Experienced Mental Health / Disability Support Worker
Experienced Mental Health / Disability Support Worker – Complex Psychosocial Support
Location: Mareeba, QLD
Employment: Casual / Part-Time
Organisation: Hugo Care
About the Role
Hugo Care is seeking an experienced, mature and emotionally resilient Disability Support Worker to provide individualised community-based support to an NDIS participant in the Mareeba area.
This position is particularly suited to a support worker with experience in mental health, psychosocial disability, trauma-informed care and behaviours of concern.
The participant requires a worker who can remain calm and professional during periods of heightened anxiety, emotional distress or verbal escalation while maintaining clear and respectful professional boundaries.
This is not an entry-level support role. Previous experience supporting people with complex psychosocial needs is highly desirable.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide respectful, person-centred one-to-one support
- Support community access, appointments and daily activities
- Assist the participant with organisation, technology and everyday tasks within the support-worker scope of practice
- Use trauma-informed and person-centred communication approaches
- Recognise early signs of emotional escalation and respond appropriately
- Apply calm and appropriate de-escalation strategies
- Maintain clear professional boundaries
- Validate the participant's feelings and concerns without reinforcing unverified beliefs
- Safely redirect conversations and activities when appropriate
- Maintain safety during community access and transport
- Complete clear, factual and objective progress notes and behaviour observations
- Report incidents and significant changes promptly to the RN/management team
- Follow Hugo Care's Behaviour Management, Risk Management and Emergency/Crisis Plans.
Who We Are Looking For
- Calm, patient and emotionally resilient
- Confident working independently
- An excellent listener and communicator
- Non-confrontational but able to maintain firm professional boundaries
- Able to remain composed when challenged or criticised
- Experienced in supporting people experiencing significant anxiety or emotional dysregulation
- Comfortable supporting people who may experience suspiciousness, fixed beliefs or altered perceptions
- Skilled in de-escalation and trauma-informed support
- Able to recognise when a situation is becoming unsafe and follow escalation procedures
- Reliable, punctual and consistent
- Excellent at objective clinical/support documentation
- Able to work collaboratively with an RN, management and allied health professionals.
Highly Desirable Experience
- Mental health or psychosocial disability
- Trauma-informed care
- Complex behaviours / behaviours of concern
- Emotional dysregulation
- De-escalation and crisis prevention
- Community mental health
- Acquired brain injury or complex disability
- Mental health nursing, support work or similar environments.
Requirements
- Current NDIS Worker Screening clearance
- Current First Aid and CPR
- Current Australian driver's licence
- Relevant qualification in Disability, Individual Support, Mental Health, Community Services or a related field, OR substantial relevant experience
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to complete accurate progress notes and incident documentation.
What Hugo Care Offers
- Support from an experienced RN/management team
- Participant-specific orientation before commencing independently
- Behaviour and risk-management guidance
- Clear escalation procedures
- Ongoing communication with the care team
- Opportunity to provide meaningful, consistent one-to-one support.
Important
This role requires a worker who understands that good psychosocial support involves both compassion and professional boundaries.
We are particularly interested in applicants who can remain calm when a participant is distressed, avoid power struggles, communicate respectfully, and consistently follow an agreed support plan.
