Choosing a support worker: 7 tips for finding the right fit

The right support worker can make your week. The wrong one can make it hard work. These seven tips draw on NDIS Commission guidance and advice from disability organisations.

The Zoomly team · · 4 min read

A support worker might help you shower, get you to footy training or sit with you while you sort out the bills. They see you on good days and bad ones. It's worth being choosy, and the NDIS backs you on that. In the NDIA's words, "You're in control of who you work with and when."

When the NDIS Commission looked at support platforms in 2023, 64% of the people using them were trying to find one reliable worker who was a good fit. If that sounds like you, start here.

1. Start with what you need

Before you look at anyone's profile, write down what you need help with, when you need it, and anything a worker must be able to do, like manual handling or driving. The NDIS Commission's own checklist starts in the same place: what supports do you need, and can this person deliver them?

2. Think about who you'd get on with

Skills matter, and so does personality. The Council for Intellectual Disability suggests choosing someone who shares your interests, which makes sense. A worker who also loves fishing or op shopping makes the afternoon go faster.

If language, culture, faith or gender matters to you, say so up front. It's a normal thing to ask for. The NDIS Commission found that search filters on platforms helped LGBTIQA+ and culturally diverse participants find inclusive workers.

3. Check their screening

An NDIS Worker Screening Check means a state or territory screening unit has assessed the worker and cleared them to work with people with disability. A clearance lasts five years.

If a registered provider employs the worker, they'll already have one. If you self-manage or use a plan manager, you're allowed to use workers without a clearance, but you can insist on one, and the NDIS Commission recommends you do.

If you self-manage, you can check a worker's status yourself. Register for the NDIS Commission's worker screening portal for participants, then link the worker using their last name and their Worker Screening ID. The portal will also let you know when their clearance is about to expire. At Zoomly, every Support Partner is screened and trained before their first booking.

4. Meet before you commit

A meet and greet or a short paid trial shift tells you more than any profile. Ask why they want the work, what hours they can do and what training they've had. The NDIS Commission's recruitment resources for participants include sample questions worth borrowing, like "How would you build my confidence to speak up?"

If you're talking to a few people, ask each of them the same questions and check a referee or two, as the Commission suggests. It makes comparing them a lot easier.

You don't have to decide on the spot. If you're not sure, meet again, or bring someone you trust along for a second opinion.

5. Get the details in writing

A service agreement isn't compulsory for most supports, but it saves a lot of awkward conversations later. A good one covers what support you'll get and when, the price and any travel costs, the cancellation policy, how to raise a concern, and how either of you can end the arrangement.

Read the cancellation part closely. It's the bit people tend to skim, and the bit that costs money when plans change at short notice.

6. Give feedback, and know you can change

Tell your worker what's working as well as what isn't. The NDIS Commission suggests focusing on the issue and its impact, which keeps the conversation about the support instead of the person.

If it still isn't right after a fair go, change. As the Council for Intellectual Disability's guide says, you can choose someone else if it doesn't work out. Check your notice period, and line up your new worker before you finish with the old one so you're not left without support in between.

7. Know where to go if something's wrong

Every NDIS worker, registered or not, has to follow the NDIS Code of Conduct. Its eight elements include respecting your privacy and your right to make your own decisions, and providing supports safely and with care and skill.

If something goes wrong, you can raise it with the worker or their provider first. If that doesn't fix it, or you don't feel safe doing that, contact the NDIS Commission on 1800 035 544, Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm, or use the online form. You can report anonymously. In an emergency, call 000. If you're not sure where to start, the Disability Gateway helpline on 1800 643 787 can point you in the right direction, Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm.

Finding the right person can take a few goes. That's normal, and it pays off when you land on someone who turns up on time and gets how you like things done.

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