Elite Care NSW

27/04/2026

Should unregistered independent support workers charge the same hourly rate as registered providers?

This might stir a few conversations but it’s one we need to have.

On paper, the hourly rate might look the same.
But behind that number? Two completely different worlds.

Registered providers aren’t just “charging for support.”
They’re carrying the weight of:
Compliance and audit requirements
Insurance, systems, and safeguarding processes
Ongoing staff training and development
Superannuation, leave, and award obligations
Rostering teams, after-hours support, and risk management
Accountability to participants, families, and the NDIS

Then there’s another layer we don’t talk about enough…

Experience.

We’re now seeing situations where:
Highly experienced support workers
New workers with little to no experience
are charging the exact same hourly rate.

This isn’t about putting anyone down — everyone starts somewhere.
But in a sector where:
Participants have complex needs
Risk is real
Outcomes matter

Experience isn’t just a bonus, it’s critical.

Independent support workers absolutely play an important role in this sector. Many are passionate and do incredible work.

But the reality is:
The overheads are different
The accountability is different
The risk is different
And yes, the experience levels are often very different

So the question isn’t who is better.

It’s about fairness, transparency, and value.

If two services look the same on a price guide but one carries significantly more responsibility, structure, and experience

Should they really be priced the same?

Or are we getting to a point where participants can’t clearly see what they’re actually paying for?

Curious to hear from others in the sector —
Do you think pricing should reflect experience and accountability more clearly?

06/04/2026

Support Work Isn’t One Size Fits All

There’s a big difference between supporting someone with a physical disability and supporting someone with mental health or psychosocial needs… yet in today’s sector, they’re often treated the same.

A physical disability support worker may focus on:
Manual handling and mobility
Personal care and daily living tasks
Equipment use and safety
Routine-based supports

A mental health support worker, on the other hand, needs to:
Understand behaviours of concern
Recognise triggers and early warning signs
Build trust and emotional safety
Respond calmly in unpredictable situations
Support regulation, not just routine

Both roles are equally important… but they require completely different skill sets, mindsets, and experience.

This is where the issue sits

Too some people think support work is just about getting an ABN, and starting the next day.

It’s not.

This is people’s lives.
Their safety.
Their dignity.
Their trust.

If you place someone without the right experience into a mental health environment, it can escalate situations very quickly.

If you place someone without physical support experience into high care needs, you risk injury to both the participant and the worker.

Experience matters.
Training matters.
Exposure matters.
Good mentorship matters.

At the end of the day, being a support worker isn’t just about being there
It’s about knowing what to do when it matters most.

The sector needs to start recognising that not everyone is suited to every type of support and that’s okay.

What’s your view, should there be stricter pathways or minimum experience requirements depending on the type of support?

04/04/2026

04/04/2026

Happy Easter to all the amazing support workers that take time away from their own families to support participants. You are all amazing 🐇🐣🙏❤️

03/04/2026

Lisa and I had the privilege of sharing a small gesture with our participants this Easter—handing out Easter eggs and simply wishing them a Happy Easter.

It was incredible to see the genuine joy, surprise, and appreciation from so many. Moments like these remind us why we do what we do.

Grateful for every smile we got to be part of. 🐣💛.

Happy Easter to all 🐇

27/03/2026

What an amazing event yesterday with Vanessa. Amazing raw genuine stories. We laughed, we wiped away tears. Really raw emotions were shared 🙏❤️

Her knowledge, experience and no nonsense approach really stood out. You can tell she’s been in the trenches, built it from the ground up, and now genuinely wants to see others succeed.

We’re also incredibly grateful she gave Lisa and I the opportunity to share the stage and tell our story to so many amazing providers in the room.

What I appreciated most was the practical, real world insights not theory, but things you can actually take back and implement straight away. The line up of presenters were amazing, engaging and really gave valuable insights in all aspects of our business and well-being

It was also great connecting with other providers who travelled from all corners of the county. The genuine care and all wanting to make difference in the participants lifes. ❤️

26/03/2026

Sitting back enjoying the view before Vanessa Normans event tomorrow - Level Up Sydney. Looking forward to it and meeting other amazing providers in this sector.

25/03/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18Akj9u8us/?mibextid=wwXIfr

24/03/2026

The post I put up yesterday about what Pauline Hanson had said in parliament. One forum didn't agree and didn't I cop it. I guess that's what happen when you put yourself out their and genuinely care about the participants.

*Disclaimer - I should have said some independent support workers as I do know some that genuinely care and do the right think.

24/03/2026

I was shocked at looked into it. Now not sure how accurate but definitely a concern.

The NDIS has a problem we can’t ignore anymore

Let’s talk facts — not opinions.

📊 2024–2025 NDIS provider statistics:
Over 269,000 providers operating in the market
Only ~21,000 are registered
Over 245,000+ are unregistered
That means ONLY ~8% are registered… and ~92% are not

Let that sink in.

The majority of the NDIS is operating without full oversight, auditing, or consistent standards.

Why this is so wrong

This isn’t just a “business model difference”…
This is about people’s lives.

Unregistered providers:
Are not held to the same audit standards
Have limited oversight and monitoring
Can operate with far less accountability
Still access participant funding

Meanwhile, registered providers:
Go through audits
Meet strict compliance standards
Invest heavily in training, systems, and governance
Carry the responsibility of doing things properly

And yet… we are the minority.

What this is doing to the sector
Creating an uneven playing field
Lowering trust across the entire NDIS
Opening the door to poor practice and fraud
Confusing participants and families about what “quality” actually looks like

We’re seeing it every day.

Good providers are being questioned…
Because bad ones are slipping through.

The hard truth

A system built on care, safety, and human rights should NOT have:
90%+ of providers operating with limited accountability

That is not sustainable.
That is not safe.
And that is not fair — for participants OR providers doing the right thing.

Where to from here?

If we are serious about protecting participants and rebuilding trust in this sector…

Registration should be the standard — not the exception
Accountability should apply to everyone not just some
Quality should never be optional

Because this isn’t just about business…

It’s about the people we support.

23/03/2026

Travel Between Supports – Just Because We Can, Doesn’t Mean We Should. Each to their own.

Something that’s been on my mind lately…

In our sector, we know that providers and independent providers can charge for travel between participants. It’s not illegal, and it sits within the guidelines.

But here’s the question I’ve always struggled with:

Which participant do you charge?
The one you’ve just left… or the one you’re about to support?

Either way, that cost comes out of someone’s plan.

And for me, that’s where it doesn’t sit right.

Because at the end of the day, those funds are there for supports — not to reduce someone’s hours so we can cover operational costs.

At Elite Care NSW and Elite Care Central Coast, we’ve made a clear decision:
We absorb that cost as a business.

Travel between supports is covered by us
Our team are still paid for their time and kilometres

Under 1 hour – we pay the kms

Over 1 hour – treated as a broken shift (as per standard practice)

And yes… we’ve had people say we’re crazy.
“Why would you pay for travel between clients?”

Simple answer:
We’re here to provide supports and we have ethics.

Because every dollar matters in a participant’s plan.

And if we chip away at it through travel charges, it can directly impact the level of support they receive.

We all know margins in this sector are already tight once everything is factored in wages, super, training, compliance, systems, overheads…

But this comes down to values and long term thinking.

Are we building a business around sustainability only?

Or are we building one around participants first?

I’m genuinely interested to hear how others approach this.

What’s your stance on charging travel between supports?

23/03/2026

If this is becoming “normal” in our sector, we have a serious problem. Nothing surprises me anymore!

I recently came across a discussion where a support worker openly shared that they take their two-year-old child with them on shift.

What shocked me even more… was the number of responses saying “that’s fine, I do the same.”

I’m sorry, but this is not ok.

This sector is built on trust, safety, and professionalism. When a participant allows us into their home or their life, they are trusting us to be fully present, focused, and acting in their best interest.

Bringing a child into that environment raises some serious concerns

Duty of care is compromised – your attention is divided between your child and the participant

Risk and safety issues – what happens if there is an incident, escalation, or behavioural episode?

Privacy and dignity – participants have the right to control who is in their space

Professional boundaries – this is not a casual environment, it is a workplace

Insurance and compliance risks – most policies would not cover an unauthorised person on shift

And most importantly…

The participant is the one impacted.

Their funding is there to support them, not to accommodate a worker’s personal circumstances.

I understand life happens. We all have responsibilities outside of work.
But in any other profession—healthcare, education, emergency services—this simply wouldn’t be acceptable. Why should our sector be any different?

This is exactly why the industry is under scrutiny.

We cannot continue to turn a blind eye to behaviours like this and then question why there is:

Increased regulation
Reduced trust
Funding pressures
Calls for tighter compliance

If we want to be taken seriously as professionals, we need to act like professionals.

At Elite Care NSW and Central Coast, we have always stood by one thing:

Quality care, ethics, and accountability no exceptions.

Even if people say we’re “too strict” or “old school”… so be it.

Because at the end of the day, this sector isn’t about us.

It’s about the people we support.

I’d be interested to hear others’ thoughts—where do you draw the line when it comes to professionalism in our sector?