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What does disability support work actually involve?

What does disability support work actually involve? - Article by Lochy Cupit

Disability Support work is now one of Australia’s fastest-growing industries, with thousands of new roles opening up each year and the demand for workers steadily increasing. As such, it’s a career that’s drawing a lot of interest. But what does a disability support worker actually do on a day-to-day basis? Does it require specialised skills or training? And what sort of tasks should you expect on an average day on the job?

This isn’t an easy question to answer given the vast amount of activities a disability support worker might be asked to do in their role. But let’s take a moment to look at some of the more common tasks the job can involve, and consider the big picture of what a support worker is there to do.

Key Takeaways

  • A disability support worker’s main role is to provide more independence and a better quality of life for a person living with disability
  • This might be through helping with daily tasks and household jobs, or less regular activities like social outings or helping with admin
  • The relationship with the client is very important – you’re there to help, support and encourage them, not just complete a list of tasks
  • Compassion, understanding and respect are essential qualities – if you don’t care about your clients, this is the wrong job for you

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What is a disability support worker?

At its core, a disability support worker is someone who assists a person living with disability with their everyday living, helps them improve their quality of life, and advocates on their behalf when needed.

The way we look at disability has changed a lot in recent years. Disability is not looked at as a disease or a fault with the person, but as a unique difference that our society doesn’t always make allowances for. 

In many third-world countries with few medical services, a short-sighted person might be effectively living with disability – unable to read warning signs clearly or safely drive a car. In Australia, we wouldn’t normally think of them as disabled because we make provisions for short-sighted people – making prescription glasses affordable and widely available. The person only suffers disability if the society isn’t willing or able to adjust for their differences.

The role of a disability support worker is to be that support – whether that’s through everyday practical assistance, or helping the person learn new methods or new technology to increase their independence and quality of life.

Essentially, your role is to help your client to live a full, healthy and fulfilling life – providing the assistance for them to overcome everyday challenges without the need to constantly depend on family or friends. You’re the person who enables them to achieve their goals and live the life they want.

You’re also a friend and companion, providing them with much-needed everyday interaction and emotional support that they might not otherwise get. And often you’ll be the person’s advocate – the person they trust to be in their corner and ready to help when needed.

Does it need special qualifications?

Disability support workers come from a range of backgrounds, and often some of the most needed skills aren’t ones that you learn in a classroom – things like empathy, respect, and adaptability.

As such, there’s a lot of variation in the sort of qualifications held by support workers. Some workers – particularly those who’ve been in the industry a long time – come with limited formal training. Others may have specific training that they bring to bear in their role – such as nursing or physiotherapy training.

However, in recent years, the disability support industry has been moving towards a more standardised approach to training and recruiting staff, and now the majority of people moving into disability support worker jobs start by studying either a Certificate III in Individual Support (Disability) or a Certificate IV in Disability Support. These courses are specifically tailored to prepare students for a career as a disability support worker or personal care assistant.

Of course, no matter your qualification level, there will be some certifications and clearances you’ll need – such as police checks, working with children checks, and NDIS clearance.

What does disability support work actually involve?

So what does disability support actually look like on the ground? The reality is that on any given day there might be a hundred different things you may be called upon to do or help with. It’s a job that’s constantly changing, that’ll keep you on your feet (and on your toes) much of the day.

But rather than starting with a list of different tasks and responsibilities you might need to do, let’s start with the support worker’s mission – what is it that you’re actually trying to achieve as a support worker?

What's the goal of disability support work?

As a disability support worker, your primary mission is to provide independence to your clients and improve their quality of life. This can look different for every client, but some of the main goals of your role might focus on could be:

  • Helping your client with everyday tasks they may struggle to achieve on their own
  • Teaching them new skills, or helping them to find new ways of doing things
  • Encouraging them to become more socially connected by helping them improve social skills and connect with others
  • Providing emotional support and genuine friendship, celebrating their wins and encouraging them through difficulties
  • Advocating for them, and sometimes speaking on their behalf when they’re not able (with their permission, of course).

 

For any given client, some of these will be more essential than others. Some may be relatively capable and independent within their home setting and only need more high-level support. Others might struggle with everyday tasks and require constant practical assistance – meaning any step forward in independence could be a win. Every client and every day is different in a job like this.

disability_support_worker_common_tasks

Everyday tasks

Commonly, a large portion of the work you’ll do as a disability support worker will be assisting clients with everyday tasks. This could be anything from meal prep and household chores to more involved tasks – such as helping a client get dressed, take a shower, or go to the toilet. Obviously, sensitivity, discretion, and respect are essential skills for a role like this.

It can also involve important, official jobs such as monitoring the client’s health with checks, providing medication, helping them access online services (such as their NDIS portal), or checking an environment for potential safety risks – with a specific focus on the client’s unique needs and challenges.

Sometimes this can mean early starts or late nights – the hours worked by disability carers rarely fit neatly into a 9-5 workday. The tasks may vary from day to day, and may change over time. Where possible, you’ll likely be helping the client work towards being able to complete tasks on their own. But every client has bad days, and some may always need help with certain jobs.

It’s important to remember the big picture here, and not just treat the client as a list of jobs waiting to happen. Being able to relate to the client and put them at ease is important, as is encouraging them to keep trying and celebrating wins – both big and small.

Sometimes you’ll need to…

In addition to helping with everyday tasks, a support worker’s day could involve any number of tasks or projects that don’t happen every day, but are needed at certain times. This might include planning social outings or fun activities, helping the person to attend an event or social gathering, or accompanying them to official meetings – such as with their NDIS contact person, or a service provider – to help them communicate and make informed decisions. 

A big part of disability support work is being flexible and responding to the different needs of each day. You’re not there to complete a specific checklist of tasks. You’re there to support your client in whatever they’re hoping to do, and that might look very different each day. This is a professional relationship – not just a job.

Going the extra mile

While you may have set hours that you normally work with your client and jobs that you do and don’t normally handle, it’s not unusual for a client to ask their support worker to go above and beyond the call of duty at times. You might be asked to work additional hours to accompany the client to a special event at an odd time, or perform tasks that might fall a little outside your normal job description.

While you’re obviously within your rights to say no to hours or work that you didn’t agree to, many support workers are willing to help out with those unexpected needs because they know how much it helps their client. 

And really, if you’re hoping for a job that never asks for a little more at times, this may not be the job for you.

Interested in learning more about our Individual Support courses? Get In Touch Today!

What makes disability support work worth doing?

Although it’s not uncommon for people considering a move into the disability support industry to start by considering the pay, or the availability of work, it’s worth remembering that these aren’t the best questions to start with. In fact, when asked about their reasons for working in the industry, most disability support workers rank the pay and job security pretty low on their priorities. The biggest factor was – hands down – seeing the impact they made on the lives of their clients.

There are lots of jobs you could do to pay the bills. There are plenty of careers with steady work and plenty of openings. But the thing that keeps disability support workers getting up in the morning – 4 times out of 5 – is knowing that you’re making an impact, and improving the lives of the clients you work with.

If that’s something that you’re looking for in a job, then this is definitely a career you should be considering.

Is disability support work the right career for me?

Disability support work is one of those jobs where a lot of the most valuable skills aren’t ones that you learn in the classroom. Training can give you the practical skills and knowledge needed to do the job, but there are a lot of different qualities that make a good disability support worker.

Ultimately though, the key question is “Why do you want to do the job?” Three of the most fundamental qualities needed by support workers are compassion, empathy and respect. This is a job about the person you’re working with, and the best workers are the ones who value their clients, treat them with understanding and respect, and delight in improving their quality of life.

If you have those things right, a lot of the other skills can be learned and developed – that’s why training courses for support workers exist. If not, then it probably doesn’t matter how good you are at the other stuff. If you don’t genuinely care about the wellbeing of your clients, this isn’t the career for you.

Article by Lochy Cupit

Interested in learning more about our Individual Support courses? Get In Touch Today!