.3
• Information Systems: Processes for providing tailored, accessible information
• Decision-Making Support: Systems for identifying and supporting decision-making needs
• Advocacy Access: Procedures for facilitating advocacy connections
• Risk Management: Dignity of risk assessment and positive risk-taking frameworks
• Quality Monitoring: Quality of life assessment tools and response protocols

Implementation Timeline and Practical Steps

With the strengthened standards approaching implementation, you need a systematic approach to ensure full compliance:

Immediate Actions (Next 30 Days)

• Audit your current training programs against Outcome 1.3 requirements
• Identify gaps in choice, independence, and quality of life training
• Review and update policies to align with the six action areas
• Develop competency assessment frameworks for each module

Short-term Implementation (Next 90 Days)

• Deploy comprehensive training across all relevant staff
• Implement competency assessments and certification processes
• Establish quality of life monitoring and documentation systems
• Train supervisors and managers in Outcome 1.3 requirements

Ongoing Compliance (Continuous)

• Regular competency reviews and refresher training
• Quality assurance audits of choice and independence support
• Continuous improvement based on individual feedback and outcomes
• Regular policy and procedure reviews and updates

Remember, Outcome 1.3 is about empowering older people to live their best possible lives. When you implement comprehensive training that addresses choice, independence, and quality of life systematically, you create care environments where people can maintain their autonomy, make meaningful decisions, and take the positive risks that give life meaning and purpose.