Finding the proper NDIS support worker or workers can make a great difference in your capacity to live a full life and accomplish your objectives.
Support personnel become members of your team. While they are paid to assist you with your disability-related support requirements, you will likely spend a lot of time with them, so it’s critical that you get along with and trust them.
Support workers might be independent contractors or employees of a company that provides a variety of disability-related services. You can also consider disability respite houses according to your needs and requirements.
If your NDIS Plan contains funds for Core Supports, you can use it to hire support workers for any reasonable and required disability-related services.
What can support staff do?
Assist with personal hygiene tasks like showering, dressing, and eating.
Assist you in getting around at home or in the neighbourhood
Participation in employment or community activities is encouraged.
Assist with household activities which includes like: cooking, cleaning, and laundry.
You can have someone drive you around or assist you in using public transportation.
Assist you in learning new talents.
How to pick the best support worker.
Creat a wish list.
Make a list of your assistance requirements, such as those listed above. Make a second list of qualities you want in a support worker, such as a friendly demeanour, a driver’s licence, or specific abilities. These lists can be useful when speaking with support staff or organisations who provide them.
2. Speak with people in your network
Request suggestions from friends, trusted providers, or others in your network. The Leap of Faith! A comprehensive list of providers who employ support workers may be found in the Provider Network Directory. It’s important to note that NDIS funds cannot be used to engage a family member as a support worker.
3. Have a conversation before hiring someone.
Take the time to conduct phone, email, or in-person interviews with possible support workers. Inquire about their qualifications and experience working with people with disabilities. To see if you’ll get along, find out about their hobbies or interests.
4. Examine their schedules to see if they are flexible.
NDIS participants may be required to work a certain number of hours per week by some providers. Make sure you choose a service who is adaptable to your requirements.
5. Form a group.
It may be more appropriate to have several support workers with varied skills than to rely on one person to accomplish everything. You’ll have a backup person to call if someone is sick or unavailable if you form a team.
6. Examine your credentials and references
Inquire about credentials, first-aid training, and police clearances. You might also want to get references so you can chat with folks they’ve previously worked with.
7. Create a Service Contract
We recommend that each support worker sign a Service Agreement. In writing, a Service Agreement outlines both parties’ expectations, including the types of services you will receive, fees, and cancellation rules.
8. Look for compliance activities in the NDIS.
If a provider fails to follow the NDIS Code of Conduct, the NDIS keeps track of any actions taken against them. Before hiring a new service provider, go over this list.
Making the most of your NDIS plan’s flexibility.
It’s not uncommon for folks to find a support worker with whom they have a strong bond. As a result, it’s critical to build your NDIS Plan so that you can work with the proper person or team.
The way you manage your NDIS Plan might have a huge impact on the support workers you can hire.
This is why…
Participants in the NDIS who are administered by an agency are limited to using only NDIS-registered support personnel. Individuals or support workers engaged by agencies or organisations such as Five Good Friends or HireUp may fall under this category.
You can use your plan managed budget to fund registered and unregistered support workers if you have plan management (or a combination of Agency managed and plan management).
This flexibility is especially crucial if you reside in an area where there is a strong demand for support workers or a shortage of them.
Plans that combine two or more elements.
People sometimes choose to self-manage their NDIS Plan in order to pay their support worker more than the maximum NDIS fee. It is critical that this option be available to those who desire it.
When you self-manage, however, you must handle everything yourself, including budgeting and invoicing.
Combination plans, in which some of your money are self-managed and some are managed by a plan, are becoming more common. As a result, you can:
Self-manage your budgets if you require the freedom to hire the assistance worker you choose at a discounted rate.
Allow your plan manager to handle all of your other budget’s administrative operations and paperwork.
It’s simple to transfer from self-management to plan management or an NDIS combination plan whether you’re already self-managed or Agency-managed.
