Finding the Right Disability Support Worker in Melbourne

Start with the fit, not the resume

The best support worker for you is not the one with the longest list of certificates. It is the person you are comfortable with in your own kitchen at seven in the morning. Skills can be taught. Patience, reliability and the ability to listen cannot. That is why every Asina participant meets their Disability Support Practitioner (support worker) before anything starts, and has the final say on who joins their team.

What every worker in Victoria must hold

Whoever you choose, through a provider or directly, check these.

• NDIS Worker Screening Check, issued in Victoria through Service Victoria. It replaced the old police check for NDIS work.
• Working with Children Check (Victorian), if the participant is under 18, and we require it for everyone.
• First Aid and CPR, current.
• NDIS Worker Orientation Module, completed before the first shift.
• A current driver's licence and insured vehicle if transport is part of the support.

A good provider will show you these on request. At Asina they are tracked in the app and expire-chased automatically, so nobody works on a lapsed clearance.

Local matters more in Melbourne

A worker who lives in Preston will be on time in Preston. A worker who lives in Frankston and is rostered to Preston will eventually not be. In a city this spread out, where the worker lives predicts reliability better than anything on paper. Ask the question, and ask what happens on the days they are sick.

We match by suburb across the inner north, inner west, bayside and south-east, eastern suburbs and outer west and north, and we are honest when we do not yet have the right person near you.

How the meet and greet should go

• It is free, and it happens before you sign anything.
• It is somewhere you are comfortable, usually your home or a cafe you like.
• You talk about your week, your goals and what a good visit looks like, not just the task list.
• If it is not a fit, you say so, and nobody takes it personally. You meet someone else.

Questions to ask a worker

• What kind of support have you done before, and what did you enjoy about it?
• How do you handle a day when the plan has to change?
• What would you do if I said no to something?
• How do you write up a visit, and can I read it?

After they start

Consistency is the goal: the same people, on time, who know the routine. Shift notes you can read the same day. A manager you can reach when something is off. If you are not getting that, you are allowed to change workers, and a good provider makes that easy rather than awkward.

Our Melbourne team is led by Hayley Harris. If you want help finding the right person, email her or call 0434 786 381. You can also read about how we work in Melbourne.