Disability Support Worker

**Job description**

Disability, Mobility & Services (DMS) is a NDIS-registered provider and is growing rapidly. We engage with our participants and carers to provide support for their physical, mental, and social health. We care about our employees as well as the people we support and if you’re enthusiastic, caring and enjoy a fast-paced environment then this is the job for you

The role of the Support Worker involves supporting people with day-to-day tasks, enabling them to live in their own homes in their day-to-day living, and ensuring that they have maximum opportunity for developing valued and valuing lifestyles.

Support workers will be clear that their professional engagement with clients is concerned with generating quality personal relationships, which are supportive and life enhancing. They will also be assisting NDIS Participants to work towards achieving their NDIS goals, as a matter of general conduct.

They will provide opportunities for choice, self-advocacy and participation in matters relating to the home as well as facilitating access to community services and facilities.

The role involves supporting clients with all aspects of everyday living - personal care, washing, cleaning, laundry, preparing and cooking meals and shopping.

**MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES**

1. Carry out designated duties/tasks as per the service duty roster, and other reasonable duties as instructed by the employer from time to time.

2. To perform direct care duties for individual clients as specified in the service agreement including (but not limited to):

- Personal Care
- Showering/bathing
- Dressing/grooming
- Toileting
- Preparing meals
- Assisting individual clients to eat their meals
- Providing clients with additional support where required, such as gastrostomy feeding where appropriate training has been provided.
- Assist with client’s physical and mobility requirements in accordance with training provided and the relevant workplace health and safety standard, including transferring of clients.

3. To provide other support to individual clients as required such as:

- Personal administration
- shopping for and with clients
- Banking and paying bills (where applicable)
- Supervision of client’s medication requirements
- Washing and ironing of personal clothes
- Ensuring that bathing areas and clients appliances are kept in a clean condition.
- Performing household duties and ensuring the house is clean and tidy.
- Tidying of client’s rooms
- Identifying the need for, and supporting client to attend, medical/therapist appointments.
- Behavioural support
- Transport as required.
- Community Access

4. Facilitate community inclusion and participation, dependent on individual needs, abilities and preferences, and support clients to establish and maintain relationships and interests through access to community activities, venues and services.

5. Carry out as instructed and/or designated - and demonstrate initiative - task and activities aimed at meeting the clients personal/living community needs, team objectives and/or program goals which is consistent with DMS’s practice.

6. Carry out and promote positive routines/duties/activities in a cooperative respectful and flexible manner, which are meaningful and purposeful to the individual

7. Encourage positive and socially appropriate behaviour, and effectively manage challenging behaviour.

8. Promote empowerment and the right of choice for all people in need of support within the community.

10. Participate in developing and monitoring individual program plans and be accountable for their outcomes.

11. To be aware of safe working conditions and implement safe working practices in all work areas and report potential hazards, incidents and concerns in a professional and timely manner

**QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE**

1. Possess and demonstrate sound mental health and disability (or allied health/welfare/education field) experience, knowledge and/or training relevant to the position.

2. Current First Aid Certificate

3. Working with children check

4. NDIS workers screening check

5. Minimum Certificate III in Mental Health and or Disability/ Community services or equivalent industry experience.

6. Lived experience is also highly valued.

**KEY BEHAVIOURAL INDICATORS**

A successful Support Worker will have various prerequisite skills and qualifications needed to perform duties effectively. These include:

- Empathy and interpersonal and relationship building skills.
- Excellent psychological skills to understand the mental state of Participants.
- Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work in stressful situations.
- Ability to support Participants with mental illnesses.
- Ability to remain balanced and nonjudgmental while listening to Participants.
- Excellent observational skills to identify behavioural changes in Participants.
- Proficiency in de-escalation techniques for effective crisis and emergency management
- Ability to use a computer