Community Support Worker

A Community Support Worker provides practical and emotional assistance to vulnerable individuals and families in community settings, including residential facilities, day centres, and client homes. They support people with disabilities, mental health conditions, aged care needs, or social disadvantage to develop independence, access services, and participate in community activities. The role involves direct personal care, advocacy, and coordination with other service providers to improve client wellbeing and social inclusion.

Assist clients with activities of daily living including personal hygiene, dressing, grooming, and toileting according to individual care plans. Support clients to prepare meals and eat, accommodating dietary requirements and cultural preferences. Accompany clients to medical appointments, social activities, and community events, providing transport assistance where needed. Monitor and record client health, behaviour, and mood changes using facility or NDIS-aligned documentation systems. Encourage and support clients to develop life skills, employment readiness, and social engagement through structured activities and coaching. Respond to and de-escalate behavioural crises or distress using trauma-informed approaches and facility protocols. Advocate for clients' rights and preferences in multidisciplinary meetings, care plan reviews, and interactions with service providers. Maintain safe and clean living environments, including assisting with housekeeping tasks and ensuring accessibility.

The standard entry pathway requires a diploma, advanced diploma or associate degree (ABS skill level 2). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

The emotional and physical toll is real. You'll handle crises, aggression, and distress regularly, often with minimal backup. Pay is low (typically award rate or slightly above), there's limited progression without further study, and burnout is common in this sector. Shift work, weekends, and on-call duties are standard.

Practically speaking, jobs concentrate in major metro areas where disability services, aged care, and mental health agencies cluster. Regional areas have fewer roles but less competition. Most work is in-person at facilities or client homes, not remote. NDIS rollout has created more positions across Australia, but quality and stability vary by provider.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 4115, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Active Listeningcore
• Acute carecore
• Case Note Documentationcore
• Confidentiality and Privacy Compliancecore
• Cultural Awareness and Sensitivitycore
• Disability Awareness and Inclusioncore
• Empathy and Emotional Intelligencecore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Participant or Client Advocacycore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Professional Boundaries Maintenancecore
• Service Navigation and Referralcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Trauma-Informed Communicationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Adapt teaching to target group
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Address public health issues
• Adult education
• Advise on mental health
• Advise on safety measures
• Community Development
• Conflict De-escalation
• Goal Setting and Planning
• Inclusive Practice
• Referral Coordination
• Regulatory and Legislative Awareness
• Risk Identification
• Team Collaboration
• Written Communication

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

Last updated: 30 October 2026