Find a Support Worker and Hire Them Directly

How to find and hire a support worker

Hiring a private support worker, also called an independent support worker, means you find a support worker and engage them directly rather than through a provider's roster.

Since Carevo launched, 2900+ requests for personal care and daily support have been submitted through Carevo Australia-wide. How we calculate our numbers

What it costs

Rates are agreed directly between you and the worker. As a reference point, the NDIS price limit for Assistance With Self-Care Activities - Standard - Weekday Daytime (01_011_0107_1_1) is $73.58 an hour as of 22 July 2026 (NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026-27). Price limits apply to plan-managed and NDIA-managed supports; self-managed participants can negotiate different rates under their funding rules. Independent workers set their own rates, which may be below or above what a provider charges.

An ABN and invoices do not by themselves make a worker an independent contractor: what matters is the real working relationship (Fair Work guidance). Check how your arrangement is classified rather than assuming. Where it amounts to employment, the applicable award and classification determine the minimum rate; for many disability support roles this is the SCHADS award. As one example, a level 2 social and community services employee starts at $36.22 an hour. Casual employees also receive a 25% loading, and 12% superannuation applies (Fair Work pay guides, as of 1 July 2026).

Carevo does not set, take a cut of, or guarantee any rate.

Who can use this

How each NDIS arrangement works is set out on the NDIA's ways to manage your funding page. Confirm your own arrangement with your plan manager before starting services.

Hiring safely

When you hire independently, the screening a provider would normally do is yours to do. Do these checks before engaging someone:

• Sight their checks yourself. Ask to see the NDIS Worker Screening Check, an ongoing clearance for disability work, and a Working with Children Check if children are involved. A police check is not a substitute: it is a point-in-time record search, not a clearance, though it is worth sighting where a worker holds no screening check. Profiles here show what a worker has self-reported; the documents are the proof.
• Ask for two references from previous care arrangements, and call them.
• Confirm their ABN and insurance. Check the ABN on ABN Lookup and ask for evidence of public liability and personal accident cover. An ABN alone does not settle whether the arrangement is contracting; see the note under What it costs.
• Put the arrangement in writing: rate, hours, duties, notice period, and what happens when either of you cancels.
• Trial before you commit. After checking their documents and references, arrange a paid trial shift before committing to an ongoing arrangement.

Useful questions for a first conversation: What experience do you have with needs like ours? What does a typical shift with you look like? What happens if you are sick? Why did your last arrangement end?

Independent support worker or a provider organisation?

Neither is simply better. The honest trade:

Some families use both: an independent support worker for regular shifts, a registered provider for cover and complex supports.

By location

Areas with at least three independent support worker profiles nearby.

Prefer an established organisation? Compare registered providers instead.