Organisation: National Disability Scheme
Job Title: APS5 Disability Support Worker
Word Limit: 1500 words max
Location: Victoria
Through over five years of experience contributing to the effective delivery of community programs, I am passionate about supporting our more vulnerable members of society by assisting them to live independently and promoting respect for their dignity and fundamental rights. My success to date can be attributed to a strong belief that with the right opportunities and support anything is possible, even for people with a disability. This contemporary attitude has guided me well throughout my career, allowing me to effectively empower and encourage individuals from all backgrounds and diversities towards a fulfilling life. This is best demonstrated through my employment as a Support Officer with the Karden Disability Support Foundation, where I contributed to the development and implementation of programs and tools designed to support clients in living as independently as possible.
Aligning with the organisational vision of ‘Real Choice and Real Inclusion for All’, I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to work with people with disabilities to engage them in an inclusive environment that offers the same opportunities to participate in community life. Providing direct support by assisting in the care and daily management of people with intellectual and/or physical disabilities, my role was to facilitate an individual plan in which the client could participate in activities based on their own needs, wants and interests. This experience instilled in me a passion for continuing on this career path and allowed me to develop my understanding and knowledge of disability and its impact on individuals. These skills have been particularly valuable in subsequent roles where I have focussed on providing quality support services for high need populations in remote areas of the Northern Territory (NT).
For the past two and a half years, I have lived and worked in the Katherine community, supporting community harmony in my capacity as a School to Work Coordinator, Special Education Support Officer, Youth House Parent, Aboriginal Youth Worker and volunteer General Manager for the Under 18 Big River Hawks Football Team. Committed to closing the gap, I maintain daily contact with children, young people, students, their parents, elders and the wider community to maximise participation and interest in programs designed to improve welfare outcomes for local Aboriginal people. Through this experience, I have personally provided support to individuals dealing with disabilities, homelessness, mental conditions, and alcohol and drug issues and witnessed the impact that these can have on the social, family, recreational, education, vocational and every day needs of an individual.
Working in the youth and family sector throughout my career, I have demonstrated my ability to provide intensive case work support, specialist youth services and therapeutic care to children, youths and adults. This has required a high level of competency and ability to consistently apply assessment tools and relevant systems to identify support needs. For example, in my role as Special Education Support Officer with Kintore State School, I applied my thorough understanding of student assessment data to develop individual learning or case plans for young people. With the intention to promote recovery-oriented practice in line with the Mental Health Act 2014, I recently worked one-on-one with a student with severe learning and behavioural challenges as a result of a mental health condition. By utilising techniques such as differentiated lesson planning, behavioural rewards, visual aids and achievable learning goals, he showed a vast improvement in his communication and independence.
Relying on my substantial knowledge of contemporary software packages, databases and information management systems, I was able to monitor his performance and that of the other students to record the data that I collected from both informal and formal assessments. Under the direction of the teacher, I was able to use these systems to inform interventions and gauge each student’s level of learning. Throughout my career, I have applied these high level computer literacy and analytical skills to effectively perform my responsibilities and tasks with a high degree of attention to detail, accuracy and confidentiality. This includes maintaining responsible and accountable practices in accordance with the Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) as they relate to the creation, management, protection, preservation, storage and disposal of, and access to electronic and paper-based client records. I understand the supreme importance of following the correct procedures to ensure an individual’s right to privacy and appreciate that non-compliance can have potentially legal ramifications and a detrimental impact on the family or individual.
Collaborating with a diverse range of stakeholders in my personal and professional life, I am pleased to say I have developed high-level communication and interpersonal skills in roles encompassing youth services, education support and residential home care. This experience has lent me the ability to forge sustainable partnerships within the community and encourage an inclusive environment that recognises and values our diverse society. Contributing within the Katherine community in several permanent and volunteer positions, I have dealt with a wide variety of people from all ages and cultural backgrounds, including many people with disabilities and mental health conditions. This has required me to demonstrate tact, diplomacy and discretion and adapt my approach to effectively communicate with key stakeholders with appropriate social sensitivity and cultural awareness.
In my residential care positions with both Callistemon House and Aboriginal Hostels, I have relied on these skills and a combination of intuition, experience and crisis management plans to handle any challenging or risky situations. This requires me to think and act promptly and confidently use my sound judgement when dealing with youths who may be violent, abusive and/or drug affected. My role often required me to manage critical and high-risk situations and I regularly demonstrated my ability remain calm and intervene during crises to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the staff and the clients. To achieve this, I use different methods of behaviour management as every person responds to different strategies depending on their individual triggers and personality. Understanding that frustration, anger and acting out is a result of a situation and not me personally, I am able to recognise and manage my emotions when dealing with difficult or distressing situations.
With a high degree of self-motivation, I am able to lead by example and take full accountability and ownership for achieving positive work outcomes under limited supervision. In my current and previous roles, I am often required to work autonomously and I apply my superior planning and organisational skills to manage multiple competing priorities, uphold a high standard of work and overcome any challenging situations. In order to work effectively under limited supervision, it is important to remain up-to-date with employer objectives and I always make the necessary effort to contribute to regular meetings and collaborate within the wider team to share ideas and responsibility, seek input and identify opportunities for improvement. Additionally, I am prepared to work overtime or outside the scope of my usual role to accommodate the needs of the job and support the provision of quality community services. This has included contributing to funding submissions, projects and case plans as well as completing high-quality evidence based reports required for police and court matters.
Providing support to children, youths and adults with disabilities, I am committed to maintaining regular contact with families, carers and external providers to ensure a holistic and inclusive approach to the care of each individual. My experience has included assisting youths suffering with serious mental health conditions and disabilities to help them regain their independence and strive towards their recovery. To achieve this, I work closely with my clients and their families towards their self-defined personal recovery by emphasising hope, social inclusion, community participation, personal goal setting and self-management. At all times, I strive to give people a sense of self‑belief and encourage confidence in their own capabilities on the basis of individual case management designed to reduce vulnerability and enhance an individual’s sense of empowerment. For example, through my experience as a Youth House Parent, I facilitate the caring, supervision and development of children dealing with mental health conditions, disabilities, substance abuse or unstable family backgrounds.
Often, they are not equipped with the skills or tools needed to maintain their physical, emotional, intellectual and social wellbeing. As a result this can make it difficult for them to work or study normally and can cause mental anguish and physical ailments that prevent normal daily function, particularly if they have not been shown or are unable to understand basic everyday living skills that others take for granted. Passionate about helping these youths reach their full potential, my ultimate objective is to develop their social and living skills in order to enable their effective transition into the community and reunification or reconnection with their families. Through this experience, I am able to recognise and appreciate the potential in every individual and understand that each person has their own unique journey, regardless of their intellectual or physical disability. I am confident that the above strengths, skills and experience will allow me to make a meaningful contribution in the role of Disability Support Worker and achieve positive outcomes for all NDIS participants and the overall scheme.
