The best support worker for you is the one who helps you live the life you want. There isn’t one perfect profile. It depends on your routines, communication style, culture, and where you live. What matters most is that the person is respectful and responsible, and delivers safe, reliable support.
Start with you
Before you choose, think about your support needs. Routine, community access, personal care, skill-building, behaviour support or study support each point to different strengths. A great match for one participant can be a poor fit for another.
Example
You want to build confidence using public transport. A strong match is calm, patient, good with graded exposure and safety planning. A less suitable match is someone who prefers to drive everywhere.
Core qualities of a good support worker
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Transparency
Clear about availability, travel time, cancellations and how billing works. If they make a mistake, they fix the invoice without fuss. -
Good communication
Checks your preferences, confirms plans, lets you know if they are running late, and debriefs after tricky moments. -
Accountability and responsibility
Owns errors, follows up on what was promised, keeps appropriate records, and reports incidents properly. -
Genuine care and attention
Present on shift, not scrolling. Notices early signs of fatigue, pain or overload and adjusts the plan with you. -
Curiosity and respect
Asks how you like things done, learns your communication style, and respects culture, faith and privacy. -
Dignity of risk
Supports you to try things safely rather than blocking you “for your own good.” Plans for risk rather than removing your choice. -
Professionalism with heart
It may be friendly, but they remember it is paid work. They do not borrow money, accept expensive gifts or cross personal lines. -
On time and follows through
Turns up, stays the full booked time, and completes agreed tasks. -
Patience and adaptability
Calm with changes. Can slow down or switch tasks when your body or brain needs it. -
Healthy boundaries
Says no kindly when something is outside role or unsafe, and explains why. -
Manages conflicts of interest
Discloses if they also work for another provider that might benefit from your choices. Does not steer you unfairly. -
Spends paid time supporting you
Focuses on your support needs and tasks, not personal errands. -
Keeps good records
Brief session notes, clear timesheets, incident reports when needed. -
Does not bend NDIS rules
Refuses to bill for things that are not allowed, even if asked. -
Takes feedback well
Listens, adjusts and checks back that changes worked for you.
Billing and money basics
A good worker explains how billing works in plain English. They tell you what the hourly rate covers, when travel is charged, and what happens with cancellations. You may wish to ask for a simple service agreement and sample invoice so you can see the line items.
Independent workers and rates
If an independent sole trader is charging the full NDIS price limit for everyday support work, that can be a red flag. Many independents have lower overheads than large providers. Community forums and local Facebook groups can help you sense-check reasonable rates for your area and the support you want. Experience and qualifications matter. A worker with specialist training or complex-care skills may justifiably charge more, not necessarily at the maximum price limit.
Example
You ask how travel will be billed. A strong response is “I come on Wednesdays with two other clients in your area. You will pay 12 minutes travel. If I need to detour, I will check with you first.” A weak response is “I will just add travel later” with no detail.
Boundaries and dignity of risk in action
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You want to cook independently with knives. A good worker helps plan a safe setup, stays nearby and lets you lead, and documents progress and any incidents.
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You ask them to fix your friend’s laptop during your shift. A good worker explains it is outside scope, offers to help you find a tech service, and returns focus to your support needs.
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You want to attend a busy concert. A good worker helps you map exits, sensory supports and a buddy plan, rather than saying “no, too risky.”
Professionalism day to day
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Records are short and useful. What happened, what worked, what to try next.
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Confidentiality is respected. No posting photos of you without consent.
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Safeguards are current. ABN, insurance and worker screening are in place when required.
What good looks like in practice
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Present and purposeful
Sam notices your fatigue after 30 minutes. Together you swap the next activity to seated tasks, then schedule a shorter walk. -
Honest about limits
Noor is confident with community access, not manual handling. She says so, completes training before attempting transfers, and brings in a second worker once approved. -
Fixes mistakes
A shift ended 20 minutes early. The worker messages, “I left at 4:10. I will reduce the invoice and add a note.” You see the correction on the statement.
Questions you might ask in an interview
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What does a good day on shift look like to you, and how do you know it went well for me
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How do you handle travel charges and cancellations
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Tell me about a time something went wrong on shift and how you fixed it
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Do you have any conflicts of interest I should know about
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What training or experience do you have that is relevant to my support needs
Red flags to watch for
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Full price-limit rates from an independent without a clear reason
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Repeated lateness, short shifts with full billing, or vague invoices
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Phone use, personal errands or social plans during your paid time
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Pushing you toward a particular provider without disclosure
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Resistance to feedback or refusal to correct invoices
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Suggesting workarounds that breach NDIS rules
If it is not working
You may wish to give specific, kind feedback and one opportunity to improve. If things do not change, it is reasonable to change workers. Your choice and control matters. If you have a support coordinator, they can help you set expectations, review invoices and find a better match.
Bottom line: a good support worker is transparent, respectful, responsible and reliable, and helps you meet your support needs without taking away your choice.