Your Right to Safe, Respectful Support—Act Fast

1) What “safe, respectful support” looks like (plain English)

Safe, respectful support means your provider, support worker and anyone supporting you understand that your safety, dignity and rights come first. This includes safe work practices, following your plan and your preferences, and making sure you’re not put at risk during personal care, transport, medication support, or community access.

Respectful support looks like communication that is calm, honest and appropriate. Your support worker should ask before they help, listen to what you want, and treat you like you’re in control. For example, they should explain what they’re doing, ask for consent, support your choices, and respect privacy (like knocking before entering or closing curtains). If something doesn’t feel right, you can say so, and they should respond professionally—not argue or punish you.

Practical signs of safe, respectful support include: staff using correct manual handling, infection control, and incident reporting; staff arriving when agreed and following your support schedule; and using strategies that match your goals and behaviours (not “one-size-fits-all” rules). If you’re using plan management, you can also check invoices and services against your plan and support agreement through MyMoney NDIS at www.planmanager.net.au.

Key takeaway: Safe, respectful support is more than “being nice”—it means your worker follows your choices, your plan, and safe practices every time.

You can compare providers and support options by looking at how they explain their worker screening, training, complaints process and how they manage risks. My Care Finders can help you compare providers, so you can choose supports that fit your needs and feel right for you.

• Consent and dignity: they ask, explain, and respect “yes”, “no” and “not yet”.
• Privacy: they protect your personal information and only share it when allowed.
• Safety: they use safe techniques, report hazards, and follow behaviour/support plans.
• Accountability: they listen to feedback and act quickly if there’s a problem.