Disability Support Worker

Core Support Australia; Newcastle City Council; On-site; AUD 60,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Core Support Australia provides ILO, community access, respite, personal care, and ongoing support to NDIS participants across the Hunter region including Newcastle and surrounding areas. We’re seeking support workers for participants with complex needs, including transitions into supported accommodation.

Ideal candidates have trauma-informed, person-centred practices, and can establish calm, structured support with clear boundaries.

Qualifications

• Certificate and checks listed above are essential for compliance.
• Current Working with Children Check required.
• Current Police Check and NDIS Worker Screening required.
• First Aid & CPR certification required.
• Full driver’s licence required.
• Professional presentation and strong personal boundaries.
• Ability to complete incident reporting and documentation.

Responsibilities

• Supporting participants with daily living and community access.
• Assisting with emotional regulation and routine building.
• Encouraging independence and skill development.
• Supporting attendance at appointments and activities.
• Maintaining safety for the participant and others.
• Implementing behaviour support strategies consistently.
• Building trust through respectful, predictable support.
• Working across the Hunter region including Newcastle, Maitland, Cessnock, Toronto, and surrounding areas.

Skills

Calm under pressure

Trauma-informed practice

Person-centred approach

Strong boundaries and communication

Reliability and consistency

Team collaboration

Education

Certificate III in Disability Support, Community Services, Youth Work, Mental Health, or equivalent experience

Working with Children Check

Police Check

NDIS Worker Screening Check

First Aid & CPR

Full driver’s licence

Job description

At Core Support Australia, we’re not just looking for another résumé.
We’re looking for genuine people with patience, resilience, compassion, and the ability to build trust with people who have experienced significant trauma and instability.

We’re a small, close-knit team that works hard, supports one another, and genuinely cares about the people we work alongside. We value consistency, emotional maturity, accountability, and staff who can remain calm, respectful, and grounded during challenging situations.

Core Support Australia provides ILO, community access, respite, personal care, and ongoing support to NDIS participants across the Hunter region including Newcastle and surrounding areas.

Our approach is simple: empower, educate, respect, and remain person-centred at all times.

About the Role

We are currently seeking support workers for participants with complex support including transitioning into supported accommodation.

Experience with multiple diagnoses including intellectual disability, ASD Level 2, ADHD, anxiety, Tourette syndrome, ODD, and FASD. Also history of trauma, instability, disrupted placements, and limited consistent support throughout adolescence.

Interests some participants enjoy:

• Video games
• Fishing
• Mountain bike riding
• Being outdoors
• Mowing lawns and gardening
• Taking things apart and tinkering with tools/mechanical items

This role requires experienced, emotionally regulated support staff who can provide structure, consistency, clear boundaries, and calm support while building rapport and trust over time.

This is not a passive support role. It requires active engagement, strong professional boundaries, patience, and the ability to respond appropriately to behaviours of concern and emotional dysregulation.

About You

We’re less interested in formalities and more interested in who you are.

If you’d rather send us a short personal bio than a standard cover letter, we welcome that. Tell us about your life experience, your interests, your values, and what draws you to this kind of work.

This role would suit someone who:

• Remains calm under pressure
• Can build rapport without escalating conflict
• Understands trauma-informed and person-centred practice
• Has strong boundaries and communication skills
• Is reliable, consistent, and emotionally mature
• Can work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary support team
• Understands the importance of structure, routine, and co-regulation

Highly regarded:

• Experience supporting participants with complex behaviours
• Youth work, mental health, justice, or behavioural support experience
• Background or interest in fitness, outdoor activities, mechanics, or wellbeing
• Aboriginal cultural understanding and culturally respectful practice

Essential Requirements

• Certificate III in Disability Support, Community Services, Youth Work, Mental Health, or equivalent experience
• Current Working with Children Check
• Current Police Check
• NDIS Worker Screening Check
• First Aid & CPR
• Full driver’s licence
• Professional presentation and strong personal boundaries
• Ability to complete accurate incident reporting and documentation

What You’ll Be Doing

• Supporting participants with daily living and community access
• Assisting with emotional regulation and routine building
• Encouraging independence and skill development
• Supporting attendance at appointments and activities
• Maintaining safety for the participant and others
• Implementing behaviour support strategies consistently
• Building trust through respectful, predictable support
• Working across the Hunter region including Newcastle, Maitland, Cessnock, Toronto, and surrounding areas

Why Join Us?

• Supportive and values-driven team
• Meaningful work with genuine impact
• Ongoing professional development and guidance
• Opportunity to help shape long-term positive outcomes
• A culture built on empathy, accountability, teamwork, and growth

If this sounds like the kind of work you feel called to, we’d love to hear from you.