In Australia, 18% of the population lives with some form of long-term disability. Of those individuals, approximately 1.4 million require ongoing support to live independently. For people who are passionate about helping others, being a disability support worker may be a rewarding career choice.
In addition to the benefits, disability support workers are in high demand. According to National Disability Services, there is currently a shortage of over 100,000 workers in this field. If you’re ready to take the next step, you might be wondering what qualifications you need to become a disability support worker?
Qualifications To Become A Disability Support Worker
Despite being a high-demand position, the requirements to become a disability support worker are low, making it an easy career path to enter. In Australia, there are no formal certifications required. In fact, 11% of all disability support workers have completed Year 10 or below of their education.
However, if you are serious about becoming a disability support worker, it’s highly recommended that you complete some basic training that is offered by the Australian Government. These certificates can help make you a more attractive candidate for employment. The most popular certificates are Certificate III in Individual Support and Certificate IV in Disability.
Certificate III in Individual Support will teach you the basics of providing care to disabled people in both home and support facility environments. The certification allows you to also select specialisations such as aging, disability, home and community, and aged care. Depending on the courses you select the program will take approximately 3 to 6 months to complete. In addition to coursework, the certificate requires 120 hours of work in a home or community setting. The cost for this training is $2,900.
Certificate IV in Disability provides a deeper specialisation in disability care. In some cases, this certification will allow you to become eligible for supervisory or other niche positions. This certification is often taken by people who already have experience working in the field and want to further advance their careers. Certificate IV will take about a year to complete and cost around $4,000.
It’s important to note that the cost of training is subsidised by some states and territories, depending on the demand for disability support workers. Check with your local jurisdiction for special programs to help cover the costs of training.
Insurance Coverage For Disability Support Workers
In addition to meeting the qualifications for performing services as a disability support worker, you may be required to have certain insurance policies in place to protect you and your clients. Be sure to check out upcover's instant quote generator to get an estimate on market-leading insurance tailored for disability support workers in seconds.
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