If you’re considering joining the 47,600 professionals currently working as community support workers in Australia, you’re about to enter one of the most meaningful industries. That’s because carers and social workers who work in this field significantly affect people’s lives.
Those community support workers in Australia can look forward to an average salary of $61k per year. However, wages don’t tend to be the driving force behind people engaging in social work. It’s more about helping young and old people live long, fulfilling lives.
The Role of Community Support Workers in Mental Health
As part of NDIS and other mental health services in Australia, community support workers offer all kinds of support for various mental health issues. Typically, you’ll also engage with the homeless, drug addicts, and abuse victims.
As well as offering advocacy services to people, you may be involved in early intervention programs and more, right at the heart of your community, with your duties including:
- Providing outreach help & referrals to other health services
- Monitoring client progress & maintaining records
- Delivering emotional support via counselling services
- Offering living assistance & patient care
- Developing treatment plans
As well as NDIS providers, you may work with family support services, community centres, domestic violence centres, and other mental health organisations. Employed alongside occupational therapists, registered nurses, mental health nurses, and other mental health professionals, mental health support workers do everything they can to enrich the lives of their clients.
The Importance of Community Support Workers in Mental Health
When you work in the mental health field, you help with various physical and mental disabilities. As you support people, you allow them to live more fulfilling and independent lives. It’s highly varied work, too, as you may be helping someone with schizophrenia one day or empowering someone to overcome substance abuse the next.
Without the help offered by community health service providers, the lived experience of people in need would be much less rewarding and restricted.
Benefits of Community Support Workers for Patients with Mental Illness
The benefits to those receiving this mental health care support are significant, as their standard of life improves immeasurably. As well as helping to minimise their mental health problems, you’ll also assist in the following ways:
- Providing Emotional Support
- Assistance with Daily Living
- Encouragement, Advocacy & Empowerment
- Offering important psychosocial services
The Impact of community support workers on mental health outcomes is also huge, as it reduces hospitalisation, improves social interaction, and increases adherence to treatment plans. This kind of help enhances the person’s life and reduces the burden on the Australian healthcare system.
Training & Studying for Community Support Workers in Mental Health
What do you need to start a career in mental health support work? Ideally, you should complete a Bachelor of Nursing or Bachelor of Social Work, although entry-level positions may not have strict requirements.
Alternatively, you can pursue TAFE study, which allows you to progress through various levels, starting from foundational courses and leading up to a more advanced course in Mental Health. This pathway provides practical skills and knowledge essential for working in the field.
Or You Could Take the Online Learning Path
There is another option that’s less time-consuming and altogether more convenient, and it comes in the form of our Aged Care, Counselling & Community Courses. Being remote doesn’t matter if you’re in Perth or Victoria; you can get the training you need.
What’s more, you get CPD points for every hour completed, which looks amazing on your CV - as do the micro-credential courses you’ve completed. All that’s needed is a smartphone and a spare 10 minutes to engage with a module; the cost of learning is much lower.
Training like our Work Effectively in the Community Sector course gives you the skills needed to work in the social care sector - something you can take at your own pace and engage with from the comfort of your living room or kitchen table.
Learn the Community Support Worker Skills You Need With OCA Online Learning
The social care and mental health fields are hugely rewarding sectors that allow you to derive real meaning from the work you do, and the easiest and most convenient way to gain them is via our CPD-endorsed, video-based short courses online. Putting your training firmly in your hands, you learn on your terms.
Furthermore, our course content is next-level, as it’s been created in collaboration with experts from the social care field. Watch our short Student Study Demo; you’ll see that every OCA learner gets an expert mentor and access to a platform encouraging people to engage in lifelong learning.
To learn more about what makes us different from other providers and to see our full course library that covers 20+ professional sectors, visit us today at www.onlinecoursesaustralia.edu.au, where you’ll also see our flexible payment options.
Alternatively, if you’d like to speak to a team member, call 1300 611 404 or email [email protected], and we’ll respond as quickly as possible.
