Nextt – The Role of a Disability Support Worker

Posted by The Nextt Group on March 17th, 2021

Disability support workers are a crucial part of the community. The role does come with its challenges, but ultimately our support workers find the role rewarding and meaningful.

Owing to the recent National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), work in this sector has become more plentiful and more secure. More people are getting access to disability support workers as part of their everyday life, which means that there are many ongoing and secure vacancies which need to be filled.

What benefits come with the support worker role?

The greatest benefit of disability support worker knows that your efforts are going towards improving the lives of the people you are working with. This means that each day you are using different skills and developing different facets of your expertise.

Individuals who thrive in interpersonal environments and have a passion for helping others will find themselves naturally attuned to the role.

Disability support workers enjoy great work-life balance thanks to the job’s flexible hours. With the abundance of available job opportunities, with many more on the way thanks to the NDIS support scheme, this is an industry which is growing to suit both its workers and its clients.

What does an average day on the job look like?

While the individual tasks you will provide vary based on the condition and abilities of the people you are assigned to work with, the overall role of a disability support worker is to give personal, physical and emotional support on an ongoing basis, in order to help people live with their disability.

An average week might look like: designing support programs for clients to use independently, organising social activities, helping with household tasks, being a companion and helper for daily activities, maintaining contact with the client’s family and friends, and helping to develop and maintain independence and safety in the client’s personal life.

What education and experience are needed?

As long as the individual has a drive to help others, we will be on the lookout – even if you do not have previous experience in the industry. At Nextt we believe in creating a culture of ongoing excellence, which is why we select our support workers based on their attitude and motivation to help others. We provide a comprehensive training program to guide new employees through everything the job has to offer, giving personal development to ensure you can excel at the role.

If you complete a Certificate III and IV in Disability work, your employment opportunities will further improve, and this will also open up the opportunity to work in management and team leader roles at large organisations such as Nextt.

For additional information on becoming a support worker, we have compiled a free guide you can download now. You can also get in touch with us at 1300 576 097 to speak with one of our friendly staff.