Have you thought about a career as a support worker or ever wondered what the role actually involves? The job of support worker is both meaningful and in demand. If you’re looking for a new direction, returning to work, or starting your career, this guide will give you an insight into what the job involves and how you can get started with Omega.
What does a support worker do
We provide individualised services that are tailored to each person’s needs. We support people to live the life they want to live, do the things they want to do, respecting people’s choices. There are many different ways that we achieve this and the list below is an example of how varied the work can be.
- Build strong and trusting relationships through consistent and respectful engagement
- Support communication and decision-making
- Assist people to develop strong links with their local community
- Support people to increase their daily living and household management skills
- Providing practical assistance with self care, budgeting, cooking and shopping
- Medication prompting and assistance
- Assist with transport to appointments or activities
- Assist with tasks for work, school or study
What do you need to become a Support Worker?
Our support staff come from different backgrounds and bring a range of expertise and life experience. We don’t only look for qualifications, life skills are equally as valued. We look for people who have a desire to learn about and understand the people we support. The best support workers recognise the strengths and preferences of our participants and they support and commit to working alongside them to achieve personal goals and aspirations.
Additionally, you should demonstrate:
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills
- Ability to build rapport with participants, families and carers
- Well developed written skills for maintaining accurate records of the support you provide
- Personal resilience and flexibility
- Ability to recognise and respond to changing needs
- A willingness to meet people where they’re at, respecting individual choices and lifestyles
Essential requirements
There are essential checks that all support workers require before commencing work. These are an important safeguard for our participants and are mandatory requirements.
- NDIS Worker Screening Check
- Current Level 2 First Aid and CPR
- Completion of the NDIS Worker Orientation Training Module
- Working With Children Check (an employment check is necessary if working with people under 18 years)
Qualifications are not mandatory, but highly regarded:
- Cert IV Disability, Community Services, Mental Health
- Cert III Individual Support
- Diploma of Disability, Diploma of Mental Health
Steps to become a Support Worker
We encourage you to consider the type of support you’re most interested in and what your personal or professional experience can offer the role – are you a parent who has great organisational skills and the ability to multitask, have you gained volunteer experience that has developed your ability to stay calm under pressure, do you have a love of sport, travel, art or collecting?
Think about whether you want to support children or adults, do you want to work in a person’s home, would you prefer something more active or community based, do you have other commitments that would make it difficult to commit to regular hours? It is important that you review any role descriptions thoroughly to understand the job before you apply. Consider if you’re able to assist a person with self care tasks, if you are comfortable with people who own a pet or if you enjoy going to the footy.
Complete required pre employment checks
- Apply for a NDIS Worker Screening Check and if required, a Working with Children Check
- Complete First Aid and CPR training
- Complete the NDIS Worker Orientation Module (available on the NDIS Quality and Safeguard Commission website)
Check our Current Opportunities
To see the roles we currently have available, head to our Current Opportunities page.
We look forward to hearing from you!