It is important that you still get your support services during the coronavirus pandemic. Your disability support worker is an ‘essential service’. This means that they must still provide services to you during the pandemic.
Your support worker can still come to your house. They must wear a face mask and eye protection when they visit you. This is to protect both of you from coronavirus. When they visit you inside your home you don’t have to wear a mask, but you can if you want to. If you are feeling scared or nervous about this, you and your support worker should talk about this and how you can find ways to be more comfortable.
If you have trouble hearing, and you need to see someone’s lips to understand them, they can take off their mask, but they must stand 1.5 metres away from you.
If your support worker is not wearing a mask and eye protection, please ask them to wear these.
If your support worker calls in sick, the company they work for needs to send another person so that you can get your normal support.
If you get sick with coronavirus, your support worker should still come to help you at home. They may wear a special mask called a P2/N95 respirator to give them extra protection.
There is more information for you and your support workers about wearing masks in the Frequently asked questions for people with disability and their support workers (.docx).
Are you having a problem with your support services?
Coronavirus has changed the way people with disability get their usual support and services. These services are still important. If you are unhappy with your services, you should tell someone. Here is some Easy Read information about who you can call.
You can also lodge a complaint:
- If your support is part of an NDIS plan you can complain to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Call 1800 035 544 or go to ndiscommission.gov.au
- You can complain about any disability worker to the Victorian Disability Worker Commission. Call 1800 497 132 or provide information online.