How to choose a support worker for your child

Ask who is actually turning up

The single biggest difference in how this goes is whether your child sees the same person each time.

Ask directly: who will be delivering the sessions, and what happens when that person is unavailable. A larger provider gives you cover when someone is sick. A sole worker gives you consistency. Both are real answers, and it is worth knowing which one you are buying.

Ask what a session actually looks like

A good answer is specific. It names what would happen in the first fifteen minutes, how a goal gets chosen, and how you will hear about it afterwards.

A vague answer about being caring is not an answer. Everyone says that.

Questions worth asking

• Who will be with my child, and will it be the same person each week?
• What experience do you have with children like mine?
• How will we choose what to work on, and how will I know it is working?
• What happens on a hard day?
• Are you registered, and what does that mean for how I can use my funding?
• What are you not able to help with?

That last one matters more than people expect. Someone willing to name what they do not do is usually being straight with you about the rest.

Registered or not registered

If your plan is agency managed, you need a registered provider. If it is plan managed or self managed, you can choose either.

Unregistered does not mean unqualified, and registered does not guarantee a good fit. Check the person, not just the paperwork.

What good looks like early on

In the first month you are looking for small, concrete things. Your child recognises them and is not distressed when they arrive. You get told what happened without having to chase it. Something specific is being worked on, and you could name it if asked.

You are not looking for a transformation. Anyone promising one in the first month is selling.

If it is not working

Say so early and say it plainly. A good worker would rather hear it than have you quietly disengage, and most things worth fixing are fixable in a conversation.

If it still is not right, changing is allowed. It is your child's funding and your child's time.