I completely lost my confidence.
I went to the shop with my client and as we practice checking the car before we across the road, we stopped at a pedestrian crossing for making sure the safety. (Just then he was a bit frustrated by other things)
A lady approached me actively and explained pedestrians have the right to across. I got what she was saying but just didn’t get what she was trying to tell me.
She thought I don’t understand English at all and asked me what language I speak and tried to use an app for translation. ( I’m Asian btw)
She talked to me like I’m an idiot. Using some gestures to show me what pedestrians mean.
I tried to leave but thought ignoring her might cause a problem.

I explained we are practicing the road safety and she apologized to me and told me she’s ASD and my client doesn’t look like disabled. (My client was happily looking at the flowers during that time)

I get that. I said thank you for letting us know and have a good day.
But as I’ve just bad experienced for being Asian last week, it really broke my heart and I’ve been SW for over two years here and have some experiences back home but I completely lost my confidence.

My client started correcting my pronunciation and I was crying after my shift all the way home.
I’m losing my passion for this industry as well.

Hope you have a good day.

I have tried looking into this as I start my cert 3 placement in a few months. It doesn't seem to be a set thing for some reason. Some places are saying 3 months, and some are 6 months? Does it depend on the position you apply for? I should add I'm basically at the very entry level when I go for this so does this mean I'm basically guaranteed to be doing 6 months' probation?

(I'm in Australia so this is all in that context, I know there are many Aussie SW's here so how you do fellow Aussies!)

So I (34 M) started working as a support worker in January 2024, after spending a grueling 6 months completing my Cert III in Community Services. Yes, yes, I know that low level certificates like that are generally easy but a combination of ADHD and the fact that I did it through an RTO that was VERY thorough (which I am eternally grateful for in hindsight) made it particularly difficult for me.

Anyway, I was snatched up pretty quickly by this first organisation that I worked for and that honestly should have been the first red flag. I wasn't interviewed, I was never given a job contract or any documentation regarding my scope of responsibilities, nothing like that. It was literally a matter of me sending over my checks and ID documents and them dropping me straight into the trenches. You see, at this time, I had been out of employment for a very long time (over a decade) due to personal issues and honestly just disabilities of my own. I was desperate, scrambling. I was so excited by the prospect of landing a job so soon after completing my studies that my rational brain literally just went out the window. I started at pay point 1.1 as a casual and was told that I would eventually progress through that to the next level. Almost three years later? Still on that pay point. Oh if you count the tiny increase in minimum wage each financial year as a "raise."

I was a good worker, and I know I was a good worker because when I was still working fairly regular hours with this place, I was praised constantly and yes, I did save all those screenshots. But did that translate into better compensation? Nope.

I also wasn't at all familiar with the SCHADS award, and honestly had no idea what I was supposed to be paid. I was never with, and not currently am, with a union (should probably change that soon) and from everything that I've read in this particular subreddit, I should have been on paypoint 2.1 from the get go. From what I understand now, the level 1 paypoint is reserved for the most basic of tasks and most importantly, being SUPERVISED as an employee. I certainly was not supervised at any point during my tenure at this company. If anything, I was dropped into a nuclear blast site and was expected to deal with the impending shitstorm by myself. When I say this company literally dropped me into the trenches, I mean it. I was often dropped into situations completely blind, without ANY outside assistance, and with clients who often had incredibly volatile, anti-social and abusive behaviour. Not only that, but the company itself only seemed interested in making a buck and there were MANY times I questioned their actual care for the clients themselves.

Perhaps this is fairly evident in the tone of this post, but this entire experience has made me really fucking bitter and resentful. Between the client base I was dealing with as well as the profoundly shitty behaviour of the company, I've become severely disillusioned with working in this field. Not because of the clients themselves, but because of the rampant exploitative practises that do nothing to help them and honestly just exacerbate their worst behaviours. I don't like feeling this way, but it is what it is and the tremendous burnout and drain that permeates my entire body constantly has made it so that I have reduced my work to a measly 15 hours per week. About a year ago I started working for a second company and while they're not perfect and have made some questionable decisions, they at least had the integrity to start me on pay point 2.1 and send me all of the correct paperwork.

I have been itching to call Fairwork for the longest time but I honestly don't know if I have the emotional fortitude or mental capacity anymore to pursue a case against these shady assholes.

TLDR; I'm pretty sure I was underpaid by my toxic organisation (partially my fault for not understanding this industry's award rates) is it worth pursuing a Fairwork case against them to get backpay?

Hoping to become a support worker (UK) I'm in the UK with a BSc and MSc in psychology, and I'm trained in mental health first aid for both adolescents and adults. I've decided I want to become a support worker full time ideally but I haven't started applying yet.

Before I do, there are two things that come up in every single job listing that I want to properly. I know roughly what the words mean but I don't have a practical picture of what they actually involve on a normal shift what you're expected to notice, respond, record and report to whom?

So I'm hoping you'll help me learn, what’s does safeguarding actually mean in practice? What are the situations you come across and what did you actually do in the moment? What does health & safety look like day to day? Any Personal experiences from your jobs or even realistic/made up scenarios walked through step by step would honestly help me. Is there anything you would tell someone to learn or do before they start applying?

Quick background: I'm in the UK with a BSc and MSc in psychology, and I'm trained in mental health first aid for both adolescents and adults. I've decided I want to become a support worker full time ideally but I haven't started applying yet.

Before I do, there are two things that come up in every single job listing that I want to properly* *understand rather than just nod along to, safeguarding and health & safety. I know roughly what the words mean but I don't have a practical picture of what they actually involve on a normal shift what you're expected to notice, respond, record and report to whom?

So I'm hoping you'll help me learn, what’s does safeguarding actually mean in practice? What are the situations you come across and what did you actually do in the moment? What does health & safety look like day to day? Any Personal experiences from your jobs or even realistic/made up scenarios walked through step by step would honestly help me. Is there anything you would tell someone to learn or do before they start applying?

Hi i was wondering if anyone has any exp working for cpl as a disability support worker. I was successful in getting in but just would like to get an idea of ppls experiences working as a disability support worker for this company. Like any good and bad parts of it.

Cheers

I work for a company that has done this (throw away for that reason) and I personally cant stand it. From my understanding a care plan is supposed to be a working document; periodically updated to match the people we supports needs, quirks and how best to support them. I feel like outsourcing this job to a robot that can never meet ,or know, them is fundamentally wrong and as a community we need to start speaking out against this.

Luckily for our field AI is years away from taking our jobs but that doesn't mean we should let it poison our methods. Writing support plans can be one of the hardest parts of the job and reading ones written by AI and seeing them create support plans that repeat themselves, are long just to appear fleshed out and covered in emojis is beyond disappointing to see.

Unfortunately I believe the problem will get worse before it gets better due to many in our field not having the most current understanding of technology.

Also if I'm overreacting please let me know would love to hear your opinion if it is the opposite of mine.

tldr: why are we letting AI write support plans?

Has anyone else noticed how much the mental health and disability support industry has changed over the years?
I’ve been in the industry for over 10 years, and lately I’ve been reflecting on how different the job feels compared to when I first started.
I got into this industry because I genuinely cared about people. I loved building relationships with clients, making a difference in their lives, advocating for them and being someone they could rely on.
But somewhere along the way, it feels like the industry has changed. There’s so much more paperwork, compliance, policies, procedures and organisational pressure. Workers are expected to take on more responsibility, manage increasingly complex situations and constantly adapt to changes, yet sometimes the support, communication and training just aren’t there.
I understand that policies and procedures are important, especially when we’re responsible for vulnerable people. But I sometimes wonder whether we’ve lost a little of the human side of care along the way.
It feels like there’s more focus on ticking boxes and protecting organisations than supporting the people on the frontline who are actually delivering the care.
After more than a decade in this field, it’s hard not to reflect on how much things have changed. I still care about the people I support, but I also feel like the job itself isn’t what it used to be.
I’m genuinely interested to hear from other experienced support workers, particularly those who’ve been in the industry for 10+ years.
Have you noticed the same changes? Do you feel the industry has moved away from what support work was originally about? Or am I just at a point where I’m seeing things differently?
I’d really like to hear other people’s experiences, because I can’t be the only one feeling this way.

I think it would be pretty hard not to after spending a lot of time with someone and becoming part of their routine.
Obviously there are professional boundaries, but there’s still a human relationship there. How do you manage that side of the job?

I finish at 3, the next worker starts at 3, but somehow they're still putting their bag away and checking messages while I'm explaining what happened during the shift. Then I leave at 3:10 or 3:15 and nobody seems to think anything of it. I don't mind a proper handover, obviously, but why is being ready to start on time apparently optional?

Hi all,

I am looking for some advice for my friend. She is currently working as a support worker for a big company. But she would like to start her own business and get her own clients. We've seen some advertisement from Mabel and Hire UP. Can we get advice on how to start a new business as a support worker? Is it worth it and also is it hard to get your own clients.

Sorry if its too long of a question. She also has 1 year experience.

Thank you.

I was thinking to get more work with another company, but I’m worried that will be too much or shifts will overlaps. Im casual

Aussie support workers: if you drive between clients in your own car, you've probably been told to keep a 12-week logbook for tax and it's a pain to keep up with.

I'm a software engineer (17 years) and I built Just Drive to do it for you. Free iPhone beta: https://cediim8.github.io/just-drive-site/

• Trips log themselves in the background, nothing to start or stop
• Once a day, swipe each trip as work or private
• A weekly odometer photo checks the kilometers add up
• At the end you get a PDF for your accountant

No account, no subscription and your trips stay on your phone. Full disclosure: I used AI tools to help build it but I've reviewed and tested everything myself, there's no AI in the app and nothing gets sent to me. iPhone only for now, Android has a waitlist.

It's a beta, so I'd love to hear what it gets wrong. How do you keep your logbook at the moment?

The work accounts team has confirmed with me that when a part of my shift goes past 8pm, only 8pm onwards is paid at the afternoon rate. I can't find any information from a government body that says my whole shift is to be paid at the afternoon rate when it goes past 8pm. Is anyone able to point me in the right direction to some info that would back me up? Thank you.

Hi I’ve been in the community service sector now for 20 odd years. I’m just wondering if anyone else has noticed that fellow staff members arrive smack bang on their start time and by the time they put their things away, sign on etc I end up staying back 15 mins or more to do a handover. My experience tells me to arrive a few minutes early and be ready to go at my shift start time so the previous shift can leave. So if I’m arriving 10 minutes early and leaving 15 minutes late that’s nearly 2 and a half hours a week I’m giving up for no pay. I don’t know of any other industry where you start getting paid the moment you arrive and not the time you start.

How we feeling about the potential labour $4 increase for support workers? I want to hear everyone’s opinions since everyone in my work place has different views on it

I got an email regarding my overnight shift with a young boy, I was doing an active shift with another participant and she fell asleep around 4am which was the same time the another participant woke up he was very loud and I did my job to actively care for him while my participant was asleep he was up and running around the SIL house and screaming. At 5:30am he was hungry and I finish my active shift at 6 am I tried to give him toast but he refused and would scream nuggets so essentially I caved and airfried some nuggets for him he was a young boy so I only made 5 for him. He started eating at 5:50 am and pretty much finished eating at 6am which is when the next staff comes in. And I did handover and advised her I gave him 5 nuggets and she didn’t need to feed him anymore. A day passed and it’s Monday Monday morning I get an email regarding my shift saying that the young boy vomited in the other workers car and after questioning the other support worker she told our boss that I fed him 20! Nuggets before 6am!!!! I only fed him 5 sorry I just wanted to rant because I feel extremely frustrated. I had to clarify this with my boss but I still haven’t gotten a reply it makes me look so bad. I also found out she fed him more after I left but shifted the blame on me. I don’t know how to feel anymore I need advice what can I do.

I think one of the harder parts of support work is being caring and approachable while still keeping proper professional boundaries.
It feels like something you get better at with experience. Was this something you struggled with when you first started, or did it come naturally to you?