Choosing Your Own Support Workers: What Changed for Me
Choosing support workers on your own terms: one participant's real, practical story of self-managing and building a support team that finally fit.
For a long time, my support workers were chosen for me. A roster would arrive, a different face would turn up, and I would start explaining my morning routine all over again. This is the story of how I moved to choosing my own workers, what surprised me, and the exact steps I took. It is a warm account rather than a rulebook, but the steps are real and you can follow them too.
Where I started
The switch to choosing for myself
Writing down what 'good support' means to me
Searching and shortlisting
The first messages and meet-and-greets
Trialling, then building a small team
The admin side, honestly
What changed for me
Frequently asked questions
Can I choose my own support workers on the NDIS?
Yes. If you self-manage or use a plan manager, you can choose your own workers, including independent workers who are not tied to a large agency. Self-management gives you the most say over who supports you, in exchange for taking on more of the record-keeping and coordination yourself.
How do I start choosing my own workers?
Write down what good support looks like for you — routine, tasks, the kind of person you click with — then search for workers who match, shortlist a few, and message them before committing. Start with a trial shift rather than a full roster, and build your team one good person at a time.
What extra responsibilities come with choosing my own workers?
You take on more record-keeping: agreeing clear expectations in writing, tracking invoices and receipts, checking spending against your budget, and making sure everything you pay for is a genuine NDIS support. It takes some setting up, but it usually becomes routine quickly, and the trade-off is…
How do I find independent support workers near me?
On Novida you can search independent workers by location, read how they describe their experience and approach, and message them privately to ask questions and arrange a meet-and-greet — all in one place, so your early conversations are documented and you never have to commit from a profile alone.