Support on your terms
Struggling to find the right Support Workers? The good news is that traditional agencies and online platforms aren’t your only option. Directly employing people you already know and trust could be the solution for you!
Have your own supports when there are little or no other options in your area.
Maintain cultural connection and understanding with your Support Workers, by employing people you already know.
Employ people you already trust, instead of choosing from a platform of strangers.
We do the tricky stuff. You do you.
The prospect of employing your own Support Workers can sound like a lot of work. That’s why we’re here to help!
As your Compliance and Payroll partner, we make sure you have all the tools and support needed for complete peace of mind.
Onboarding your Support Workers
We take the time to talk you through how our service works before we begin onboarding your Support Workers. This includes:
- Undertaking a Suitability of Service review to ensure our service is the right fit for you
- Providing clear guidance on who you can employ as your Support Workers
- Supporting you to identify the correct level of pay for your Support Workers, aligned with the SCHADS Award
- Development of employment contracts
- Management of your Support Workers’ compliance checks. E.g. Police checks
Ongoing management
We partner with you on an ongoing basis. This includes:
- Paying your Support Workers fortnightly, in accordance with Fair Work and ATO rules and regulations. As a result, you do not need an ABN.
- Setting up and managing WorkCover insurance for your Support Workers, including covering all associated costs
- Providing direct access to our Compliance and Payroll teams whenever queries, incidents or escalations arise
Who can be a Support Worker?
Your perfect Support Worker could be closer than you think!
There are many possibilities when it comes to who you can directly employ. If there is someone in your community you already know and trust, you can ask them to be your Support Worker. If it is compliant, we will help you formalise that relationship.
Neither you nor your Support Workers need an ABN!
What about the costs?
The good news is, there’s no sign up, membership or monthly fees. You only pay for the service when you use it.
Our service fee is a percentage of the hourly rate you agree with each Support Worker. This covers:
- Support Worker payroll administration, including super and WorkCover insurance
- Compliance training, aligned with the latest laws and Award updates
- IT costs associated with running our systems
- A dedicated Partner Experience team, to support you on your journey
We are fully transparent and share pay/charge rates with those using our service, so that you can plan and budget your supports. Our team can also prepare a quote up front.
Frequently asked questions
We don’t find or employ Support Workers for Participants.
People using our service have the benefit of being able to look within their community and employ individuals that they already know and trust.
As the employer, you and your Support Worker have the flexibility to agree on a suitable pay rate together.
We can support you here! Some of the things we’ll review with you, include:
- The duties your Support Worker(s) will be performing in line with the SCHADS award rates
- Your Support Workers level of experience
- The amount of funding available in your NDIS plan
Due to how the NDIS is structured, we are able to offer our Direct Employ service to Participant’s whose funding is NDIS Plan Managed or Self-Managed.
Unfortunately, we are unable to facilitate our Direct Employ service for those who have all their funding Agency Managed.
If you have a mixture of Plan, Self and Agency Managed funding, you may be able to use our Direct Employ service.
If you are a recipient of another funding type (disability supports), please let our team know and we might still be able to assist.
There is no need for you or your Support Worker(s) to have an ABN (Australian Business Number). This is one of the many benefits of having us as your Payroll and Compliance partners.
We provide support upfront to ensure your Support Worker arrangement is compliant, and we continue to partner with you throughout your time using Direct Employ.
This means that whenever you have a question or need guidance, you can call or email a member of our expert Payroll or Compliance team. We can also send reminders when certain tasks need to be completed.
Our role is to support you to self direct your own Support Workers confidently and compliantly.
Ready for a chat?
Get in touch and we’ll go over our unique service with you in more detail, so you can decide if it feels right for you. Either give us a ring (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday), or pop your details into the form and we’ll get back to you soon!