So I joined this industry in February with a childcare background. The company I’m with offered PPT position which I accepted. I work in a SIL house - no previous experience in this field and no qualifications for this industry
I’m told I’m on pay level 1 pay point 1 but I am doing level 2 duties. Also I’m on $30.61 which I’m told is above the pay point
Doing 1:1 mental health psychosocial support, and the emotional weight of hearing trauma histories or sitting with people in deep distress is hitting hard this month.
I catch myself lying in bed at 11 PM worrying if a participant is going to manage their weekend independently. I know burnout creeps up fast in this field. What are your non-negotiable rituals for "off-loading" work energy after a shift so it doesn't bleed into your home life and relationships?
I didn’t expect support work to teach me as much as it has. Some of the things clients have said or the way they handle everyday situations have genuinely stayed with me, even outside of work. It’s usually the small things rather than anything major, and I’ve caught myself thinking about them later in my own life.
Hey guys, I don’t know if this is allowed but I really need some advice and I’m not getting much help from the platform I’m using.
So I’ve been doing SW for nearly a year now. I’m a sole contractor who’s using a platform and have always had great reviews and have never had any client dispute an invoice or disagree with it. I’ve always remained honest and conducted myself professionally. I had a client who needed to bump off a couple of days due to taking up a new hobby he wanted to pursue solo (yay, that was the goal) so I looked for another client to fill those days. I’d mostly worked with NDIS clients but decided to try out an aged care client.
He was nice enough. But he wanted the scope of my role to be quite a list of things. He wanted me to transport him to and from grocery shopping, clean his house, be his seeing eye person, be on call for the occasional night shift, social and community outings, meal prep and cooking and administration tasks. This was quite a list but I was proficient in everything so I had no worries accepting the task. I have a pretty standard agreement. There are to be booked hours that are semi predictable, 72 hour cancellation policy except in emergencies. Treat each other with dignity and respect. That’s it. No shady sneaky stuff.
I had a meet and greet on a Thursday and at the end of the meeting he felt really good about me and my capabilities so he asked me to black out Monday, tuesdays and Wednesdays on my calendar each week 9am to 1pm. Every week for the foreseeable future. He said his budget is around $65 for a SW, I said that’s great because I charge around that much depending on the tasks and scope of my role. I said fantastic, when do you want me to start. He says the coming Monday. I say great, I’ll book it in now and send the agreement over for you sign.
I black out my calendar and stop accepting anymore clients. I get a message on Saturday on the platform and it’s the client. He has a problem with my hourly rate. He says the platform is charging him a fee ontop of my hourly rate (for his use of the platform, pretty standard I thought?) and he says “I don’t want to pay that much, can you lower your hourly rate to absorb the platform fees?”. Given that he wanted 3 days booked I thought, why not, I can go down a few dollars. Not that big of a deal. Next, he says “I’ve read your cancellation policy and it says 72 hours notice”, I say “yep, pretty standard, but I make exceptions for emergencies etc”. He then asks me if I can change it to 24 hours notice.
By now, red flags are starting to pop up a little but I was polite and declined to change it because it’s the only protection I have against last minute cancellations (which I’ve been burned by in the past and lost money because of it). He says “but sometimes I wanna make a last minute doctors appointment”. I say, he’s more than welcome to do that but if he cancels he’s going to be responsible for the entire booking fee. He finally agrees.
He accepts the agreement Sunday morning. I get a notification from the platform saying all is gravy for the go ahead. He is locked in. Slots are blacked out for him and he’s 100% signed on board. By this point I’m thinking I’m starting on Monday like he wanted. He sends me a message and says can I call at 1pm? I say sure, no worries. At 1pm he rings and checks to see if I’ve lowered my hourly rate which I confirmed I did. We chat about what he wants to do for the week and the goals and plans and toward the end of the conversation he says it’s a public holiday on Monday. I quickly check the calendar and confirm it is, but reassure him I’m still available for the session he booked.
He then proceeds to tell me he doesn’t want to pay the holiday rate and wants to cancel the session. I was confused at this point and also felt a bit angry because I now couldn’t book any clients for the Monday because he switched it up last minute. I double checked if he was sure he wanted to cancel. He confirmed he did and I should come on Tuesday. I say ok and do our session on Tuesday.
Massive red flags popped up on Tuesday where he repeatedly bad mouthed other SW and the amount of driving he made me do was actually insane. This man had me drive to 4 different stores to find the “perfect loaf of bread” and then after the 5th grocery store he requested I drive 20km to a major shopping center where he proceeded to buy a box of tissues… come to find out his funding DOESNT cover kms and I used up SO much fuel just in that session alone.
He then starts making comments during the day saying he’s going to need to “switch up the booking on the day sometimes and even if he’s booked 4 hours and only uses 1 he only wants to pay for 1 hour”. After that Tuesday I go home and fill out and send my invoices. One for Monday and one for Tuesday. He messages me and he’s ropable. Asking me why I’ve charged him for Monday and how dare I. I’m taking advantage of him etc etc. No matter how many times I explained that he BOOKED that Monday and chose to cancel it in the last second AFTER he signed the contract. He rings me and starts screaming down the phone at 9pm at night. He starts saying things like “I tricked him” and he didn’t know about the cancellation policy and he thought he didn’t have to pay. I pointed out that he did indeed know about the policy because he asked me to change it and I refused (for this exact reason).
He rejected the invoice for Monday and I’ve had to raise a dispute with the platform. I’ve lost so much potential work over the last week due to this guys stuffing me around and now I’m having to get another client to replace him. What can I do? What protections are in place for private contractors? How do you guys handle rejected invoices? Should I have just rolled over and not charged for the lost/cancelled Monday?
Hi there,
I (23 F) have been a support worker for 3.5 months now, i’ve absolutely loved it, my company is lovely and i’ve received great feedback consistently. I’ve never heard anything negative in terms of the support i give, and not even received any constructive criticism either, rather praise.
I took on a new client three weeks ago (under10, F) who is a little girl with ASD level 3, i definitely felt challenged especially as it was an early morning get ready for school shift and mum was very particular (very strict -asian household, very particular about clients care) which is more than fine, she watched everything and was quick to correct little things, but i thought i had been doing great and was building a great rapport with both parents. I made a mistake two weeks ago where i thought i started at 6.00 am but it was 6.30 am, and turned up at the house and only realised once the dad said something about me being keen that morning, i’m wondering if that had something to do with it. Anyways, i really thought i had a great connection with mum and my client, we had similar interests, and as i supported her daughter more, she started to ask details about myself, how old i was and my other job outside of support work. Mum never gave me any negative feedback, she only corrected me on small things like when i placed her daughters bag on her car seat rather than the car floor. All my shifts with the client went well and i left every shift happy that i was learning more and getting even better and felt a sense of accomplishment.
A month in to supporting the client, today i have recieved an email from my team leader stating that mum no longer would like me on the clients team or working with client. The email read to not take it personal, not in regards to the support i gave and that it was in regards to wanting a worker “more mature in age”. I feel like if that was the case in the first place, mum would have requested someone older in age anyways, i’m overthinking that they have just said this to not let me down.
I’m just a little crushed i guess, i’m new to all of this and this is the first time i’ve been rejected by a client / family. I’m wondering if anyone has any words of advice. I can’t lie when i say i’m a little bit upset over this as i put my whole heart and soul into this job and love my clients and build a great bond with all of them. I’m a little bit embarrassed as well and wonder if my company now views me as immature.
Thankyou
TLDR; 3 months into being a support worker and clients mum has decided to no longer want me to support 6yo asd daughter due to age and maturity reasons, feeling upset and don’t know how to deal with rejection
My family member is having a PSW assigned for the first time for about three hours a week. What are the things that the family should have in place to make the job easier for the PSW and ensure the family member gets the help they need ? What are the things that a PSW expects to be asked to do and what are the things that are outside the scope of duties. Key for this family is PSW consistency, competence, and communication. TIA.
TLDR: Melbourne. I want to get into support work but have no qualifications and no ideas where to start. Should I study or learn through volunteering?
I am 20s F with NO experience in support work, I’ve struggled with mental health myself but other than that no proper experiences with dealing with mental illness or disabilities. I just know that I love people and I want to work in this field.
I’m thinking about studying because I tried to get a job in support work but nowhere wanted to take me without any experience.
If anyone has any insight for any of the following;
How did you get into support work and how easy was it?
What courses in Melbourne to avoid or are pointless?
What does an average day on the job look like?
What skills do I need before I start taking in clients?
What company’s should I avoid?
What questions should I even be asking?
Do I have to study to get a job or do most people just learn through volunteer work and if so how long until you felt comfortable taking your own clients?
For more context I am looking to work with any age groups and demographic but less inclined to work in aged care, my passion is more for younger teens and children with mental health and disabilities. I’m not wanting to wipe butts or anything just yet but in a few years once I get the hang of one side of support work I’ll definitely start taking clients who need extra assistance, I just want way more experience before I begin offering that kind of care.
I’m just at such a crossroads right now I have no idea how to even start this.
Any advice or wisdom is highly appreciated 🙏🙏🙏
Hi guys, just after some advice because I feel like my workplace has become really toxic, and it’s also my first job in the disability industry.
I’ve been working in a SIL home for about a year now. (In a small country town) There are three other regular workers in my unit, two of whom are older and have been in the industry longer than me. I genuinely feel like some of them have lost sight of the actual care side of the job.
I believe that as support workers, part of our job is to recognise and document both the good and the difficult things, not just constantly focus on the negatives. One client in particular is constantly being spoken about negatively by my coworkers. They openly say they don’t like her, call her lazy and rude, and seem to look for things they can report against her BSP rather than actually trying to understand why she is doing something.
I’m really interested in the behavioural side of disability support and would eventually like to become a BSP myself, so I’ve been trying different approaches with different clients and personalities. I’ve actually been getting some really positive results, particularly with encouraging independence and using their BSP strategies consistently. But my coworkers don’t seem to like the approaches I’m taking and will go to management over really small things. Now when I have a genuine concern to raise, it feels like it gets dismissed as just more “drama.”
Another thing that really bothers me is that they don’t encourage independence with another client they really like. They’ll do things for her that she is completely capable of doing herself, like putting her dishes in the dishwasher or doing her laundry. I’ve tried explaining that I’m getting really positive results when I actually give her the opportunity to do these things herself, but nobody seems interested.
It honestly feels like I work in a hotel and I’m a maid rather than an active support worker. There are so many little things that seem unnecessarily controlling too. Clients aren’t allowed to put their own pictures or decorations in common areas, they aren’t encouraged to try new foods, and we’ve even been accused of “stealing” carrots because we used some extra carrots for dinner.
I’m 25 and relatively new to the industry, so I’m completely open to the possibility that there are things I don’t understand yet. But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting to try new approaches, encourage independence, have fun with clients and actually focus on their goals rather than just ticking boxes and doing the basics.
There also seems to be a lot of restrictive practice happening in my unit, and from what I can see, management doesn’t seem particularly concerned about it.
I’m honestly at a loss about what to do. I care about my clients and I really enjoy seeing them achieve things when they’re given the opportunity, but I’m starting to feel like I’m fighting against the culture of the workplace rather than being supported to do my job.
Has anyone else experienced this? Am I being too idealistic because I’m new to the industry, or does this sound like a genuinely unhealthy workplace culture? What would you do in my position?
There’s the obvious certificate III in individual support but what about if they have certificates like community services instead of that?
Hi All,
Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend, here are some resources I found online for free that might help others too:
**NDIS Commission online learning modules (**You get certificates of completion to)
https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/workforce/online-training-modules
NSW Disability Practice Kit
https://dcj.nsw.gov.au/community-inclusion/disability-and-inclusion/disability-resource-kit.html
If you have any to add feel free to put them here and I'll add them up to this post.
Management recently stated that completing specific training modules is a compulsory requirement of our role and will be paid by gift cards?
Love my job and my main participant, but their family members have started texting my personal mobile late at night about non-urgent roster changes and daily complaints. What's the best way to gently set boundaries without making things awkward or getting management involved?
Is it legal to work 10hrs 1:4 in a SIL house with no paid breaks?
My day as followed:
Client a : 10am - 12:30 pm
Client b 1-6 pm
Client c 7-11 pm
I am a casual, never gotten broken shift allowance ever. Is this illegal?
Anyone else finding more and more companies trying to pay below award wage, even when their advertisements say "competitive rates"?
I've been a support worker for 6+ years, with experience ranging from high complex mental needs, as well as physical, to working with children and all personal care you can think of, as well as managing medication and participants personal funds and banking. I obviously have all my certificates as well as qualifications.
I feel like I see more and more support worker positions advertised for as little as $34 an hour, averaging at around $41 an hour, while asking for experience with all sorts of participants as well as being qualified.
The last 4 or 5 interviews I've had I've been offered the job, and I've had to ask the pay rate they're offering, which has ranged from $36 to $40 an hour, well below the award wage. And yes, the work involved in each has been high complex needs, as well as the usual helping participants manage funds, home care, community access, and sometimes personal care.
I've been working at SCHADS 2.1 (which is now $45ph) for 6 years and have since realised I should actually be on 2.2 or 2.3. But it's hard to even get paid at the very entry level of unsupervised support work.
What is happening behind the scenes for the majority of companies, for them to be posting advertisements well below SCHADS? One of the employers offered me a pay point of 1.4. Does that even exist?
This, on top of a 60-70% burnout rate... oh, what a lovely industry to work in.
Edit: I forgot to mention this is working and looking for work across Ipswich and the south/south-West side of Brisbane.
Also, maybe it's been like this for a while, as I had stable hours for the first 3-4 years of employment and never seemed to have to question the employers on the pay they were offering.
This is casual rates, btw.
Hey everyone!!! I am a support worker who support people in their houses and communities. I do maaaaany steps daily for my job and I'd love to find some shoes that are a better "fit" for the job
I've worked on my feet a LOT previously in other jobs, but thats when I was younger and not caring about arch support or pain.
I've heard really good things about Hoka's or Sketchers? at the moment i am mainly wearing some new balance shoes which are comfortable enough.
would love to hear some opinions! Keep caring!
I’ve noticed you really have to be careful with what you promise during a shift. Something that feels like a small comment to us can stick with a service user, and they’ll remember exactly what was said even days later. Then you’re the one trying to explain what happened when the other worker isn’t there. It’s definitely made me more careful about what I say I’ll do.
Hi everyone,
I’m a casual Disability Support Worker in NSW classified under the SCHADS Award (Pay Point 1.3).
I recently worked a long Friday that was split across 3 separate approved client bookings in ShiftCare:
10:00 AM – 12:30 PM: Client A (2.5 hrs)
1:00 PM – 6:00 PM: Client B (5.0 hrs)
7:00 PM – 11:00 PM: Client C (4.0 hrs)
This came to 11.5 direct care hours spanning across a 12-hour total window in a single day.
Looking at my latest payslip, all 11.5 hours were paid as standard weekday ordinary hours (with a 10% afternoon loading applied to the evening 4-hour block).
Zero overtime hours were recorded on the payslip.
My understanding of Clause 28.1 of the SCHADS Award is that ordinary daily hours for any employee (including casuals) are capped at 10 hours per day, and anything past 10 hours must be paid at overtime rates (150% / 200%).
Paid for km but no travel time Inbetween. The breaks Inbetween is how long it takes to get to the next clients home.
Help please!
Lately I've been noticing that the actual shift doesn't always end when I clock out. If I've had a busy day or something significant happened, I still need to finish my case notes so everything is accurate. It usually takes another 15–30 minutes, and by then I'm technically off the clock. It doesn't seem like much on one shift, but over a week it really adds up. It's one of those parts of the job that people don't really see.
Hi all- I currently work in an organisation where we drive from house to house to deliver care, and I do love the people heaps. But the driving part sucks.
I’ve also gotten the opportunity to do a different company that does sleepovers and needs people at the house to stay 24/7.
My question is, which is better in the long run? I know everyone’s different and has different opinions about it so I was curious to see what other support workers say. I’m torn.
TIA