How You Can Provide Superior Practice Excellence as a NDIS Support Worker

What is practice excellence really?

Essentially practice excellence is the combination of many interconnecting elements: tailoring the service a Support Worker provides to their customer, enabling their quality of life, facilitating their fulfillment as well as essential needs and requirements around health and safety. These are holistic and particular to the customer needs and preferences.

Sounds easy right? However, there are number of dilemmas inherent with providing an exceptional service that no doubt many Support Workers have experienced over time.

Ok, let’s explore the fundamentals first and then move onto the challenges.

Practice excellence hints and tips.

Historically, people with a disability have been denied a voice, or an inclusive place in society, as have other minority groups. Atrocities have been committed within institutions where people with a disability were placed, (prior to 1940), which were inhumane.

The United Nations therefore decided to define and promote equality, inclusion, and the rights of those who were marginalized, such as those with disabilities, refugees, women and children to ensure everyone had civil rights. This came to fruition in the Universal Declaration for Human Rights to promote the importance of safety, respect, freedom, and free expression for all. This was pioneering work which was then followed in 1996 by CRPD, specifically outlining that people with a disability should:

A. Be a part of the community.

B. Have easy access to a building and information within.

C. Have equal opportunity for education and employment.

D. Be free from abuse

These rights are now legal to ensure they are upheld.

As you may be aware, the Royal Commission is currently investigating some of the issues of the past so we can learn and improve good practice overall in our industry.

Why am I writing about this? Well, this provides context and the foundations for a successful career as a Support Worker – essentially the areas to be aware of, the critical nature of understanding the nuances that exist when dealing with your client and crucially, the contributing to the enhancement of their life.

Overall, it is your responsibility to implement all these principles. Upholding the human rights of your client, ensuring they are safe and their privacy is upheld so that they are treated equally.

We can help them live the life they wish to whilst having a voice to ensure they are treated fairly and equally in society. Facilitating their choice and control is key to this and is a major element of the NDIS framework.

What are the essential elements of good Practice Excellence?

• Ensuring your client’s human rights are upheld
• Setting goals together to measure success and learnings
• Supporting proactive health and wellbeing whilst managing any current medical conditions
• Keeping clients safe, both physically and emotionally at all times
• Focusing on their ability, not disability, and exploring their potential – every moment has potential!
• Allowing your client to take risks whilst balanced with your duty of care – this can be challenging!
• Empowering and supporting your client to make informed decisions – maximize their choice and control
• Engaging in meaningful activities
• Understanding and managing behaviours in a positive way
• Leveraging the expertise of Positive Behaviours Clinicians, and other professionals according to a tailored plan
• Teaching and coaching them in new approaches and skills
• Avoiding restricting their life choices unless this is required for safety – this must be approved
• Reporting any VANE incidents – Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation, that you become aware of.
• Striving to improve their quality of life to achieve their hopes and dreams
• Enabling them as a person – maintaining a consistent human-centric approach
• Continually improving the service you provide