Lending your compassion to healthcare support services is incredibly rewarding and admirable. Becoming a support worker and enhancing the daily life of your client will undoubtedly, require unfaltering hard work and dedication.
To reflect your dedication to your community, you should earn a respectable salary and receive the appropriate financial benefits.
At Sage Education, we strive to provide our students with excellent educative training and practical skills. Our meticulously crafted courses not only help our students secure their dream careers, but they also refine our students’ prowess so that they are paid lucratively.
Today, we shall explore the duties of an individual support worker and break down the different salaries of the relevant subsectors. We shall also address the benefits that you may be/will be entitled to so that you have a clarified comprehension of your allowances and entitlements.
What is an Individual Support Worker?
An individual support worker serves as a vital component of the aged care and disability care sectors.
The primary goal of an individual support worker is to create an environment that nurtures their client’s emotional and physical well-being. Although this often includes assistance with domestic chores, support workers do so much more than that.
Support workers foster their client’s independence and social inclusion, both with family and community alike.
Beyond lending their warmth and compassion, support workers can also be responsible for administering medications for clients and collaborating with other healthcare professionals, further supporting the client’s healthy body system.
What Do Individual Support Workers Do?
In order to understand what you can earn while being an individual support worker, you must understand why you should earn an individual support worker’s average salary.
Here’s an ensemble of the typical duties of an individual support worker.
– Planning and preparation of nutritious meals.
– Providing assistance concerning household tasks like cleaning and laundry.
– Collecting groceries for clients.
– Maintaining the personal hygiene of clients.
– Communicating any concerns to a team of doctors, therapists, and physicians.
– Promoting the independence of clients.
– Encouraging participation in social activities.
– Administering scheduled medications.
– Becoming a friendly companion to clients.
How Much Does Disability Support Workers Earn in Australia?
If you are interested in becoming a disability support worker, you must know what to expect regarding your salary.
In Australia, the average salary of a disability support worker is $68,242 per year.
Considering that the average work week of a disability support worker consists of 38 hours, you can expect to earn $34.54 per hour.
What is an NDIS Support Worker?
An NDIS support worker is responsible for supporting disabled clients by providing individualised support as part of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
This scheme provides funding to eligible individuals with disabilities to gain more time with loved ones, garner independence, acquire new skills, and find promising careers.
With that being said, the average salary of an NDIS support worker is slightly lower, totaling $66,127 per year.
This translates to $33.47 per hour, providing that you work 38 hours per week.
How Much Does Aged Care Workers Earn in Australia?
For aged care workers in Australia, the average salary is $85,491 per year.
Given that aged care workers work an average of 43 hours per week, you can expect to earn $38.23 per hour.
You will have noticed that aged care workers receive substantially higher salaries than those of disability support workers.
Historically, disability support workers have earned wages that are 25% higher than those of an aged care worker. However, as of 2023, the demand for aged care support workers is increasing due to the political momentum behind the aged care sector.
Due to this momentum, a highly trained workforce must be put in place to meet the political and social demand for reform.
The SCHADS Award
The Social, Community, Home Care, and Disability Services Industry Award covers employers/employees who are eligible and work in the following sectors:
– The crisis assistance and supported housing sector.
– The social and community services sector.
– The home care sector.
– The family day care scheme sector.
The SCHADS award applies to full-time, part-time, and casual employees.
Note: as casual employees aren’t given the same entitlements as other types of employees, they are paid a loading rate of 25% in addition to their base rate of pay. This is to compensate for their lack of paid annual and personal leave entitlements.
Access your pay guide summaries to see how much you are entitled to!
Carer’s Allowances
Providing support for the most vulnerable members of a community is undoubtedly demanding and time-consuming. Fortunately, there are some benefits paid to support workers. The main welfare benefit is known as a carer’s allowance.
Simply put, a carer’s allowance is a benefit for people who are giving regular care to disabled clients. This payment is fortnightly and is designed for those who support the daily life of a client who is disabled, who suffers from a medical condition, or who requires aged care.
You are also eligible to receive this allowance if the client you care for needs ongoing daily care or who is terminally ill.
The total amount that you can expect to receive, providing you meet the eligibility requirements and residence rules, is $144.80.
Carer’s Supplements
A carer’s supplement is an annual payment of up to $600 that you will automatically receive if you get:
– Carer’s allowance.
– Carer’s payments.
– Department of Veterans’ Affairs Partner Service Pension.
– Department of Veterans’ Affairs Carer Service Pension.
Carer’s Payments
A carer’s payment is given to an individual who provides constant care to an elderly or disabled client who requires consistent support.
This payment is designed for those who work closely with a vulnerable individual for six months. When you start a claim, you’ll be asked about your client and the care you provide.
There are different rates for a carer’s payments that you should familiarise yourself with.
Top Paying Companies for Individual Support Workers in Australia
Support worker salary rates can be affected by the size of the company they are working for. In order to find a gainful position, you must carefully consider which organization you should lend your support services to.
Below, we will provide a list of the top ten highest-paying Australian companies for support workers. Now, you will be able to clarify the support worker pay rates that are reflective of your training.
- Right At Home – $46.59 per hour.
- Guardian Network – $42.00 per hour.
- OMNI-CARE Pty Ltd – $41.39 per hour.
- Maple Community Services – $39.12 per hour.
- Lifestyle Centred Services – $37.00 per hour.
- Wellways – $36.00 per hour.
- Regal Care Pty Ltd – $35.68 per hour.
- Hireup – $34.00 per hour.
- Northcott – $33.27 per hour.
- HomeCaring – $33.15 per hour.
Where You Should Study to Start a Career in the Healthcare Industry
Sage Education is one of Australia’s top providers of nationally recognised VET courses in child care, aged care, disability, and community services sectors.
We have provided excellent education for the past twenty-five years! It is safe to say that we know how to guide our successful graduates towards rewarding careers in well-paid industries.
In order to start a career as an individual support worker, you should consider our Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing or Disability) course.
Our entry-level course flaunts an accessible hybrid system that covers everything from how to provide individualised support, how to recognise healthy body systems, and how to work with a diverse range of people.
Not only will we give you the ability to empower, encourage, and enhance the lives of your individual clients, but you will also learn how to improve entire communities through your innovative, adaptive prowess.
Enrol with Sage Education
Now that you have a clear understanding of what you can earn as an individual support worker, it is time to enroll with Sage Education!
Start a rewarding career in the aged care or disability care sector with our Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing or Disability) course!
Expand your prowess with vital theoretical knowledge and proficient practical skills, and learn how to apply them to a range of unique circumstances and clients. Your dream career (and dream pay!) is within reach. All you need to do is get in touch!
