ethical support agencies they do exist

So one has to wonder why I felt the need to make a post like this, it’s not click bate but it’s because we need to know that they do exist as we are being constantly bombarded with all the things that big, corporatized agencies are doing we forget about the smaller start-ups that know the law and hold their support workers to a very high standard of care.

For so long had to fight my agency I didn’t know what it was like to have a good agency and they do exist and this is why it’s so important to keep going and to understand that not every agency is going to suit you or your circumstances and to understand that if they have a human resources department that it’s there to protect the company not the clients so you need to be able to protect yourself. 

This is where what the NDIS calls informal support comes into play as a good agency will work with your family and friends, they will help you to navigate tough times in your life, and to work with you to understand you and to make your life better and not worse. 

I have spent so long venting about how agencies are not helping people I didn’t realize not every agency is like this some are amazing, so this is what to look for in a support agency.

·       Do they listen to you and have all the needed paperwork up to date?

·       What emergency procedures do they have if they need to swap support workers?

·       What policies do they have in place to protect workers from inappropriate contact outside of shifts with isolated clients as this can effect the personal life of the support worker

·       Can you talk to other clients and are they happy with what the agency offers?

·       If it’s a supported house what house rules are in place to keep the place running smoothly – and are they in line with current legislative standards?

·       Do they let other agencies into the house and how do they manage that?

·       How do they manage gifts are support workers allowed to accept gifts and at what price point do they need to give it back?

This I know is the tip of the iceberg and I would love to hear what others think that people should ask before moving over to a new agency. As looking back see that I was to the old agency simply a cash cow, now I am treated like a person and have one-on-one support that is needed to grow and I can’t ever get back that time that I spent and the money due to believing that I needed to go on the shift or lose it in the next plan but with the changes that are coming though we see that the NDIS is getting back on track and back to its roots and that they are challenging the big end of town. 

I know that this is a smaller post than you used to, but I am still processing what happened at the old agency and why it happened as it never should have happened to someone, and it has taught me to speak up much sooner.