What makes a good NDIS Support Worker?
Whether you are a service provider or support coordinator that is searching support worker for a client or someone who actually needs support for himself, it can be quite hard to find the right NDIS support worker that can cover your needs.
Not only the finding process is hectic, but it can also be even more frustrating when someone has found a support worker. And though he was apparently okay but is now clearly being motivated just by money.
On the other side, being an NDIS support worker is not easy as well. They play a unique role in someone’s life and hence they need to be not only a good match for the client but also have the necessary knowledge and skills to support them to be more independent.
So how to know if your support worker is reliable?
And if he works with the sole intention of supporting you and enhancing your independence?
Here are some things that you should observe. These will help you know how reliable your NDIS support worker is.
A Good worker will know when and how to take a step back to allow you to be more independent.
There can be times when even the support worker would not realize that he is being a barrier. A barrier to inclusion. But you will be able to recognize it. It is necessary for the worker to stand back and let you communicate and interact at times. This is necessary to enhance the independence of the person in care.
Enhancing independence and community participation is the aim of this act. And that is why most workers do it. It is important that your support worker facilitate your independence by stepping back. Rather than being a barrier to your inclusion.
Not only you, but he will also communicate with people in the community to interact with you too
Stepping back and enabling you to interact on your own is what a good support worker must do. However, his responsibility does not end here. A good worker should be able to direct community people to communicate directly to the person in care.
This is specifically necessary if the person in care has communication difficulties. So you will know a support worker is good when he will educator people in the community about equal rights/opportunities
He must never assume things, he must communicate
One of the most important think about a disability support worker is his communication and comprehension abilities. A good worker must never assume what you can do not. He should not think “I will let him do this, it seems easier this way. It will lessen my burden”.
If he thinks like this, he is not capable. He does not have the art of support working. They should rather ask things when they are not sure. They should communicate and try to comprehend for providing the best solutions.
He must be able to see the bigger picture:
The role of a support worker is to enable the person in care to achieve their goals. This means that the worker needs to think and do what a normal person cannot. It is important for a support worker to be able to think out of the box.
A good support worker will have an open mind and a positive attitude to go a long way. It does not matter the kind of support you require, they must be able to provide creatively. Their role is to support the person n care to do what they want and they have to make it happen.