After a soft launch earlier this year, disability platform Hireup has now confirmed it’s providing its positively regarded workforce supports to the aged care sector.

Chief of Staff Katherine Thompson says although and the scale of the expansion will remain small while Hireup is getting started, this move represents a natural extension of its current business.

“We have been providing for the needs of people with disability since 2015. In that time we have facilitated more than 21 million hours of support,” she says. “Although this technically includes some aged care, the people we support are overwhelmingly disability related,” she added.

“As our clients have passed the age of 65 we have continued to support them. All we are doing now is simply be adding extra clients who are ageing. This is in response to unprecedented demand.”

She is, however, quick to emphasise that the priority remains supporting people with disability, who often have more complex needs and require specially trained and credentialled support workers.

“Individual people are at the centre of our support model, and this won’t change,” Thompson noted.

She says in the past decade Hireup has supported 29,000 clients and faciliated more than 21 million hours of support, with more than 11,000 disability and aged care clients now using the platform to organise care.

Hireup was originally founded by Laura and Jordan O’Reilly, who were trying to find a way for their grandfather to continue living at home. As they realised how difficult this was, the brother and sister team decided to create a system that could help others.

It is now one of Australia’s largest platforms that allows people with disability to connect with and choose their own support workers.