Finding the right people to support Mitchell living his life day-to-day has been the most important part of putting Mitchell’s new world together.  It has also proved to be one of the most challenging tasks we have undertaken, if not the most challenging.

These are the people who help Mitchell work towards his social, activity and health goals.  Critically, these are the people who put all the professional advice we have received for Mitchell into action day-by-day.

In a previous post, we spoke of the coaching we received from Mitchell’s support coordinator.  A key part of this coaching is how to go about finding the right support workers.  We also use the support coordinator’s recruitment specialist.

We are not going to write much here about the mechanics of hiring a person other than to say we have used Facebook, Gumtree↗, Jora↗, Seek↗ and Indeed↗.  Indeed and Seek has given us the best results and … yes … you are better off paying for the job ad.

We have been through the recruitment process nine times since August 2018 and the central lesson we have learned is that it is not what the person knows that matters most, it is the person’s attitude!

The central lesson we have learned is that it is not what the person knows that matters most, it is the person’s attitude!

As long as a person has compassion, empathy and the right motivation; you can teach them the rest.  In the job interview, it is not the qualifications that matter most, it is the back-story the applicant tells – what motivated them to apply.  Relevant experience does matter, but that experience can be lived experience as much as work experience.  Of the five wonderful people supporting Mitchell now, only one had prior experience in the disability sector.

Of course, it goes without saying you should check a prospective employee’s history.  Do your criminal history check or NDIS worker screening check.  Also ask for, and talk to, references.