How to be a Great Support Worker

So, you're starting out as a support worker. Or maybe you've been doing it a while and taken a bit of bad advice and things aren't going well. Lucky for you, you've come to the right place. It's really quite simple if you remind yourself of the aim of the job role.

Here's a common mistake people make: rather than supporting a person to do things for themselves, you automatically begin to do things for them. This is the difference between care and support. We should always be looking to enable the people we support, this can not always be the case, but we get them involved with the process as much as possible, increasing independence.

If making a cup of tea on their own isn't achievable right now, it's not to say it never will be. Create mini goals, it might just start with them putting a tea bag in a cup once a day, until it becomes so regular that the next step is turning the kettle on. Look at what that individual does on a daily basis and think what else they could do that would give them more fulfillment.

Be mindful of how you ask for a task to be completed or asking a difficult question, think about how you would like the question to be asked if it were you and then fire away. Remember, the person you support is your equal, never lose sight of that fact.

Be further mindful to the environment that the individual is in, and what sort of external issues that may arise that could cause distress or agitation. Always be looking to remove triggers where possible. If the person doesn't like loud music, don't offer a cup of tea, turn the music down. That may sound simple, but believe me, you'd be surprised.

Everything is on the terms of the individuals we support. They have the right to choose everything in their day to day lives. Never make assumptions on what a person may want to do, this is disrespectful. Allow and enable them to make choices. If a person lacks capacity in certain areas and begins to make unwise decisions, a capacity assessment should be carried out and maybe a best interests meeting depending on the severity.

However, if the person is deemed to have capacity, then making an unwise decision is still their choice. We know we shouldn't eat 5 chocolate bars in one sitting, but who is going to stop us, it would be unwise to eat all 5, but we know we are allowed to, as that is our choice. The same applies to the individuals we support.

Source external activities. Look for new things to try and places to visit. They might not always be successful but that's not to say that will always be the case. It is important to try things again. Ensure the person you support is always involved in choosing activities. Create an activity planner weekly with a couple of choices for each day. Make it as exciting as you possibly can.

Documentation is a key factor to support work. Record everything. Many people miss the point of documentation, but realize this is the evidence to the support you have provided. It is also evidence to the development of the individual, it can give a pattern of behaviours to teach us how to minimise these occurring. It can show us whether support hours need to be increased or decreased. Your paperwork needs to give a true reflection of how support is provided, this will only benefit the individuals we support.

Finally, communicate. Listen to what the person you are supporting is telling you. Whether they are verbal or non-verbal, read what they are telling you, how they are feeling, what they want to do, the choices they want to make.

They put a lot of trust in you during their support hours, they are in a very vulnerable situation, it is important that you make them feel at ease and you demonstrate understanding and reassurance. Imagine yourself in their shoes, how would you want to be supported?

Enable. Promote Choice. Listen. Create Goals. Achieve.