Reducing Support Worker and Carer Turnover
The time and energy it can take to find and train a new support person or carer for a child with special needs is enormous, working with them to build up a relationship and trust with your child (and you!) takes yet more time. That is why it is so devastating, and exhausting, when they leave.
So how do you find a carer that will be committed to your child’s development and stay for more than a few weeks or months?
First, you need to know what you want in a carer, and here is a good place to start:
- Someone who you, your child and your family can trust and build a relationship with
- A positive role model for your child/ren
- Someone:
- qualified and experienced in working with children with special needs (especially the diagnosis your child has)
- committed to working with your child on their goals, to help them build confidence in themselves
- able to work with the wider therapy team to learn and implement the programs at home
- comfortable giving feedback and suggestions on therapies and strategies
- reliable and committed to the role, expecting to work with you for at least 12-months
- flexible and willing to work extra hours for when that last-minute emergency or meeting at work happens.
So, you are probably thinking that there is no way you will find someone that can tick all of those boxes. The time and money you would need to spend advertising and screening applicants would be enormous with no guarantee of finding the right person anyway!
Well, the good news is, at Apex Professional Exchange we can find these candidates – and we do!
Our care professionals tick every box AND offer balanced care for other children in the household. We work closely with universities and other respected organisations in Germany to find the best European allied health professionals to join our program.
Many of our carers complete 1 or 2 years with host families in the US, gaining experience and improving their English-speaking skills. They then apply to come to Australia to support families here, like yours.
After you hire and settle into your new routine with your care professional, the support doesn’t end there. We work with you and your carer throughout the entire placement, making sure everything is running smoothly and we are there to mediate any problems, provide guidance and resources to help your time in the Apex program successful and stress free.
Have a look at the carers currently looking for a family to support: https://www.apexnannyagency.com.au/