A revolutionary way to employ people you already know as support workers
23 March 2022
When looking to bring on support workers for your child, ability and availability are key, but just as important is finding someone who really connects with your child, that you feel you can trust. Sadly, the impact of COVID-19 over the past few years has meant so many families are pushed into making a call between settling for less, going without, or calling in favours.
But some families have chosen another option. To employ people they already know and trust as their support workers. That’s right; employ them directly.
So how are they doing this? Well, there’s an organisation in Australia that has spent the last 10 years developing a service the enables parents to do just that. Carer Solutions offer a one of a kind Direct Employ service, assisting families to set themselves up as formal employers and their chosen supports as formal employees.
As you would imagine, there’s a fair bit of tricky stuff but Carer Solutions take care of all of it to meet NDIS requirements. They guide families through the process, with all the info and tools they need to set up their supports, including negotiating a pay rate they are both happy with in line with the pay rates (SCHADS Award) set out by the NDIA.
Once everything is formalised, support workers simply submit timesheets, the family approves them and Carer Solutions takes care of all employer obligations including payroll, WorkCover insurance, Superannuation and PAYG tax. They also have a team continually across the tricky NDIS updates who are ready to take calls for any questions you may have.
From a parent’s point of view, this is a game changer for so many. Instead of reaching out to ask for favours, they can formalise arrangements with people they already trust.
Jane Morrell, Founder and CEO of Carer Solutions says: “We get calls weekly from our Partners (clients) telling us how their world has changed. How their support feels more like an extension of their family rather than someone turning up for a shift.”
From a child’s point of view, being supported by someone they already know and are familiar with can have massive benefits.
Long time Partner (client) Elizabeth says about her support worker: ”For the kids, he is like family. And when I’m not there, I know I’ve got someone caring for them that I can trust.”
You may be asking yourself, “so why haven’t I heard of this before?”. Well pre-pandamic, Carer Solutions was focused on delivering their Direct Employ service to families in Victoria and Tasmania, but as the shortfall in available support workers continues to rise, they have recently opened their service up to all of Australia.
“Over the past 2 years we’ve had a number of families take up our service because they simply had no support due to industry shortages during the pandemic. But once they are up and running, the peace of mind of having a familiar face, someone they already know and trust in their home and supporting their loved one changes so much for them.” Says Jane.
You can learn more about this unique service by visiting Carer Solutions here or giving their friendly team a call on 1300 729 839.
