People who book independent support workers through Mable need a variety of support types. These may include nursing services, allied health support, personal care, among others. There are thousands of jobs posted on Mable, and one of the highest demands is for social support and domestic assistance (SSDA) jobs.

If you have a passion for helping people in the community and:

• don’t have the tertiary qualifications for specialised support
• or are working towards getting qualifications
• or want to provide support services that don’t require formal qualifications

…then providing social support and domestic assistance is a great option to start with on Mable. It’s important to note, however, that the job of a support worker, even if it doesn’t require formal qualifications, is not easy and certainly requires some basic skills and qualities.

1. Domestic support

A clean, tidy, organised home can provide clients with comfort and safety. We all feel better when our homes are in order and there are no obstacles to moving around. Domestic support services can cover the full gamut of what’s needed in the home, from laundry and cleaning to organising and decluttering.

Consider the following services and how valued they are by clients:

• Washing, drying, folding and ironing laundry
• Changing the bedsheets and cleaning the client’s bedroom
• Organising the kitchen cupboards to remove expired foods and make everything easily accessible
• Defrosting the fridge and freezer
• Helping to declutter cupboards
• Spring cleaning the home, including ceiling fans, light fittings, moving furniture to vacuum, washing windows and dusting blinds.

2. Meal preparation

Access to nutritious meals is a key part of remaining independent at home. As an independent support worker on Mable, you can support clients for grocery shopping and meal preparation if you have the skills to cook. Many support workers on Mable who either have a passion for cooking or are qualified chefs, or both, provide meal preparation support to clients.

This support service includes cooking fresh meals to suit your client’s tastes, dietary and nutritional requirements and food preferences. It can also include food shopping with your client, showing them how to prepare simple dishes, or having a lovely chat while you do the cooking.

3. Outdoor help at home

A tidy, well-kept yard is important for health and safety as well as a happy mindset. Gardening and home maintenance services can extend to balconies, garages and fences.

• Regular mowing, weeding and edging
• Rubbish removal and tidy up
• Decluttering the garage
• Hosing down balconies and patio areas.

4. Transportation

Your client may need transportation to get to medical appointments, to go shopping, get their hair done, visit friends or participate in employment, education or volunteering activities.
In some cases, clients may need to be guided via public transport to specific destinations a few times so that ultimately, they can find their own way. Or they may need to be driven by their support worker. This may involve you driving your own car or the client’s car. Read important information about providing transport support.

5. Teach new skills

Do you have skills that you can share with others? Maybe you’re a passionate photographer or you can speak another language. Clients on Mable often book support workers with whom they have common interests, such as Angela, who booked Damien on Mable, to learn animation. Or Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott, who booked support workers to learn five new skills. Here are some ideas for supporting someone to learn a new skill or sharing a hobby:

• Photography and photo editing
• Handicrafts (knitting, crocheting, woodwork, etc.)
• Games (chess, sudoku, mah-jong, etc.)
• Drawing and painting
• Languages
• Music
• Meditation and yoga
• Trekking
• Budgeting and handling money
• Cooking and meal preparation
• Dance
• Computer coding
• How to use social media.

6. Pet care

Pets are important companions who bring happiness and enhance wellbeing; some clients who have pets may need a little support in looking after them. You may be able to help out with grooming, walking, training, and taking the pet to vet appointments, as many of the support workers on Mable do.

7. Respite support

Sometimes, a client may live with a spouse or extended family who need to have a break from caring for them to attend a special event or to go away overnight or for a few days. Respite care involves a support worker staying with the client so that they’re not alone. As long as they don’t need formal personal care or nursing services, you can provide this support without qualifications.

8. Social support

Nurturing connections with the community and maintaining strong links with family, friends, neighbours can have a positive effect on someone’s emotional wellbeing and give people activities to look forward to.

As a support worker, you can provide social engagement in the home by playing board games, chatting over tea and biscuits, and looking through photo albums.

Outside the home, your support could be encouraging your client to attend local events, visiting a friend in hospital, helping them get to church, and going to movies, museums or art galleries. They may want to join a choir or volunteer at a community garden but may need you to help them take the first steps.

9. Transport without limits

Clients who seek support via the Mable platform can find support workers who will accompany them on their travels, either for an overnight stay or a long weekend. Of course, there are things you need to bear in mind when travelling with a client, but it’s the kind of support you can provide easily if you have the interest and skill.

What can you expect to earn if you don’t have formal qualifications?

As an independent support worker on the Mable platform, you have the freedom to set your own hourly rates and negotiate them with your clients. People with qualifications do charge higher rates according to their professional skills.

Upskill through education and the Mable Learning Hub

If you are interested in upskilling, you may like to explore attaining a Personal Care qualification. Meanwhile, the Mable Learning Hub offers more than 200 free, self-directed training courses provided by reputed organisations around Australia. Once you have been approved as an independent support worker on Mable, you have free access to the Mable Learning Hub and you can complete these courses at your own pace.