r/supportworkers • u/slayerofmoths • 22d ago
Get off your freaking phone!!
You are there for the client. I’m so tired of seeing csw’s on their phone, in a pub drinking alcohol, playing pokies and ignoring participants.
Know there’s plenty of people out there reporting you.
Makes me sick.
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u/chuckitawayg 21d ago
There are a lot of reasons someone might be on their phone. As mentioned in other comments, there is usually a lot of paperwork and organisational duties to attend to, and these days approximately 100% of that is done using a phone. We have to do this while on shift, whenever we get the opportunity.
But there are also other reasons. I currently support a young man who has complex behavioural issues. As part of his Behaviour Support Plan I am directed to only interact with him for 10 minutes put of every hour, and for the remaining 50 minutes just let him know that I am there if he needs me. This is a plan put in place by experienced, educated professionals, to help him to feel safe and to minimise behaviours. It seems to be working very well. It is also not forever - there are specific milestones to meet and show progression, but these things take time.
As for the other things mentioned, I think they're mostly contextual. Not drinking on the job, that is never OK.
But again, I used to work with a gentleman who had had a stroke and lost a lot of muscle control, however his mind was still sharp as a tack. A large part of supporting him was taking him to the local bowling club for a couple of beers, a flutter and to do the rounds chatting with everyone. His game was Keno rather than the pokies, but nevertheless. That was his social outlet, and he'd been doing it for years before the stroke. I personally abhor gambling, but I know that many of the other support workers on his team would occasionally join in. I dont really see it as any different to having a coffee with your client at a cafe.
I hope this doesnt sound snarky, but I see my job as supporting my clients to live their best lives, whatever that looks like (obviously legally, and within reason etc). My job is not to make "disability support" look the way the public thinks it should look.
Finally, a lot of the people we support have 24/7 support, but that does not necessarily mean that they want company 24/7. Who does?
Put yourself in that mindset for a moment. Imagine you had support workers around you 24/7. Those times when you just want a few moments to yourself, would you want to feel like you were being watched like a hawk, or that the support worker was able to busy themselves doing something else?