Mable home
Log in

What is an independent support worker?

Aged CareDisabilitySupport Workers

Last updated

18 May 2023

Reading time

2 min read

Share

On Mable, independent support workers are independent contractors. This means they are self-employed and run their support worker business by providing support through the Mable platform. Support workers on Mable manage all aspects of running their small business on their own. This includes:

  • Tax and superannuation
  • Gaining new qualifications or certifications at their own cost
  • Managing work on public holidays and weekends
  • Managing income for when they are off sick or on holidays
  • Admin-related costs
  • Costs of fuel for travelling involving support sessions.

What is good support?

Good support is one that meets your support needs, helps you achieve your goals and builds your independence. Your ideal support worker should have:

  • The right skills, experience and qualifications to support you
  • The qualities that are important to you (for example, cultural background, interests, personality traits).

Support worker rates: what they mean

Hourly rates of independent support workers depend on:

  • The complexity of the support they provide
  • Their skills, qualifications and experience.

The more skills and experience the support worker has, the higher their rates may be. Hourly rates of independent support workers do not reflect their ‘take home’ rate. This is because independent support workers have to manage their own:

  • Tax, insurance and superannuation
  • Holidays or sick leaves
  • Travel expenses
  • Admin-related or business costs.

In addition, support workers on Mable receive the agreed rate less 10%, as part of Mable’s Support Engagement Fee.

Benefits of booking and managing support through Mable

  • Choice and control over who supports you, when and where they support you
  • You mutually agree on rates with support workers
  • You are safeguarded by Mable’s strict verification processes and a high-level suite of insurances arranged on behalf on all the support invoiced through the platform
  • NDIS Registered Providers tend to have higher overheads due to their regulatory responsibilities. However, independent support workers on Mable are non-registered, small businesses, and have the opportunity to charge a more cost-effective rate.

To book independent support workers through Mable, join Mable today and start searching. To understand how to interview a support worker, build and manage a team of support workers, explore our guide to building a support team. You can also learn more about the services that independent support workers offer through Mable.

You might be interested in

Colleagues walking through an office having a discussion
25 June 20265 min read
NDIS Coordinators
Navigating NDIS Mandatory Registration Together with our Business Partners
What's Next for the NDIS Mandatory Registration reforms? The NDIS Commission has now made it possible for Mable to register specifically under the new class 0137 - NDIS digital platforms. NDIS digital platforms must comply with any new conditions of their registration by 1 January 2027. This change is part of broader reforms to strengthen quality, safety and oversight across the disability sector. These changes give our business partners confidence. Confidence that you can be sure Business Solutions by Mable is a critical part of a sustainable NDIS. We welcome these reforms because they recognise our high-quality and safeguarding standards. We have always prioritised these areas. That being said, we are actively adapting our systems to the proposed new requirements to ensure that Mable remains a useful tool to support your business needs, during and after regulatory changes. How are we managing the registration process? Mable plans to apply for registration as an NDIS digital platfor
Support worker dries dishes while talking to a client in a wheelchair.
10 June 20269 min read
Support Workers
Preventing everyday harm in support work
As a support worker, you want your clients to feel safe, respected and supported. You may already think carefully about how to provide safe support and prevent serious incidents. But harm is not always obvious. Sometimes, small everyday actions, words or assumptions can affect a client in ways you may not have intended or noticed at the time. This is sometimes referred to as everyday harm. Over time, these small moments can build up and may affect how respected, heard, in control or safe your client feels. The newly launched Everyday Harm website brings together practical resources to help support workers and organisations build safer, more respectful support relationships. These resources were developed through Australian Research Council studies, including interviews with people with disability about their experiences. Mable was proud to be involved in this project as an Industry and Community Partner organisation. We hope these resources help you better understand everyday harm
jenny-conor-device-600x450px_xa0fvc
10 June 20263 min read
DisabilityAged CareSupport Workers
Manage your care with the new Mable app for clients
The Mable: Find Support app is new and designed to make managing your support easier. It has a simplified design so everything you need is one place. In this article, we share what’s new in the app and how these updates can help you organise your support more easily. What’s new in the Mable: Find Support app? The new app features a new navigation menu that groups key features together, making it easier to find what you need. You can easily move between the four main areas: Home : View upcoming support sessions, updates, and quickly manage changes. My Support: Find everything related to your ongoing support here, including your current support workers, support hours and more. Find Support: An easier way to quickly post a job, search for support workers and more. Messages: Chat, video call or voice call with support workers. A simpler way to stay on top of your support Our new app gives you a more streamlined support experience, so you can spend less time looking for what you need