One of the ways we reach out into our community is through our community support services. We provide a variety of services including mowing lawns, house cleaning, supported employment, preparing meals, NDIS Support Co-Ordination, transporting people to appointments and also providing assistance to engage in community activities – swimming, art groups, social outings, fishing, church groups etc.

If you are interested in receiving any of these services, please contact moree@ephraimhouse.org or give Erin a call on 0413115558.

Come and join MCM as a Community Support Worker!

There are Paid and Volunteer roles within MCM. We are currently taking applications from people to come and join our MCM community of workers.

MCM is a Christian Outreach organisation, consisting of Ephraim House Moree, Nhuubala Yugal Education Centre and the NorthWest NSW Community Church. All of our services are responsive to the needs we are presented with, and theses services are interwoven between the different trading entities to ensure a comprehensive provision of supports. A top priority for us, is providing supports to our local community, in a way that reflects the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We do this through delivering services and supports that are characterised by 8 main gospel values.

Gospel Love	Gospel Leadership	Gospel Stewardship	Gospel Timing
Gospel Community	Gospel Walk	Gospel Hope	Gospel Communication

We believe a big part of God’s purpose for our lives is to reach out and support the oppressed and vulnerable so that they can live their lives independently but with a loving and caring Christian community around them.

 What is a Community Support Worker?

  A community support worker is someone who looks after the well-being of people in their daily lives. They help and support people who are living with different physical disabilities, mental health needs, or are perhaps lonely and going through a crisis that requires a bit of additional support for them and their family. The goal of providing these supports is to help the participant live their lives more independently and support them to reach their potential by providing both physical and emotional support. The role of a support worker is varied because each participant has unique needs.

What does a Community Support Worker do?

In MCM, Community Support Workers are really important to the effectiveness of the overlapping of services within MCM. The day-to-day job of a community support worker also differs depending on the needs of the person they are supporting. You might be transporting people to different bible study or social groups run by the church, or you might be mowing a lawn for a mother who has recently escaped from domestic violence. You could be cooking meals for a family whose children receive education mentoring through NYEC, or Allied Health Supports and skill development through Ephraim House. This can also include helping people to carry out their daily tasks to take care of themselves, teaching new skills, providing emotional support, and ensuring they are living a fulfilled life.

As a support worker, you may find yourself working in a number of settings. You may be expected to work in people’s homes, in health and social care settings such as in supported independent (SIL) homes, or in a care home managed by an external provider, and/or out in the community.

What is support work?

Support work involves helping people who require care and support to live as independently as they can. Support work can offer a very fulfilling and varied career path. Support work requires you to have a personal, yet professional relationship with the participant. Supports cannot be delivered as a non-relational task.

Where is support work sourced & funded from?

Our support work is sourced from a variety of places. The need for supports can be brought to our attention by external organisations and social workers in town, needs expressed at local church outreaches, or individuals making direct contact requesting support. MCM subcontracts for a number of Support Providers that we have contract arrangements with, including but not limited to, Hands and Feet Inc, Anglicare, Carers NSW. MCM Community Support Workers can only provide services for these providers according to the arrangements and contract stipulations, which you will be notified of at the time of support delegation. While some of these providers have independent funding, the majority of the funding is from government funded programmes, including the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the Aged-Care programme. Some of the service delivery is funded by individual donations, and some people pay for services privately.

What are the responsibilities of a support worker?

There are many roles and responsibilities of a support worker, including:

• Providing physical support which may include helping with household tasks and personal care.
• Providing emotional support for an individual and their families.
• Supporting and helping with health care needs, including routine checks or administrating medication.
• Encouraging and supporting the development of personal skills through hobbies and interests.
• Teaching life skills, such as shopping, using public transport and paying for bills.
• Working with other healthcare professionals to ensure that all care needs meet the highest possible standards.

Support workers also help the people they support to form meaningful connections. This could be by aiding them in their hobbies and interests, connecting them with suitable community groups, enabling them to attend TAFE or encouraging them to develop a new life skill such as cooking or money management. To achieve this, understanding how the person communicates and their likes and dislikes is an important part of the job.

Being a support worker can be a very rewarding job. Even though the role can be hard and often challenging, making a positive difference to someone’s life and helping them become more independent brings feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction. If you are a person who prefers consistency and struggles with change, often, then perhaps a Community Support Worker is not the right job for you. It’s a great career choice for those who enjoy a varied job role and lots of interaction with others.

Some of the best parts of the job are sharing new experiences together, creating new memories and celebrating successes. You’ll enable people to overcome their fears and challenges whilst helping them to build confidence and self-esteem.

What skills are needed to be a support worker?

There are certain skills that are beneficial to have when working as a support worker, for example:

• An interest in helping other people, regardless of their condition.
• The ability to communicate clearly and sensitively when talking to people and their families.
• Good listening skills.
• Great problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt and act accordingly to situations.
• Good time management skills to be able to support the needs of multiple people.
• The ability to keep up with changing standards and codes of conduct in the social care sector.
• The ability to work both alone and as part of a team.
• A high level of patience and emotional resilience.
• Being empathetic towards everyone.
• The ability to make good, positive relationships with people and their families.
• The ability to communicate with other healthcare professionals.
• Great verbal and written communication skills.
• A non-judgemental attitude regardless of a person’s needs.
• The ability to remain calm under pressure and when dealing with challenging situations.

Becoming a support worker doesn’t require any specific qualifications. Experience in the care sector is helpful but not required. When starting a Community Support Worker role with MCM we will provide some onboarding training, which aligns with Certificate 3 objectives, which provides an insight into the roles and responsibilities of the job role. Some of our other providers we subcontract to, require workers to undergo their onboarding training aswell.

Even though specific qualifications to become a support worker aren’t required, a Certificate 3 or 4 in Disability, Community or Aged-Care can give workers an advantage.

Request an application pack from MCM today, and come and join our team!
moree@ephraimhouse.org

Job Description