There’s more to support work than meets the eye.

By Emma Clark , Chief Financial & Operations Manager at Mable

Around 30 per cent of support workers on Mable have specific qualifications or certifications that allow them to provide high-demand services such as personal care, nursing, or allied health services.

By using your professional skills to provide support services to people with disability or older people via Mable, you can combine the best of both worlds by doing a job you love but on terms that suit you.

How does Mable verify support worker qualifications?

Mable confirms a support worker's qualifications by checking their Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA) registration and verifies certificates with the relevant training body or educational institution. These qualifications and certifications determine which services a support worker can list on their profile.

To provide high-demand services such as personal care, nursing or allied health services on Mable, people must have at least:

Personal care:

• Cert III or IV in Aged Care (With two professional referees in the last five years)
• Cert III or IV in Disability (With two professional referees in the last five years)
• Cert III or IV in Individual Support (With two professional referees in the last five years)
• Cert III or IV in Home and Community Care (With two professional referees in the last five years)

Nursing services:

• A nursing degree or diploma obtained in Australia plus two professional referees in the last five years. You will also need to provide your current AHPRA registration.

Allied health services:?

• A degree or diploma in the nominated category. You will also need to provide your current AHPRA registration.

What is personal care?

Personal care includes hands-on support services that help a person with everyday activities such as showering and toileting. Examples of personal care include:

• Support with showering and washing
• Assistance with dressing
• Grooming support (such as hair washing, shaving and nail clipping)
• Toileting assistance
• Manual transfer support (when a client needs assistance with moving from one place to another, say from the bed to a wheelchair)
• Assistance with eating and drinking
• Assistance with taking medications.

Respect is of utmost importance when providing any kind of support. This includes respecting your client’s privacy, dignity and choices and giving kind, respectful attention as you attend to their personal care needs.

Have you been providing social support but want to do more for your clients?

If you have been providing domestic assistance and social support, you can also upskill and gain a personal care qualification by obtaining a Certificate III or IV in either Individual Support, Aged Care, Disability Support, or Home and Community Care.

Check out Mable’s Accredited Training to learn how to upskill and build your business on Mable.?

Does self-employment sound like something you could do? Here are some things to keep in mind

• Personality Traits: Successful self-employed support workers have qualities beyond formal credentials, including emotional intelligence, adaptability, and a genuine commitment to making a difference in the lives of others.
• Challenges and Pitfalls: While self-employment offers freedom and flexibility, the initial transition period requires some preparation. It may also take some time to achieve financial stability.
• Considerations for Self-Employment: Prospective support workers need to obtain an ABN, undergo police and working with children checks, provide references, and have skills or be in locations in demand. You will also need to think about your Mable profile, including how you want to present yourself, what services you want to offer, where you will travel to, and what rate you will charge. All of these are crucial for attracting suitable clients.

If running your own business feels daunting, don’t worry - with Mable, you’re not alone. Mable gives self-employed support workers access to thousands of clients and a one-stop shop to run their small businesses compliantly. These include a range of tools for keeping track of timesheets, shift notes, and invoices, as well as support sessions and connections with new clients through in-app calls, video, and instant messaging functionality.

If you are interested in taking the leap, visit the Mable website for more information!