Types of jobs

There are many types of jobs available in the care and support sector.

Most of the roles available are one-on-one support work. However, there are many other opportunities available, including roles in specialised support, allied health, nursing, management and administration.

Every role is unique. It’s best to check the position description of a job you’re interested in carefully.

Care and support worker

Care and support workers help people with daily activities to live more fully and independently.

Support worker roles can have many different names. You might see them described as care worker, direct support worker or personal carer. More experienced care and support workers may have titles such as enhanced care worker, senior care worker, team leader or senior support officer.

Some organisations may only deliver services to people with disability, seniors or veterans, or only one aspect of care, such as assistance with daily living, community participation, activity coordination, end-of-life care, or rehabilitation.

Stories about care and support work

Find information on capabilities needed for support roles in the disability sector

Domestic assistance

There are roles supporting older Australians, people with disabilities and veterans with domestic tasks required to keep their home running. This can include cleaning, cooking, home maintenance and gardening.

Other social care roles

There are a wide range of roles that work alongside care and support workers.

These roles may include:

support coordinators, who coordinate care, support and equipment from across different services and community groups
advocacy workers, who ensure people have their voice heard on issues that are important to them, including decisions about their lives.

Managers

If you are looking for a leadership position, there are jobs available for managers, team leaders and supervisors.

These roles may have a direct link to the support work being done. For example, you may be a senior support worker with additional responsibilities such as supervising, training and mentoring other staff members, coordinating schedules and supporting participants to put their care and support plans into action.

Other roles function at a more corporate level and may involve the day-to-day running of the business and its services.

Administration

The care and support sector also needs people who support workers, businesses and operations.

Administrative staff keep the wheels of the care and support sector moving. These are vital roles and there is always a need for workers in finance, human resources, reception, data entry and many other aspects of administration that keep the organisation running smoothly.

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Allied health or other specialised professional

Allied health or other qualified professionals usually specialise in a particular type of support, and will typically have extra qualifications, such as a university degree.

These roles include:

speech pathologists
occupational therapists
psychologists
social workers
physiotherapists
behaviour support specialists
dietitians
counsellors.

Nurses

There are several different types of nurses in Australia. The main differences involve the type of education and training they have done and the tasks they are responsible for.

Enrolled nurses (ENs) complete a 2-year Diploma of Nursing through a vocational education provider, to meet the EN standards for practice.
Registered nurses (RNs) complete a 3-year Bachelor of Nursing or 2-year Master of Nursing through a university to meet the RN standards for practice.
Nurse practitioners (NPs) are RNs who the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) have endorsed as an NP. NPs practice independently in an advanced and extended clinical role and can diagnose and treat a number of conditions including prescribing some medicines.

Last updated: 4 July 2023