Choosing the right Support worker

One of the biggest complaints for people receiving NDIS funding is that they are not able to find support workers that they are happy with.

The NDIS offers all participants choice and control in the way they spend their funding, and this includes making sure that you are happy and comfortable with your support workers.

Here are some helpful ways to ensure that you get the support worker that is right for you.

There are some documents that you should ask of your support worker.

Firstly, make sure that they hold public liability insurance. This may be held by an individual or by the company that they are employed by. You can request proof of this from the support worker to ensure that you are protected whilst you are in their care.

You should also ensure that your support worker has a current Police Check and Working with Children card, as well as checking that they are qualified to perform first aid should the need arise.

Some Support workers will have qualifications, such as a certificate in disability care. If this is something that is important to you, you can also ask to see the certification that the carer holds, however in the current support industry it is becoming more common that experienced care workers do not hold these qualifications. Unfortunately, a piece of paper does not mean that a care worker will be good at their job, nor does it mean that they will be right for you. If a support worker does not have a qualification, you should ask if they are able to provide professional references to be able to find out more about the quality of service that they provide to others.

You should set clear rules with your carers before commencing services. A support worker will generally ask you to sign a service agreement – but did you know that you can ask a support worker to sign one for you as well? Most provider service agreements will cover privacy laws, provider expectations and some information about what sort of services they will provide, but they will not cover your individual needs and expectations.

You could choose to include things such as how you expect the support worker to interact with other members of your household, or with your other providers. This could include keeping a communication book that is shared between providers or with schools, or ensuring that there are clear rules about what information is shared with other members of a participants household. This document could also include some of the other expectations for the support worker. For example, if the participant would like to see a movie, will the carer be covered under a companion card, or will they be expected to purchase their own ticket or to wait outside the cinema if this is not possible.

You should also look for a support worker who has a passion for building capacity within their participants. A support worker who is willing to take the time to teach their participant how do manage more things in their life independently. This could start with simple things like a cleaning routine or food preparation, but will empower the participant to learn more and to become more self sufficient.

A good carer will also have an understanding of how a participant thinks and behaves. This won’t happen immediately, but over time they will learn to recognise certain behaviours and should be able to implement strategies to help to minimise this. It also helps to be honest with a support worker about triggers or other behaviours that have been present in the past. For example, a participant who struggles with anxiety may have days where it is harder to leave the house than on others, the support worker should be able to help to motivate the participant to want to do this, or to recognise when the client needs to take part in a calming or quiet activity. A good support worker will always try to motivate their client to be the best they can be.

None of the above mentioned information is in any way official, just information gathered from NDIS participants who have struggled with finding the right support workers that may be of benefit to others who are currently struggling.