Companionship services and companion care in Newcastle, New South Wales

It only takes one minute and it's free.

A regular companion for conversation, outings and appointments. Typically $50-$70/hour (group rates available), funded through NDIS or aged care.

263 providers cover Newcastle · 10 minutes to first enquiry acceptance in Newcastle

Companion care in Newcastle

263 providers in Newcastle
Funded via NDIS or aged care
Company, outings and a regular friendly visit
Free. One request, providers contact you.

It only takes one minute and it's free.

Companion care in Newcastle

263 providers in Newcastle
Funded via NDIS or aged care
Company, outings and a regular friendly visit
Free. One request, providers contact you.

Recent activity in Newcastle

Measured to 23 October 2026

12
care requests from Newcastle: 1,891
providers reached: 153
opened the contact details

Carevo platform activity, not a measure of care quality or availability. A provider opening enquiry details records an intention to make contact, not an appointment or care delivered. How we measure this.

Activity figures describe Carevo enquiries, not appointments or care quality. Acceptance timing excludes unclaimed enquiries. Confirm current capacity directly. Measurement period and method.

See all providers in Newcastle, NSW

About Companionship Care in Newcastle

This guide compares companionship service providers in Newcastle, ordered by service match, distance, register status and activity on Carevo. All 10 providers listed here service Newcastle and surrounding areas.

Frequently Asked Questions

How quickly do providers respond to enquiries in Newcastle?

Based on 137 accepted enquiries on Carevo in Newcastle, providers accept enquiry details with a median of 10 minutes. 69% of enquiries in Newcastle have enquiry details accepted within 1 hour, and 91% within 24 hours. This covers every service in Newcastle, so it differs from the companionship care figure below.

How quickly are companionship care enquiries responded to?

Across 117 companionship care accepted enquiries on Carevo, the median enquiry acceptance time is 8 minutes. 72% of companionship care enquiries nationally have enquiry details accepted within 1 hour, and 94% within 24 hours. This is the national figure for one service, so it differs from any Newcastle figure above, which covers every service in the suburb.

How many companionship service providers are there in Newcastle?

There are currently 263 companionship service providers listed for Newcastle on Carevo. These include NDIS registered providers, Home Care Package approved services, CHSP providers, and community organisations.

How much do companionship services cost in Newcastle?

Individual companionship visits in Newcastle typically cost $50-$70/hour (group rates available) per hour. Group programs are priced lower per person, often $20 to $35 per hour. Evening, weekend, and public holiday rates are higher. Some community volunteer programs are available at no cost.

Is companionship covered by the NDIS?

Yes. Companionship and social participation support is funded under NDIS Core Supports, specifically Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation. Your plan needs to include funding in this category. Ask your LAC or support coordinator to confirm this is included.

Can I get companionship support through my Home Care Package?

Yes. Social support and companionship is a standard service under all Home Care Package levels. Your package coordinator will include regular visits in your care plan if this is part of your assessed needs and goals.

How is the right worker matched to me?

Good providers ask about your interests, personality, language preferences, and background before assigning a worker. The goal is to find someone you enjoy spending time with. If the first match does not feel right, you can ask the provider to try someone else.

Are companionship services suitable for someone with dementia?

Yes, but the worker needs appropriate training and experience. Dementia companionship requires patience, communication skills, and the ability to adapt activities to the person's current capacity. Ask any provider specifically about their dementia experience and training before arranging visits.

Are there free or low-cost companionship programs in Newcastle?

Some community organisations and volunteer programs provide companionship visits at low or no cost. CHSP-funded social group programs are also subsidised. Ask your package coordinator, LAC, or local council about what community programs are available in Newcastle to supplement paid services.

How often can I receive companionship visits?

Frequency depends on your funding and care plan. Many clients have weekly visits. Some have two or three visits per week if social isolation is significant. Private clients can book as often as they like. Your provider can help you work out a frequency that meets your needs and fits your budget.

Care services available in Newcastle

How many providers cover each type of support in Newcastle.

Support Workers279 providers

Social Support263 providers

Cleaning254 providers

Transport243 providers

Personal Care241 providers

Life Skills240 providers

Support Coordination221 providers

Respite Care202 providers

Supported Independent Living202 providers

Therapy172 providers

View all services →

How Much Do Companionship Services Cost in Newcastle?

Companionship services in Newcastle typically cost $50-$70/hour (group rates available) per hour for individual visits. Group programs, where a support worker or activity coordinator spends time with a small group of participants together, are priced lower per person because the cost is shared. Group companionship rates are often in the range of $20 to $35 per person per hour.

For NDIS participants, companionship falls under Core Supports as "Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation." Registered providers charge within the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits. For aged care clients, companionship and social support is covered under Home Care Packages as "Social Support" and is a standard inclusion for most care plans.

Rates vary by time of day and day of the week. Weekday daytime visits carry the standard rate. Evening, weekend, and public holiday visits are priced higher. If you arrange regular visits, some providers offer consistent scheduling with minimal variation in cost.

Some non-profit and community organisations offer subsidised or volunteer-based companionship programs that are lower cost or free. These are not always visible on standard provider directories but are worth asking about when comparing options.

Time	Indicative rate
Standard weekday (1:1 visit)	$50 - $70/hr
Group program (per person, weekday)	$20 - $35/hr
Evening/Saturday rate (1:1)	$65 - $85/hr
Sunday rate (1:1)	$75 - $95/hr
Public holiday rate (1:1)	$90 - $115/hr

Rates are indicative. Group rates depend on participant numbers and staff ratios. Community and volunteer programs may be available at lower or no cost. NDIS participants should check the current NDIS Pricing Schedule.

Sources: NDIS pricing schedule 2026-27 · Support at Home pricing and advised prices 2026-27

What does companionship care cost? Full pricing and funding guide

How to Pay for Companionship Services in Newcastle

Companionship services can be funded through NDIS Core Supports or Home Care Packages in Newcastle. The funding category depends on your age and the nature of the support.

NDIS Core Supports: Companionship visits for social connection and participation fall under "Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation" (support category 04). Your NDIS plan must include funding in this category. The support covers the worker's time during visits, including conversations, shared activities, outings, and assistance with hobbies or interests.

Home Care Package (HCP): Social support and companionship is a standard service under all Home Care Package levels. Your package coordinator includes regular visits in your care plan. Higher package levels allow for more frequent or longer visits. Many clients include companionship as a regular weekly service alongside other domestic supports.

Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP): CHSP provides limited social support for eligible older Australians, typically through group social programs rather than individual visits. Some CHSP providers offer social groups and day centres with subsidised participation. A My Aged Care referral is required.

Private payment: All providers accept private clients. Arranging companionship services privately is straightforward and does not require an assessment. Some community organisations also offer volunteer visiting programs at no cost, which can supplement funded services.

What to Expect from Companionship Services in Newcastle

Companionship services involve a consistent, trained worker visiting you at home or accompanying you on outings to provide social connection, conversation, and shared activities. The service is designed to reduce social isolation and support wellbeing, not to replace clinical or personal care.

Visits are built around your interests and preferences. The worker might share a meal with you, help you with a hobby, watch a film together, play cards, go for a walk, or simply sit and talk. The point is meaningful time rather than task completion. Good providers will do an initial matching process to find a worker whose personality and interests align with yours.

Consistency is central to a quality companionship service. Seeing the same worker regularly allows a genuine relationship to develop, which is the whole point. Ask any provider how they ensure consistency and what happens when your regular worker is on leave. Frequent rotations of different workers undermine the value of the service.

For clients with dementia or cognitive decline, companionship visits require a worker trained in dementia support. Activities need to be appropriate and the worker needs to be patient and skilled at communication. If this applies to you or someone you care for, ask specifically about the worker's experience and training before committing to a provider.

How to check a provider's credentials

Carevo shows register-sourced status fields and links you to the official Australian registers so you can confirm the current entry yourself. Here is what each listing shows and where to check it. A listing on Carevo is not an endorsement.

NDIS registration

Listings show whether a provider reports being NDIS registered. You can confirm a provider's current registration and approved support types yourself on the NDIS Commission's public provider register.

Source: NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission

Aged care approval

The aged care approval label is sourced from the Australian Government's My Aged Care provider register. Confirm the current entry and the services listed there before choosing a provider.

Source: My Aged Care (Department of Health and Aged Care)

ABN you can check

Most listings include the provider's Australian Business Number, shown on the profile. You can look it up on the Australian Business Register to confirm the business is registered and active.

Source: Australian Business Register

Complaints process

If you have a concern about any provider, you can lodge a complaint with the NDIS Commission or the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission at any time. We also accept complaints via our own channel.

Source: NDIS Commission / Aged Care Commission

Companionship Care at a glance

Funding: NDIS Core Supports, Support at Home, CHSP
Availability: 7 days a week
Wait time: Confirm current availability and a start date directly with the provider
Cost: $50-$70/hour (group rates available)
Hours: Flexible scheduling
Median enquiry acceptance: 10 minutes

Most requested support in Newcastle

Based on 62 actual requests from participants and families in Newcastle on Carevo.

Cleaning 16 requests · 254 providers

Therapy 14 requests · 172 providers

Personal care 11 requests · 241 providers

Transport 9 requests · 243 providers

Allied health 7 requests · 172 providers

Respite 5 requests

Real care requests submitted by people in Newcastle through Carevo. Updated each build from inquiry records.

Who's asking for companionship care

Based on 156 real requests families and participants sent through Carevo for companionship care in New South Wales. This is the make-up of that demand, not a measure of how it changes over time.

Also asked for in the same request

How people pay for it

NDIS plan-managed 46%
Home Care Package / Support at Home 13%
CHSP 10%
NDIS self-managed 9%
NDIS agency-managed 3%

Who gets in touch

The person themselves 45%
Family or carer 37%
A support coordinator 11%
A health professional 1%

How soon they need it

Needed urgently 37%
Within a few weeks 24%
Planning ahead 15%

Percentages are of the 156 requests above and are rounded, so they will not always total 100. Requests can name more than one service, which is why "also asked for" shares overlap. Figures update with each rebuild.

Care demand in Newcastle

In the last 90 days, participants, families and coordinators in Newcastle made 28 care requests through Carevo, and 39% were marked urgent. The funding mix was 37% NDIS, 52% Home Care Package or aged care, and 12% privately funded.

Based on real requests submitted to Carevo. Updated each build.

New South Wales Regulations & Compliance

In New South Wales, NDIS providers may be registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, and registered providers comply with the NDIS Practice Standards. Registration is mandatory only for specified supports and circumstances, such as specialist disability accommodation, plan management, and supports involving regulated restrictive practices. Self-managed and plan-managed participants may generally choose registered or unregistered providers; NDIA-managed participants must use registered providers. Aged care services operate under the Aged Care Quality Standards enforced by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. Registered providers are audited against the NDIS Practice Standards, and workers in risk-assessed roles need NDIS worker screening through the NSW NDIS Worker Check.

NDIS Quality & Safeguards Commission

Phone: 1800 035 544

Website: ndiscommission.gov.au

Aged Care Quality & Safety Commission

Phone: 1800 951 822

Website: agedcarequality.gov.au

Statement of Rights Complaints Policy Privacy Policy

About Newcastle

Newcastle sits within the Newcastle (City) council area, home to around 2,753 residents. Connecting with a companionship care provider who already works locally means shorter travel and familiarity with nearby services.

Population 65+

2,012 (16.7%)

State avg 18.8%

Need help with daily activities

468 (3.9%)

State avg 6%

Median personal income

$1,143/wk

Weekly, persons 15+ (ABS)

Nearest hospital

John Hunter Hospital

Public transport

Newcastle Light Rail

Pharmacies

Chemist Warehouse Hunter Street • Priceline Pharmacy Newcastle

Community support

Newcastle Senior Citizens Centre • Hunter Multicultural Communities

Former steel city reinventing itself. University town. Strong surf culture. Growing healthcare and tourism sectors.

Beach has accessible facilities. Light rail is fully accessible. Some steep streets in older suburbs.

Postcode: 2300

Data: ABS Census 2021

The response time above is based on 137 requests of all types in Newcastle. We do not yet have enough companionship services requests in Newcastle to report how many providers respond to a typical request here. How we calculate our numbers

How we rank providers

Rankings in Newcastle use directory relevance and observable activity on Carevo: service match, distance, register-sourced status fields, whether an enquiry can reach the provider, and recent response and connection activity. Rankings are recalculated daily. They do not assess care quality or recommend a provider.

How this list is built. Providers shown here are registered with the NDIS for Participation in community/social and civic activities, or offer social and community support.
Activity on Carevo. We measure recent actions such as connecting on an enquiry, opening its contact details, responding, and an inquirer reporting whether a connection helped. These are platform activity signals, not an assessment of the support delivered.
Service match. Providers are ranked by how closely their registered services and capabilities match what you are searching for.
Register-sourced status. NDIS registration fields come from the NDIS Commission provider register. Aged care approval fields come from the My Aged Care register. These statuses are ranking inputs, not Carevo endorsements, and you should confirm the current register entry before choosing a provider.
Carevo enquiries. Providers who have paused requests from us are moved down among providers with the same relevance. They stay visible and are marked as not receiving Carevo enquiries.
Recent activity. Providers active on Carevo recently (a connection, a login, or a profile update) get a small boost, the same signal shown as "Active this week" on their card. It is deliberately small: stronger relevance and condition evidence outweigh a recent login.
Local presence. Providers confirmed in Newcastle rank above those covering only the broader region.

What the enquiries status means

It answers one question: would a request sent through Carevo today actually reach them? It is not a rating, it is not about the provider's books, and it is not a statement about their capacity, their waiting list, or the quality of their care.

Receiving: At least one contact on their account is set up to receive new requests from us, and someone has signed in recently enough for us to say a person is there.
Not receiving: Every contact on the account has unsubscribed or paused, so we have no way to pass an enquiry on.
No status shown: We cannot tell either way, so we say nothing rather than label the provider. The account is set to receive enquiries, but nobody has signed in recently, or there are no contact details on file. It is not a negative mark, and most listings sit here.

A provider who is not receiving our enquiries may well be taking new clients directly. Providers set this themselves and can turn it back on at any time from their Carevo account or from any email we send them. Providers not receiving our enquiries are moved down the list and never hidden. It is refreshed daily, so a provider who resumes, or signs in, reappears within a day.

What the Carevo activity rating means

The Strong activity rating describes how a provider behaves on Carevo, not the care they deliver.

Where it starts: Every provider starts at a baseline of 50.
What moves it: Enquiries from the last 90 days. The strongest positive is a care seeker naming that provider as the one who helped them. The clearest negative is connecting on an enquiry and never opening the contact details.
How it is kept honest: Recalculated daily from scratch, shown only above the baseline and only with at least two scored signals, and removed automatically when either stops being true. It cannot be purchased.

It is not an endorsement, a recommendation, or an assessment of care quality, and we do not screen providers for complaints. Complaints are handled by the NDIS Commission and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. See the full activity rating methodology.

263

providers in Newcastle

35,248

providers nationally

How we calculate provider numbers

Companionship Care in nearby Hunter & Newcastle locations

Shortland Maitland Mayfield West Lambton Kotara South Tighes Hill Fern Bay Glendale All of NSW →

Sources and content responsibility

Carevo maintains this service guide. The funding and directory wording was checked on 15 September 2026. This is not a clinical review. Confirm a practitioner's qualifications, suitability, fees and current availability before booking.

Travel must be agreed before booking under the applicable funding rules. Carevo does not publish a verified 2026-27 per-kilometre cap. Ask for an itemised quote. Send a correction.

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Recent activity in Newcastle

About Companionship Care in Newcastle

Frequently Asked Questions

Care services available in Newcastle

How Much Do Companionship Services Cost in Newcastle?

How to Pay for Companionship Services in Newcastle

What to Expect from Companionship Services in Newcastle

How to check a provider's credentials

Companionship Care at a glance

Most requested support in Newcastle

Who's asking for companionship care

Care demand in Newcastle

New South Wales Regulations & Compliance

About Newcastle

How we rank providers

Companionship Care in nearby Hunter & Newcastle locations

Sources and content responsibility

Browse by condition in Newcastle

Other services in Newcastle

Need support in Newcastle?

Companionship Care providers near me

Amazing Care and Support

Able Disability Support Services Lake Macquarie

Amita Health Care

Not finding the right match?

Swift Nurses

Altido Consulting Services

Equal Access Care

Alana Care Support Services

Bright Nursing

Glow Health Care Australia

Your Ability Services

Not finding the right match?

Recent activity in Newcastle

About Companionship Care in Newcastle

Frequently Asked Questions

Care services available in Newcastle

How Much Do Companionship Services Cost in Newcastle?

How to Pay for Companionship Services in Newcastle

What to Expect from Companionship Services in Newcastle

How to check a provider's credentials

Related pages in Newcastle

Companionship Care at a glance

Most requested support in Newcastle

Who's asking for companionship care

Care demand in Newcastle

New South Wales Regulations & Compliance

About Newcastle

How we rank providers

Companionship Care in nearby Hunter & Newcastle locations

Sources and content responsibility

Browse by condition in Newcastle

Other services in Newcastle

Need support in Newcastle?