Getting the right match between a support worker and a participant can be tricky. Perhaps this is the reason why many disability support providers don’t give their customers much of a choice (or a very limited one at best) when it comes to their support workers. Here at NNA Direct Support Service, we see the positive impact well-matched support makes in the quality of care. That’s why we go the extra mile when it comes to finding the right person, not only for the job, but so they really “get” our individual customers. How we make the right match When we have a new participant in need of support, our engagement team will go and meet with them. This is not only to learn about the participant’s individual support requirements but also to understand them as a person. We go through their interests, hobbies, and cultural background with the aim of finding d a best-fit support worker with similar interests and the skills required. Taking the time to really get to know the people we hire in the onboarding process means rapport is built much easier between the participant and the support worker. In cases where we have unique customer requests, the team will try to think outside the box to find the right match. An example of a successful match “A while back, we had a new participant with down syndrome come onboard with NNA Direct Support Service. She absolutely loves horses. In the hope we could find a support person who shared her interest, we reached out to the local equestrian club in her area. We were able to find a great candidate who had pet horses. At the meet and greet, as soon as the participant heard about the applicant’s common interest and love for horses an instant connection was made. They have been working together for now 12 months.” Dyllan, Workforce Manager at NNA Direct Support Service Maintaining professional standards While finding the right fit between support worker and participant is something we try our best to do, it's important to note this doesn't mean compromising on professional standards. Thanks to our education partner, Australian Health Academy, NNA Direct Support workers are taken through a one-day training session focused on support worker fundamentals, such as: Manual handling Effective communication Meal-time assistance How to deliver personal care Provide participant reports (This depends on where the candidate is at with their skillset) Ensuring support workers are both a great fit, but also have the skills and experience required to deliver professional support provides benefits on both sides; our frontline workers feel confident and supported in the work they do, and our customers receive professional service from people they enjoy working with. A win-win arrangement Getting a good match is a win-win. It creates a better support environment for the participant and makes work more enjoyable and rewarding for support workers. Continuity of care is something we strive for here at NNA Direct Support Service and we know high staff turnover can leave participants feeling uneasy and unsettled. By getting the match right from the start, the participants and their trusted support worker work together to complete daily tasks, embrace common interests, accomplish goals, and importantly, have fun along the way. One of the most rewarding aspects of being a support worker is seeing the positive impact and difference good support can make in another person’s life. Once compatibility is achieved, we do our best here at NNA Direct Support Service to ensure our support workers work the same shifts with the same people each week. Keen to learn more about what life is like as an NNA Direct Support Worker? Take a read of our interview with Clair.