Community Support Worker
What the work is
Facilitates and assists with the delivery of community development and education programs within a community to address issues, needs and problems associated with recreational, health, employment and other welfare matters.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Provides practical and emotional support to individuals and families, and referrals to available resources and emergency supplies, such as food vouchers
- Assesses individuals' and families' needs by planning, implementing and accessing relevant educational, training and support programs
- Assesses community needs and resources for health, welfare, housing, employment, training and other facilities and services
- Raises awareness in the community and advocates for groups of people that require additional assistance to establish community connectivity
- Educates individuals to gain life skills to enable independent living and informs them of available support resources
- Identifies and provides resolutions to immediate issues such as lack of housing, mental health crises and other health emergencies
- Assists individuals and families to be actively involved in their local community and engage in meaningful opportunities to promote healthy active living
- Coordinates mobile voluntary services such as emergency food response or delivery of food for community programs
- Provides individuals with transport to appointments, programs or recreational activities
- Supports individuals and families with recovery planning, goal setting and access to mental health services
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a neighbourhood house and community hall run with the help of local council. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A program that began with three people now fills the hall every Thursday
- Someone who arrived alone and quiet is now helping set up chairs
- A grant comes through and you can tell the group it was their idea that earned it
Hard days
- A public meeting where one loud voice takes over and quiet ones go home
- Funding runs out for a program that people clearly love
- Two groups who both need the same room on the same night
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 411232, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.