Support worker jobs in Australia: disability support roles

There are no open disability support worker roles listed with CrossNation right now. New roles are added as employers brief us, so create a profile to be matched when one opens.

Support is built around what the person wants to do, as set out in their plan. That can mean personal care, help with meals and medication prompts, community access such as shopping, sport or study, support to build daily living skills, and shared or supported accommodation work with rostered shifts. Some roles include sleepovers or active night shifts, and many involve split shifts across a day. You work for a provider, a support coordinator's network or the participant directly, and you record what happened after each shift. Patience, clear communication and respect for the person's choices matter more than any single technical skill.

Workers in risk assessed roles with registered NDIS providers need an NDIS Worker Screening clearance from the state or territory screening unit, and the provider decides which roles count as risk assessed. The NDIS Commission publishes worker training expectations for registered providers, so ask the provider which training it requires. Employers commonly ask for a Certificate III in Individual Support, often with a disability specialisation, plus a first aid and CPR certificate. Driving participants needs a current licence and suitable insurance. Keep your certificates, identification and clearance details together, since providers cannot roster you until the paperwork is complete.

Many disability support workers are covered by the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award [MA000100], which has classifications by level, plus rules on broken shifts, sleepovers, weekend and public holiday penalties and travel. Larger providers often have an enterprise agreement, which must leave workers better off overall than the award. We do not quote pay figures here, because they change and depend on the classification and shift pattern. Ask the provider which instrument applies and which level you will start on, then check the minimum rate in the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Providers use several titles for similar work: support worker, disability support worker, community support worker, supported independent living worker, disability care worker and sometimes attendant or aide. Positions can be casual, part-time or full-time, with regular rosters or on-call availability. The duties matter more than the title, because the award classifies by what you do and your experience. A position that says community access usually means outings and programs, while supported independent living means working in a shared home with rostered, sometimes overnight, support. Read the position description for shift lengths, travel, sleepovers and who you report to.

Search the live roles on the jobs page, then register with CrossNation and upload your CV so a recruiter can consider you when a provider briefs us. Put your checks, qualifications and availability at the top: your NDIS clearance or application status, your first aid date, your licence class and the suburbs you can reach. We have city guides for Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, Sydney, Western Sydney, Newcastle, Canberra and Hobart, each with the local screening rules. A listing is not a job offer, and CrossNation cannot promise a job or a start date.

Many people start as a casual support worker, then move to regular part-time hours, and later take on senior support, house supervisor or team leader duties. The SCHADS Award has higher levels for workers with more responsibility, more experience or a degree or diploma, which the pay guide shows. Further study such as a Certificate IV in Disability or a diploma can lead towards coordination or allied health assistant roles. Progress depends on the provider, your experience and the roles that open, so ask what training and supervision a provider offers at interview.

Registration: NDIS Worker Screening clearance (state and territory screening units); NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Workers in risk assessed roles with registered NDIS providers need a clearance before starting. Providers decide which roles are risk assessed.

Pay and conditions: usually the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award [MA000100] or an enterprise agreement. Check current minimum rates with the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Award rates: Disability support worker salary in Australia: what the award sets.

ANZSCO: 423111 Aged or Disabled Carer