Experienced Youth Support Worker – Social and Community Participation

Independent contractor | One regular four-hour booking per week | Lockridge, WA | $45–$50 per hour

About the opportunity

A 16-year-old participant is seeking a reliable, emotionally mature and engaging independent support worker for one regular four-hour block each week.

The primary purpose of the role is to support the participant to safely access social, recreational and community activities. The support worker will also help the participant build confidence and develop greater independence with practical everyday activities.

The participant, through their authorised representative where applicable, will enter directly into a written service agreement with the successful independent contractor.

This is a practical, community-based disability support role. It does not involve counselling, therapy, nursing, support coordination, case management or clinical treatment.

About the participant

The participant is a 16-year-old young person with Autism Spectrum Disorder, anxiety and depression. They benefit from support that is calm, predictable, respectful and appropriate for their age.

The participant may experience difficulty with:

• initiating and completing unfamiliar or less-preferred activities;
• maintaining attention and moving between activities;
• processing multiple instructions;
• coping with unexpected changes;
• navigating social situations and interpreting social cues;
• communicating their needs when anxious, overwhelmed or emotionally dysregulated;
• planning, organising, prioritising and solving everyday problems; and
• participating confidently and safely in the community.

The participant responds best to clear expectations, simple one-step instructions, patient repetition, advance preparation and consistent routines.

The successful support worker will encourage independence without treating the participant like a small child or unnecessarily taking over activities they can attempt themselves.

The role

The independent support worker will provide one regular four-hour support session each week. The day and time will be mutually agreed, with consistency from week to week strongly preferred.

The role will primarily involve supporting social and community participation, including:

• collaboratively planning age-appropriate community, social and recreational activities;
• accompanying the participant to shops, cafés, libraries, community venues, leisure activities and other agreed destinations;
• helping the participant explore their interests and gradually broaden their range of activities;
• supporting positive social interaction and appropriate community participation;
• encouraging choice, confidence, self-advocacy and age-appropriate independence;
• safely transporting the participant to and from agreed activities, where required;
• helping the participant anticipate and manage transitions or changes to planned activities;
• recognising early signs that the participant is becoming anxious or overwhelmed;
• responding calmly and professionally to periods of distress or emotional dysregulation; and
• following agreed support, behaviour support, risk-management and safety arrangements.