Employ Your Own Support Workers and make your own decisions about your needs.
93% satisfaction rate
Watch: How our Employ Your Own Support Worker service works
Hi everyone! I’m Swita from Living My Way. Do you want more freedom to live your life your way? Do you want to be in control of your support? Living My Way’s Employ Your Own Support Worker service could be ideal for you.
You’ll be in control of your supports, and train your employees on the best way to support you. You can call the shots.
You’ll be able to communicate directly with your Support Workers. With no middle person, communication is simpler, and you’ll be able to get what you want.
This service was designed by people with disability, for people with disability. It enables you to experience all the benefits of employing your own Support Workers, whilst we take care of most of the administration associated with being an employer. I chose the Employ Your Own Support Worker service because it’s flexible and you can direct dealing with your Support Worker.
This is how the Employ Your Own Support Worker service works. You choose who you’d like to employ as your Support Worker. It might be someone you already know, or we can support you to recruit a Support Worker.
We prepare the employment contracts for you and manage your Support Worker onboarding. This establishes you as the employer, and enables you to have control over the induction and training of your Support Workers, because you know your needs better than anyone else.
You agree on the shifts you require, and roster your Support Worker when you need them. You decide who comes into your home and when. You get the support you need when you need it. Your Support Worker submits a timesheet for approval each fortnight.
After you’ve approved it, we arrange for the Support Worker to be paid.
Our support continues. We help you with any employee-related matters and take care of the payroll, superannuation, and workers compensation insurance obligations. With this taken care of, you can focus on living your life your way. There are many benefits to the Employ Your Own Support Worker service.
With most of the boring admin taken care of by Living My Way, you’ll have the freedom to get on with life. You’ll be able to pick the Support Worker you want, somebody who already knows you well. You will be making your own decisions about who comes into your home and when. If you’re considering employing your own Support Workers, I’d say do it, because you can do things your way. If you are considering employing your own Support Workers, I’d say it does look daunting, but Living My Way can help you through the process.
Living My Way is a not-for-profit organisation founded by people with disability, for people with disability.
Our unique Employ Your Own Support Worker service was pioneered by our founders and refined, improved, and expanded over the years with feedback from our Members. Members like Ken and Karen, who have been using this service for over 30 years. Today, our team proudly supports our community to live a self-directed life through the Employ Your Own Support Worker service, and this service delivers on the purpose of our organisation, which is to empower people with disability to live their life their way. We would love to support you too.
Ready to explore your options? Call us on 02 8525 4000, email us at letschat@lmwl.org.au or visit us at livingmyway.org.au
Hi neighbour!
- Do you live in the Sutherland Shire?
- Are you exploring your disability Support Worker options?
- Let’s talk!
Make your own decisions about your support needs through our unique Employ Your Own Support Worker service. Pioneered by our founders – people with disability – over 30 years ago, this service enables you to choose who helps you.
You might choose a friend, a neighbour or someone else you know and trust. You also choose when and how they support you – because you know best what your needs are. You can also recruit your own dream Support Workers: people with the right skills who just ‘get’ you.
Eligibility criteria applies for this service. Actual services will depend on your needs.
There might be people in your life already who could become the perfect Support Workers for you. They could be your:
Friend
Neighbour
Sports coach
Flatmate
Family friend
Personal trainer
Barista
Team mate
Sutherland Shire resident
The benefits
There are lots of benefits to employing your own Support Workers.
- The freedom to live your life your way
- Being around people who you know and who ‘get’ you
- Making your own decisions about who comes into your home
- Being in control of your care so that it’s personalised to you
- Direct communication with your Support Workers (no middle person)
- Support with administration and paperwork so you can focus on life
How we help
To help you employ your own Support Workers, Living My Way will:- Support you with the recruitment process, including screening your candidates against your selection criteria and completing any working rights and security checks.
- Provide employment contracts that comply with all requirements.
- Onboard your Support Workers for you, whilst you look after their induction, ensuring they understand your care routine and needs.
- Show you how to use our user-friendly scheduling tool so that you can schedule your Support Worker shifts.
- Take care of all your payroll processing, including superannuation and ATO reporting.
- Take out and manage a Workers’ Compensation Insurance Policy on your behalf, so that you are protected in the case of an incident.
- Provide ongoing personal protective equipment, to protect you and your Support Workers.
Frequently asked questions
A Disability Support Worker provides practical support for people with disability so they can get on with life.
The day-to-day assistance provided by Support Workers differs depending on the needs of the person they are supporting. Some examples include:
- Accessing the community
- Transport
- Personal care
- High intensity daily personal activities
- In-home support
- Social participation
- Complex care
- Medication management
- Behavioural support
You can employ people who you already like and trust. People who just ‘get’ you such as your:
- Friend
- Neighbour
- Flatmate
- Personal trainer
- Swim coach
- Soccer coach
- Dance instructor
- A family friend
- Barista
- Teammate
- Tertiary education classmate
- Physiotherapist
- Occupational therapist
- Speech therapist
- Driver
- Someone from your parish
Want us to help you to find Support Workers you can trust? No problem! We can support you with recruitment, including screening your candidates against your selection criteria and completing any working rights and security checks.
The NDIA will only fund family members to provide supports in exceptional circumstances. Further details can be found here. Want to talk through how the rules apply to your particular situation? Give us a call on 0434 596 532 or fill in the form below, and we’ll be happy to talk you through it.
We specialise in acquired brain injury, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, stroke and visual impairment. If you have a different disability, please get in touch and we can let you know if you meet our eligibility requirements for this service.
Alfords Point, Bangor, Barden Ridge, Bonnet Bay, Bundeena, Burraneer, Caringbah, Caringbah South, Como, Cronulla, Dolans Bay, Engadine, Grays Point, Greenhills Beach, Gymea, Gymea Bay, Heathcote, Holsworthy, Illawong, Jannali, Kangaroo Point, Kareela, Kirrawee, Kurnell, Lilli Pilli, Loftus, Lucas Heights, Maianbar, Menai, Miranda, Oyster Bay, Port Hacking, Royal National Park, Sandy Point, Sutherland, Sylvania, Sylvania Waters, Taren Point, Waterfall, Woolooware, Woronora, Woronora Dam, Woronora Heights, Yarrawarrah and Yowie Bay.
- CM Wellness in Kirrawee, a disability-friendly studio that was created by an ex-Support Worker.
- Hazelhurst in Gymea. We particularly like their Auslan tours, guide dog facilities, large print labels and wheelchair accessibility.
- Westfield Miranda, who are part of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Scheme.
- Cronulla, which has an accessible toilet, changeroom and shower located in the Cronulla Surf Life Saving Club; and beach wheelchairs available for hire.
Call us on 0434 596 532 or fill in the form below and we will walk you through the process.
Why choose Living My Way?
Founded by people with disability
We were created by people with disability for people with disability.
Decades of experience
Our founders pioneered this Support Worker model over 30 years ago, and we have more experience in delivering it than any other provider in Australia.
Not-for-profit
We put people before profit.
Your local provider
Based in Menai, we are happy to come and meet you.
Registered NDIS Provider
