NWRSS adheres to the principles of equal employment opportunity without favour or bias in regard to age, sex, ethnic origin, marital status, disability, religion, political opinion or sexual preference.
The organisation is always open to applications for employment. An Application for Employment Package can be printed from our website address at the bottom of this document and sent in for consideration.
NWRSS rarely runs position specific recruitment advertisements.
Recruitment presentations are publicly advertised and run for people who think they might be suited to disability support work. After the two hour presentation that covers working in shared homes, tenancy support, lifestyle support and intensive support those interested are asked to formally apply for employment in their area of interest. This process of using public presentations attracts people with the potential to be trained who would not have had the confidence to respond to a formal advertisement.
On receipt of an application the applicant will be contacted for a preliminary telephone interview. This interview can result in the cessation of the process by letter or an invitation to a personal interview with a supervisor. Cessation letters, where possible, will carry advice for improving the chances of gaining work in the disability sector.
Appointments are made according to:
- How well the applicant understands the organisation’s philosophy
- How well they know and understand how to work in the best interests of people who need support
- How well they understand how to work within a team
- How well they understand the legal and safety requirements of a workplace
- How well they understand the sensitivity required when a home also becomes a workplace
Our website is a source of information on these criteria including position descriptions.
Two reference checks are required before being employed.
All successful applicants enter a trial period to confirm their suitability, in particular how they relate to the people being supported, before regular rostered hours are offered.
Extra hours are earned by workplace reputation and a growing understanding of the aforementioned selection criteria. Appraisals are available in accordance with the Staff Appraisal Policy on the website.
Advancement to higher disability support worker levels, including supervision and management, are earned by taking part in our internal development and leadership training program that is outlined in the Organisational Structure on our website.
NWRSS supports employee participation in external certification training.
National police checks need to be sighted prior to an offer of work.
Pre-employment medical checks may be requested to confirm that physical and mental health is adequate for the demands of the work.
The manager and supervisors’ positions, if vacated, become the responsibility of the Board of Management to fill, in a process that they will determine at the time. This could be by calling for applications and conducting panel interviews. Given the internal development and leadership program, they may decide to promote existing employees to these positions or appoint them temporarily until they resolve the replacement process.