Case Study
Aged Care
Strengthening Governance at John Curtin Aged Care with GovernWith
Overview
John Curtin Aged Care, a well-established aged care provider in the regional community of Creswick, Victoria, has always prioritised high-quality care for its residents. Since 2021, the organisation has been working with GovernWith to enhance its Board and whole of organisation governance practices. As the aged care sector has and continues to evolve with increasing regulatory requirements and a greater emphasis on strategic governance, Sue Craven, Chair of John Curtin Aged Care, recognised the need to strengthen its governance framework.
Through the organisation’s partnership with GovernWith, John Curtin Aged Care has been on an ongoing and transformative journey to enhance Board effectiveness, build confidence in compliance and focus on strategic, purpose-led decision-making to become financially solvent whilst delivering on the organisation's Mission and Vision.
The Challenge
Like many aged care providers, John Curtin Aged Care faced the challenge of balancing compassionate, high-quality care with financial viability and robust, compliant governance practices. The Board sought to move beyond a focus on operational concerns and adopt a more strategic approach, ensuring compliance with evolving industry standards, while also positioning the organisation for long-term success and sustainability.
Key governance challenges included:
- Navigating a major restructure from a Committee of Management structure to a Board structure
- Compliance with the revised Aged Care Quality Standards and the Reform Agenda for Aged Care
- Board renewal, attracting the right talent and Director capability development
The Solution
To address these challenges, between 2021 - 2025, John Curtin Aged Care has implemented a suite of GovernWith’s Contemporary Governance solutions:
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Boardroom Plus for Aged Care
An internally-led annual Governance Review & Director Development program. All content aligned to sector, corporate, contemporary and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) requirements.
Boardroom Plus includes the following products to allow the Board to assess its competencies and identify areas for development.- Board Governance Review
- Director Skills Matrix
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Facilitation Plus for Aged Care
An externally led governance review with an expert convenor providing objective insights and helping to refine governance processes.
Note: GovernWith recommends that externally led governance review is undertaken every three years to align with industry expectations, in conjunction with the annual self-directed Board Governance Review and Skills Matrix.
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Executive Plus for Aged Care
Recognising that governance extends beyond the Board, in 2025 John Curtin Aged Care is commencing a Governance Review and Skills Matrix for its Executive team to align leadership practices with Board strategy.
This suite of complimentary Governance Review and Development programs provide John Curtin Aged Care with a data-driven approach to contemporary governance, ensuring that the Board as a whole, as well as individual Directors and Executives have clarity on their roles, strengths and areas for governance learning and development.
Results and Outcomes
The consistent implementation of GovernWith’s Contemporary Governance solutions since 2021 has led to significant positive outcomes for John Curtin Aged Care.
Key outcomes include:
- Leadership Harmony: Through harmony between the Board, CEO (Steve Bruechert) and now Executive, John Curtin Aged Care has achieved strong and purpose-led leadership for an organisation-wide culture of delivering quality, caring and a self-determining (client-first) culture "The John Curtin Way".
Guided by the John Curtin Aged Care vision of “Real choice and real inclusion for all” and their mission of “Providing the best quality, customised services for the people we support,” every decision and action is rooted in clear, shared purpose. Their organisational objectives are the cornerstones that shape culture and leadership at every level of John Curtin Aged Care.
John Curtin Aged Care Objectives:
- To make a difference
- To enhance our community
- To ensure our staff are skilled, supported & valued
- To ensure a strong and sustainable organisation
“The governance reflection and improvements we’ve been steadily working on as a Board and Executive since 2021 has delivered the results we were after. We’re very proud of what we’ve achieved and will continue to work together to deliver high-quality, customised care for the people we support.” - Sue Craven, Chair, John Curtin Aged Care
- Compliance Confidence and Regulatory Assurance: Improvements in governance process has provided confidence that the organisation is meeting its regulatory obligations (i.e., Aged Care Quality Act and Reform Agenda for Aged Care) and delivering high-value care.
- Strategic Focus: The Board has transitioned from an operational mindset to a more strategic approach, allowing them to prioritise initiatives such as Environmental and Social Sustainability.
"Through your annual Governance Reviews and Director Development program, John Curtin has moved from being so focused on operations, because you've put the necessary processes in place to allow the Board to now be more assured for risk, allowing you as Directors to spend more time on strategy." - Fi Mercer, CEO, GovernWith
- Data-Driven Decision-Making: Board members have unlimited access to valuable data, helping them make informed decisions about strategic priorities, compliance and organisational direction.
"The access to a data-driven approach is really very important. The more data we have, the better we are at identifying the right path," said Sue Craven.
- Director Recruitment and Development: Referencing the Director Skills Matrix, the Board gained a clear, objective understanding of Director composition and capability strengths, meaning they have since been empowered to strategically and successfully recruit high-calibre talent, ensuring a well-balanced, experienced, diverse and compliant Board membership. The recent strategic decision to remunerate Board members (commencing in 2025) is a result of an ongoing prioritisation of the right talent for the right job.
Furthermore, a focus on Director development areas resulting from the Skills Matrix has influenced talent recruitment, training and development opportunities for the Board.
“The Skills Matrix allowed us to objectively look at our Board membership, our individual and collective capabilities, the required skillsets we were missing, and the development areas to focus on to ensure our Board's skills reflected the needs of our Board. I think we've done a good job in addressing this.” - Sue Craven, Chair, John Curtin Aged Care
Conclusion
John Curtin Aged Care’s governance journey with GovernWith serves as a testament to the power of structured governance programmes in driving strategic success. Through the combination of Boardroom Plus, Facilitation Plus and Executive Plus, this small but mighty aged care organisation has strengthened its governance framework, empowered its leadership and executive and positioned itself as a forward-thinking aged care provider.
GovernWith congratulates John Curtin Aged Care on its commitment to Contemporary Governance and leadership in the sector. Their proactive approach to strengthening governance not only enhances compliance but also ensures sustainable, high-quality care for residents, ultimately helping to deliver on their Mission – “Providing the best quality, customised services for the people we support”.
By embracing data-driven decision-making and investing in leadership development, John Curtin Aged Care sets a benchmark for governance excellence in the aged care sector. We are proud to support them on this journey and look forward to their continued success.