How to become a support worker: Disability, aged & community

Support work careers are booming across Australia

Support workers help Australia’s most vulnerable people manage daily life when they can’t do it anymore. Over 5.5 million Australians live with disabilities, which is just over 20% of the population. Meanwhile, more than 250,000 people work in residential aged care services across the country to support them, and that number keeps climbing.

The work means lifting people who can’t stand, cleaning up bodily fluids and being compassionate, even if you have to listen to the same stories repeated. But you’ll never have to wonder whether your job still exists and whether it’s making a difference in people’s lives. It’s an extremely rewarding job for those willing to do it and one that can lead to a lucrative and rewarding career. 

This guide will show you how to become a support worker in Australia with the right credentials and in as few as 12 months.

What does a support worker do?

Support workers help people with disabilities, the elderly and anyone recovering from illness or injury maintain their independence and enjoy daily life. You might help an elderly man shower because arthritis makes it impossible for him to wash himself or drive a teenager with cerebral palsy to their part-time job.

This work has exploded in Australia over the past decade. The welfare workforce grew from 402,000 workers in 2012 to 663,000 in 2022, jumping from 3.6% to 4.9% of the total share of employment. Australia’s ageing population and NDIS expansion created this massive demand for people willing to do the hands-on caring work that keeps vulnerable Australians living in their communities rather than institutions. 

These are the main things you’ll do as a support worker:

• Personal care: Helping clients shower, get dressed and use the toilet sounds simple until you’re doing it for someone who’s embarrassed about needing help with private tasks. 

• Meal prep: Cooking meals that meet specific dietary needs, then sometimes helping clients eat when they can’t manage cutlery themselves.

• Medication reminders: Staying on top of clients who may forget to take their pills at the right times.

• Getting out of the house: Taking clients shopping or to social activities so they don’t spend every day staring at the same four walls.

• Basic housework: Cleaning bathrooms and tidying homes for people who can’t physically manage these tasks anymore.

• Being there: Sometimes your most important job is to just listen when clients need someone to talk to about their fears and frustrations.

• Paperwork: Recording everything you do and reporting any worrying changes in clients’ health to supervisors and families.

• Teach: Showing clients how to cook simple meals or manage money increases their independence over time.

Skills you need to succeed as a support worker

Support work isn’t just about being nice to people who need help. You need specific skills that let you handle challenging situations without falling apart or making things worse for your clients. Some of these skills come naturally to certain personalities, whilst others you’ll develop through training and experience on the job.

Here are the most important skills you need as a support worker:

• Patience when things are challenging: Clients might take 20 minutes to put on shoes or refuse to cooperate completely. Getting frustrated or rushing them makes everything harder.

• Physical stamina: You’ll spend hours on your feet helping people move and doing housework that will leave you exhausted after a day’s work.

• Communication: Explaining things clearly to clients with cognitive impairments or language barriers is a skill that requires creativity and the ability to read nonverbal cues.

• Emotional resilience: Dealing with people’s pain, loneliness and deteriorating health takes a toll. You need boundaries that protect your mental health without making you cold.

• Problem-solving under pressure: When a client has a medical emergency or becomes aggressive, you can’t freeze up or panic whilst figuring out what to do next.

• Empathy without burning out: Understanding clients’ feelings helps you respond appropriately, but absorbing everyone’s emotions can cause compassion or caregivers fatigue. Being mindful of managing your own wellbeing is key.

• Flexibility: Clients cancel last minute, have bad days or need completely different support than scheduled. Rigid thinking doesn’t work in this field.

• Observation skills: Noticing subtle changes in behaviour or mobility can prevent medical emergencies before your client is harmed.

What qualifications do you need to be a support worker?

You don’t need a full uni degree for support work, but you also can’t just show up without any training and start working. Most employers want nationally recognised qualifications that prove you understand proper care procedures and safety protocols before they’ll trust you with their clients. These are great places to start:

How to become a disability support worker

Breaking into disability support work is generally easier than most other helping careers. You don’t need to spend years in uni or pay for an expensive qualification to start working.

The pathway from complete beginner to employed support worker can take as few as 12 months, with many students working casual shifts whilst completing their Certificate III training.

1. Complete a Certificate III in Individual Support (Disability)

This nationally recognised qualification teaches you everything employers expect from you in just 18 months. You can study at your own pace whilst gaining skills through practical workplace placements in real disability support settings. 

The certificate covers these skills and knowledge areas:

• Providing individualised support: Organising and delivering support services within each client’s specific plan.

• Supporting independence and wellbeing: Helping clients maintain physical and emotional wellbeing whilst becoming more independent in daily activities.

• Understanding body systems: Recognising basic human body functions so you can identify when something’s wrong with clients’ health.

• Communicating effectively: Working with clients, colleagues and health professionals face-to-face, in writing and through digital platforms.

• Working with diverse people: Developing cultural competency to work respectfully with people from different backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

• Legal and ethical frameworks: Understanding the legal and ethical requirements governing disability support work and your professional responsibilities.

Go to Disability Support courseGo to Ageing & Disability Support course

2. Obtain required checks

Before working with vulnerable people, you’ll need background checks to prove that you’re safe to be around NDIS participants. Start these early whilst finishing your qualifications, since processing can take a few weeks.

The required checks to become a support worker in Australia are:

• NDIS Worker Screening Check: Mandatory background check examining your criminal history and suitability for disability work.

• Working with Children Check: Required if you’ll support participants under 18 years old.

• Police check: Some employers want additional national police checks beyond the NDIS screening.

• First aid and CPR certificates: Most employers require current first aid qualifications before you start working. 

3. Gain placement experience

Your Certificate III includes 120 hours of practical placements in real disability support settings like group homes or clients’ private homes. You’ll help real clients with showering, meals and daily activities whilst experienced workers supervise and correct your mistakes before they become problems.

These placements are super important because your supervisors can be excellent referees when you apply for jobs. Show up on time and show that you care about the clients. You might even get a job offer directly from your placement organisation.

4. Apply for disability support roles

Start applying during your last few months of study. Many employers hire students nearly finished with qualifications, especially if they’ve done well during placements.

Use your placements to figure out which type of work suits your personality and start applying to those. Group homes are very different from one-on-one client support, so where you apply matters a lot.

How to become a community support worker

Community support workers help vulnerable people deal with life when everything’s falling apart. You might spend your day helping a homeless family find emergency housing or teaching a teenager how to apply for Centrelink payments. 

You need formal qualifications plus the emotional resilience to handle other people’s trauma without falling apart yourself. You’ll hear stories about abuse, addiction, neglect and poverty that most people never deal with and you need boundaries that protect your mental health without making you cold. 

Here’s how to become a community support worker:

1. Complete formal qualifications through a Certificate IV in Community Services that teaches case management and support coordination.

2. Gain practical experience by volunteering at refugees or youth services to build real skills that employers love.

3. Develop skills in crisis intervention and learn to navigate government systems that clients can’t figure out alone.

4. Get background checks like police checks and Working With Children Checks before applying for jobs.

5. Apply for entry-level positions in community organisations or nonprofits with graduate programs for new workers.

Go to Community Services course

Study pathways

Swinburne’s Certificate IV in Community Services prepares you for broader community work beyond basic personal care. You’ll learn case management, advocacy skills, trauma-informed practice and how to coordinate multiple services for clients dealing with problems like homelessness, addiction, unemployment and mental illness all at once. 

These are great study pathways for getting into community support work:

• Certificate III or IV in Community Services: These nationally recognised qualifications teach case management, advocacy, ethics and working with vulnerable populations who need help. Swinburne’s Certificate IV in Community Services goes deeper into coordination and program delivery skills.

• Volunteering in community organisations: Gaining hands-on experience at refuges, food banks or youth services builds the practical skills that textbooks can’t teach.

• Building advocacy and case management skills: Learning to navigate Centrelink and mental health systems so you can help clients access the support they need will make everything much easier once you’ve secured a job.

How to become an aged care worker

Elderly Australians need help with daily tasks they can’t manage anymore and aged care workers step in to fill that gap. You’ll assist residents with showers, meals, medications and any other activity for daily living whilst providing companionship to people whose families can’t visit regularly. The work is physically demanding and emotionally heavy, but it’s stable employment in a sector that desperately needs workers.

1. Complete a Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing)

Swinburne’s Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing) runs online over 18 months. You study at your own pace and complete workplace placements in aged care facilities where you work with real residents.

The course teaches these practical skills:

• Personal care for elderly residents: Proper techniques for helping with showers, toilets, dressing and moving around.

• Dementia care: Understanding how dementia changes behaviour so you can respond appropriately when residents get confused or aggressive.

• Managing medications: Following procedures for medication reminders and documentation without making mistakes that could hurt someone.

• Nutrition and meal support: Helping residents eat, especially those with swallowing problems or dietary restrictions.

• End-of-life care: Supporting dying residents and grieving families during their final days together.

• Communication with families: Updating worried relatives about their loved ones without oversharing private medical information.

Go to Aged Care Support courseGo to Ageing & Disability Support course

2. Complete required background checks

Aged care facilities check your background before letting you near vulnerable elderly people. Start these whilst finishing your course since they take 4–6 weeks to process.

You’ll need:

• National police check

• Working with Children Check

• First aid certificate

• CPR certificate

3. Gain experience through placements or entry-level roles

Your Certificate III includes 120 hours in real aged care facilities where you practice personal care with real residents. Many students get job offers directly from their placement sites because managers already know they can do the work.

Start applying for casual shifts during your last few study months. most aged care workers start casual, trying different facilities until they find one that they like. The work is hard on your body and emotions, so it’s important to test different environments to figure out what you can handle in the long run.

How to become a support worker with no experience

Starting a support worker career without any previous experience is completely doable if you take the right steps. Employers understand that everyone starts somewhere and they’re usually willing to train people who show genuine compassion and commitment to helping vulnerable Australians.

Here's how to break into support work without experience:

• Volunteer in aged care or disability services: Spending time at nursing homes or community centres gives you hands-on experience whilst building referee relationships with people who can vouch for you.

• Apply for traineeships: Many aged care facilities and disability service providers have paid traineeships where you study your Certificate III whilst working under supervision. This is a great way to earn money as you learn the job.

• Highlight transferable skills: Previous work with hospitality or retail demonstrates skills in customer service and patience. Frame your existing experience to show you can handle the interpersonal demands of caring for vulnerable people.

• Get your checks done early: Starting the NDIS Worker Screening Check and first aid certification process before applying for jobs means you’re ready to start immediately when employers make offers.

• Be honest about your motivation: Employers want workers who genuinely care about helping people rather than just collecting a paycheck, so explain what draws you to support work during interviews.

FAQs

Do you need qualifications to become a support worker?

Most employers want at least a Certificate III in Individual Support before hiring you. Some facilities offer traineeships where you study whilst working, but you’ll still need the qualifications eventually.

See all our Individual Support & Community Support course options here.

Are support workers well paid?

Support workers in Australia have a median wage of AU$62,000 per year, though this varies depending on location. Weekend and night shifts come with penalty rates that can give your salary a big boost.

How long does it take to become a support worker?

Usually 6–12 months to complete a Certificate III in Individual Support through online study. Some intensive programs finish faster if you study full-time.

What’s the difference between a disability support worker and a community support worker?

Disability support workers help people with disabilities manage daily living and participate in their communities, whereas community support workers handle broader social issues like homelessness and case management.

Is support work a good career in Australia?

Yes, demand is growing because of Australia’s ageing population and NDIS expansion. You’ll always find work, though the job is physically and emotionally demanding for modest pay.

Start your support worker career today

Support work isn’t glamorous, but it’s honest work that helps Australians who genuinely need help with daily life. The pay is decent, jobs are everywhere and you’ll never have to wonder whether your work really matters. It’s a very fulfilling career for those who want to do more for society than maximise shareholder value. And one of the best parts is that getting qualified takes about 12 to 18 months through flexible online study that fits around your current life.

Australia desperately needs support workers as the population ages and NDIS participants need more services. Swinburne Open Education’s online courses in community services prepare you to do these jobs. Explore Swinburne’s support worker courses and speak with a course advisor about which pathway suits your career goals.