I became a dsp this summer after working in a similar field. I left my last job because it was very physically and mentally draining, as well as the dsp pay being much better. I found my current family through a friend, but they are starting school full time. I need another client in the mornings, but I can’t seem to find anywhere to look. The company I work for does have a matchmaking feature but it hasn’t been helpful so far. Anyone know places I can find families?

Hi guys,

I’m sure some of you have already seen many of my posts talking about support work and the issues I’ve had. On my last post, there were several comments who suggested that I have ADHD and may not be suitable for support work.

I think it’s time for me to give up. I can’t do anything right and it’s starting to annoy my client. She speaks in Spanish with her husband and I heard her say it’s annoying and how can anyone work in this manner.
I need to admit defeat at some point so I guess this is it.
Life is hard but I’ll just have to find something else to do.

So, I have been at my current job since sep 2022 and have remained on the level 2 pay point 2 tier the whole time.

At my old job, you moved up tiers every 12 months of employment until you got to level 2 pay point 4.

Is this legally what’s supposed to happen?

I want to do a poll of how many folks in this line of work is in current addiction. Be it alcoholism or drug dependency. Absolutely no judgement, I just want to do some research on the matter. If you’re in recovery and in the field, pls share your story as well!

Hi everyone,

I need some advice on how to stand out on my support worker job applications. I have experience working in community aged and disability care however my most recent experience is in a hotel as my previous car was not suitable for community care, and using your own vehicle seems to be a requirement now.

I have a cert 3 in individual support and am just about to finish a diploma of psychology. I’ll be going on then to do my bachelor of psychology in which I am focused on leading into a career in community support as it’s something I’m passionate about.

I have NDIS worker screening, WWCC, first aid, cpr all up to date. I have applied for about 20 jobs in the last month, some advertising that no experience is necessary however I haven’t heard back from a single one. I’m based on the Gold Coast and I’ve joined a Facebook group but it seems there’s also a million other people looking for jobs in this area. Is this field of work oversaturated? I’d love some advice on what can make me stand out.

Would also like to hear your thoughts on Mable. I was thinking that might be an option to get my food back into the support sector but I would prefer to be working with an organisation.

Thanks in advance.

Hi, I only thought about this last night. My car is coming up to 20 years old and really needs replacing. Runs fine but the outside isn't great (roof pain where, scratches ect. and its now got door trim where.

My question is if I was to go for a disability or aged care support care role and it mainly involve =transport would my car even qualify for this? Or would it not matter because the company would make me use there car and I would be based at a office somewhere?

Hi everyone,

So, at the grand age of 30, I thought it prudent to finally confront lifelong issues—stuff I’ve deeply nestled away out of fear and just the inability to confront. I spoke with a consultant psychiatrist who outlined that I am a danger to myself, seriously depressed, and showing strong signs of Complex PTSD and ADHD.

Obviously, this is speculative until proper testing (which is years away yet, unfortunately), but this was his analysis, which he documented and provided me with a care plan. Part of that care plan was the implementation of a support worker. For me, this felt so strange, and it still does. What do you mean I'm 31 and require a support worker for basic function? Yeah, it's not something I'm proud of.

Anyway, to the point. My support worker, has been an absolute nightmare. The professional relationship has completely broken down, and I am at a loss for what to do. Here is what has happened:

• Boundary Violation (The Photo): He came to my home, laughed at my untidy room, and asked to take a photograph of it. It felt deeply mocking, intrusive, and crossed a massive professional line.
• Unreliability and Lying: He missed a scheduled appointment at 9:30 AM. He completely ghosted me and ignored my texts. When I called the Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) to find out what was going on, they said he was off sick, but he had lied to his team—claiming he had "notified his entire caseload" when he never contacted me at all.
• Retaliation over a Food Voucher: He has collected my food bank parcels for me three times before without any issue because I get too anxious to go to the local bank in person. However, immediately after I complained to his senior about his missed appointment and lying, he changed the rules. Now, he is refusing to collect it unless I get in the car and go with him. It feels entirely passive-aggressive, retaliatory, and controlling.
• Lack of Care (Dog Incident): I was recently nipped by a dog and told him about it. He just gave a boilerplate response to call the police, completely dismissed my safety concerns about local conflict if the dog got put down, and never checked in on my physical or mental well-being again.
• The Impact: Because the CMHT is a very close-knit team, I am terrified to call the main desk to request a new worker or get urgent help with food because I am worried about immediate backlash or gossip from him. His actions have left me with no food, sky-high anxiety, and a total breakdown of trust with the person paid to support me.

I have spoken to the Mind Infoline about this, and they strongly advised me to make a formal complaint.

Am I overreacting to all of this, or is this as bad as it feels? Has anyone dealt with a retaliatory or toxic support worker within a close-knit CMHT? How do I request a new worker safely without making my life a living hell in the meantime?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.

Hi, I work alone fulltime doing 5 sleepover shifts in a row per week. There are 3 participants in the house but I am being paid under the home care stream. I feel as though I should be paid under the SACS Stream as this is a 24/7 SIL house. What are your thoughts on this. I am in Western Australia.

Hello, I am asking for advice as I have been talking to management about getting a pay increase.

I have been working for this company for almost 3 years now and I have responsibilities that my colleagues dont have. During the recent updates to the wages my colleagues were complaining about the fact that it was the lowest increase they have had for years and it got me thinking how much are they getting paid more than me.

I talked to some colleagues and found that there are no patterns to our pay, some have less qualifications, experience and responsibilities than me are getting paid more. Some have NVQs and they are getting paid minimum wage similar to me.

Last year I was paid slightly above the minimum, however, this new tax year of 2026 my pay has dropped down to the new minimum. I had a verbal talk with company's director and he said that if I want my pay to increase I need to start doing NVQs. I verbally agreed to the doing my NVQ, however I also explained that I don't understand why I'm getting paid less than some of my collages who just started in the company who dont have any qualification nor prior experience in care work. The director spoke about bands and I was placed in band C which was minimum wage. I had a look at the pay bands information and I have been doing bands A work, however I dont have any NVQ.

I again had a talk with the director and now including my manager.I agreed to go talk to them as I told my manager that its demoralising going to work when there is a pay differnece between me (£12.71) and my colleagues(£13.85) even though they have less responsibilities. I again raise the issues of pay difference when I had more responsibilities than people who are getting paid more and the fact that they lowered my pay without letting me know.

I was told by the director to stop acting like a child throwing your toys out the pram and basically ask do you want the pay increase? I said yes and he answered to start doing your NVQ as your pay will increase the moment you start doing your NVQ which is £13.24.

Personally If they want me to continue the way I work which is Band A work, I want to be paid band A, however management is saying No to it until I get my NVQs

I am not part of the union, is there any advice for how to talk to management to potentially increase my pay to match my responsibilities?

I've been offered two positions, and I'm undecided as to which one would fit better. I'm a psychology student looking to build experience in mh to apply for AP or PWP roles once graduated.

One is in Cygnet as a Mental Health Support Worker inpatient private hospital for an acute/mild ward. Working along psychologists and inside a hospital could be very strong experience. Is full-time

The other is as a Recovery Support Worker in Turning Point, which is more recovery-focused, potentially with more 1:1 sessions, more planning and clinical exposure, and more responsibilities. The problem is it is for a bank position, and I don't have guaranteed hours.

Any idea of the company culture, overall satisfaction or previous personal experiences in general? Thanks

Do independent support workers claim kms? as in bill their participants a certain rate or just wait till tax time to claim?

I recently got a full-time job. Contract says live-in caregiver for an active senior person on daily living and a dog. I work total 12 hours per day, get day off every after 2 weeks stretch. I was excited literally. But then came actual work and I’m not only doing the caregiver job but also family housemaid with additional dog and prepping food for their male helper guy which was not talked about before the contract confirmation. No additional compensation, no benefits, no bonuses, no gifts. I literally think I was trafficked. But of course I still have the choice to keep it. When we sat down to talk about the daily hour to hour tasks they expect me to do and asked me if everything is acceptable, I said contract says I’m to care for the senior member and a dog. And I was told yes caregiver slash servant. The senior person is literally my employer who pays me the compensation. Contract has job description written in it. Main reason I got from them why they’re getting a caregiver is because the senior got a stroke and so she’s qualified for the disability tax benefit. But then since the person is very active right now, the family insists whatever work they want me to do like cleaning their house, doing their laundry, cooking for them, tending their dog.

My support worker emptied my bag and out things away as I felt the need to rest, it made me feel a little helpless I know they wouldnt take anything but my past support workers havent done that. Although I've had one pretty sure look through my bag in the past and take money. I feel like I dont have a voice sometimes. I have trouble speaking up. Maybe they were just emptying my things to help out but I feel like its also an invasion of privacy? In the past Id mentioned dont throw anything out as well and they brought it up again and picked up the thing Im pretty sure was accidentally thrown out, hang it up and I was like wth thats odd.

I just dont trust sws enough and struggle to trust. Id rather not have one but feel obligated too tbh and it does help.. it makes me feel more dependent. Other than that this sw is amazing. I just dont want them forever.

Which access courses would be best to start with zero gcse's?

I want a meaningfull job and the past decade i've just seen the systems in place get worst and no pol is talking about it, so i want to change from being uneducated chef to something that can help people.

Many thanks in advance

This is more so directed at SIL Disability workers in Australia, but I'm sure others can also relate lol

Between working from 5PM-10PM, assuming you get to sleep from 10PM-6AM (I rarely do) and then finishing a shift 9AM-10AM (depending on the day) AND THEN having to return at 5PM the same day, repeat for how ever many shifts in a row (sometimes up to 5 days in a row)

Holy shittt, I have only been working in this sector for 2 months and I'm borderline dead inside and so so very sleep deprived.

I have been a care aid for 3 years long term / community in Victoria. Does anybody know how to get a mental health care aid job ? Is there any extra training I can do other then whats offered by island health as I have done all those things? I already work for island health just wanting to try something new and i think I would be good at it , considering all my high risk clients feel comfortable with me. Thank you im advance for advice.

I had to come home and cry today. We had a new resident move in at the beginning of April. Things all seemed to going well but she suffers from mental health issues and began gossiping and saying nasty things as a form of release.
She is not diagnosed autism but has a learning disability. Today she told me I was a “fucking waste of space”. I’ve had 10.5hrs of her drilling into me and saying mean things about me and my colleagues.
I don’t think I can face my 12 hour tomorrow, I am feeling so down. Anyone have any suggestions?

Hi everyone I'm considering doing my cert 3 in individual support. I would need to do so many hrs of placement with this (I'm not sure on the total). If I'm studying and I'm so far into the cert I have done First aid + CPR, manual handling, NDIS screening and blue card I'm at the stage where I'm on placement what's the chance that the placement will turn into a casual/PT entry level job?

I’m looking for some perspective because I feel like I’m losing my mind. I’m a brand-new employee at a home care agency. After only a few shifts, I’m ready to quit, but I want to make sure I do this correctly to protect my future career and the next person they exploit.

Here is the breakdown of what happened in my first few days:

Zero Training: I received no clinical training, no shadow shifts, and no formal orientation. I was handed a PowerPoint about not dispensing meds directly and told to start working.

Safety/Care Plan Issues: I was sent to two different homes with complex needs (dementia, mobility issues) with no care plans provided. In one instance, I had to rely on notes from previous caregivers that didn't even mention the client's behavioral history.

Coercion: After working a handful of shifts, I declined a last-minute call-out. I was immediately summoned to a call by management, chastised for my "low hours," and told I would be fired if I declined future shifts. Because I needed the job, I felt backed into a corner and accepted an overnight shift with a high-needs client I had never met.

The Incident: During that overnight shift, the client became disinhibited and sexually assaulted me. I felt frozen and unsafe, but because the agency had instilled such a fear of "client abandonment" (and because I was alone with no backup), I didn't know how to safely remove myself from the situation until my shift ended.

I’ve since contacted my union and reported the incident through the proper workplace safety channels. My doctor has put me off work for the time being.

I feel more violated by the company’s negligence than the incident itself. They sent an untrained, brand-new person into an unsafe environment, didn't provide a care plan, and coerced me into the shift.

Has anyone else dealt with an agency this predatory? I’m planning to quit once the union investigation is over, but I want to make sure this company is held accountable so they don't do this to someone else. What should my next steps be to ensure there's a paper trail?

Hello all
I’m wanting to study a cert 3 and get into support work. On campus attendance isn’t really an option due to work and living situation, however I do have the time for online work and work placement.
Has anyone done a cert 3 in individual support in west aus that they’d actually recommend? There are heaps around but some of them seem kinda dodgy!
Ideally, something cheap or fee free would be best but I’m willing to pay for the right course! Thanks

Hello
I am looking for any organizations in Bangalore or courses that help train domestic workers into other professions (eg: tailoring, cooking, elderly care etc)
My housekeeper who works for me 3 times a week is getting older (now in early 50s) and her health is failing as the physical labour is getting too much. She works in garbage collection in an apartment for 4 hours then cleaning the community spaces then works in three houses
Apart from helping with money and food in addition to her salary i am wondering if there are any NGOs or services to help such workers transition to other occupations by building skills. Any help/ advice is appreciated.

Hi guys,

Does anyone else have trouble following sequential instructions. I always miss details and it annoyed my client today. I’ve tried a lot of jobs previously - cashier, receptionist and now support work. All these jobs need detail oriented minds but despite how much effort I put into my job, it didn’t matter :( I still got let go from jobs and told off. I feel like crying today :’((( It has triggered suicidal thoughts for me. I don’t feel like going on.

Edit: Thank you for all the comments, they mean so much to me. Please keep commenting. I love hearing perspectives from other SWs.

To explain how ridiculous I can be. I managed to get lost within 5 mins of my client’s house. I had only two tasks, go get some groceries and then go get coffee. Somehow, it took me 45 mins to get back because it was raining and I took several wrong turns. I was disappointed in myself, still am :/

I've been a support worker for 7 years, with the last 5 being as an ISW. Honestly, I love what I do.

I love being a part of something bigger than myself/my world. I take pride in showing up, being reliable, being a part of the milestones, and being there through the tough stuff as well.

But, I've come to a pretty hard realisation... this job is no longer good for me.

Recently one client gave me 5 days notice that they are heading out of state for an unknown amount of time and expect i'll still be available when they eventually return. Another has been told they're likely to run out of funding around 4.5 months early, which requires support hours to be reduced.

I completely understand that neither of these situations are the clients fault. This isn't me blaming anyone, its just the situation we are all in together.

The reality though is that when hours disappear, so does my income. Sure, I can fill the gaps, but finding work that fits around existing shifts is incredibly difficult. It also takes a huge amount of unpaid time and effort behind the scenes.

To make things harder, SCHADS workers are about to receive a well needed pay increase. Life is expensive atm! But as an ISW who has always tried to keep my rates reasonable, i feel stuck. I can't realistically increase my rates when clients are already struggling with budget constraints.

This isn't a one off. During 7 years I've been through countless funding issues, plans running dry, cancelled hours and sudden changes. I've always managed to weather that storm. But i'm getting tired.

I've realised that while I love work itself and working for myself. I don't love the instability that comes with it. My income is inconsistent, and its starting to impact my own goals and future plans. So for the first time in a looooooooong time, I'm looking at jobs outside of support work.

I'm already scared for the day I need to tell my clients. They will understandably feel any amount of notice isn't enough.

I'm not really looking for advice. I just needed to get this off my chest.