Your First Support Worker Visit: What to Expect

Published by SESI Care Services · Updated August 2026 · 2-minute summary

Quick answer: The first support worker visit is usually a little slower and slightly awkward, and that’s normal — most people say it settles by the third or fourth shift. Before the visit, your provider should ask about your routine, preferences and household so the worker isn’t guessing. On the day, the worker introduces themselves, shows ID, and checks with you before doing anything with your body. You are never locked in with one worker — if it isn’t a good fit after a shift or two, you can ask to change, and that’s a completely ordinary request.

Key takeaways

• The provider should ask before the worker arrives — your routine, preferences, gender preference if you have one, pets, parking, keys, who else is home, allergies, and what you want done first.
• The service agreement sets the ground rules, including the schedule of supports and what happens if a worker doesn’t turn up.
• Nothing happens to your body without you being told first. A worker should explain what they’re about to do and check you’re comfortable with it.
• The first shift is often stiff and a bit slow. Expect the worker to ask questions you’d rather not repeat, and expect some silence. It usually settles by shift three or four.
• Small practical things matter — where the worker puts their bag, whether you make them tea (you don’t have to), and whether family stays for the first visit.
• You can change worker. One or two shifts that don’t click is not a failure on your part; ask your provider for a different worker — and it is worth thinking early about whether you want the same worker every time or a small team.
• A short check-in after the first few shifts is normal and useful — that’s when the plan gets adjusted to fit you, not the other way around.

What should happen before the first shift?

Before anyone comes to your home, the provider should have asked enough questions that the worker isn’t starting from zero. In practice that means a phone call or intake visit covering:

• Your routine — what time you usually get up, shower, eat, and what order you like things done in
• Preferences — a worker of a particular gender, someone who speaks a certain language, or simply someone quieter or chattier
• Pets — whether you have a dog that barks at strangers, a cat that bolts, or an assistance animal
• Parking and access — where to park, whether there are stairs, whether they’ll need a key or a code, and what to do if you don’t answer the door
• Who else is home — a partner, kids, a housemate, so the worker isn’t surprised
• Allergies or sensitivities — to products, foods, or anything used in personal care
• What you want done first — some people want the hardest task out of the way early; others want to ease in

If nobody has asked you these things before the first shift, it’s fair to raise it with your provider. A worker turning up without this information usually means a longer, more awkward first visit for you both.

What’s in the service agreement, and why does it matter?

The service agreement is the document that sets out what will happen, when, and what to do if something goes wrong — read it before you sign, not after something goes wrong. The NDIA’s guide to service agreements recommends a written agreement with every new provider, covering what supports will be delivered, when and where, the cost, cancellation terms, and how to raise concerns.

Inside (or attached to) the agreement is usually a schedule of supports — the specific days, times and tasks agreed for your shifts. Keep a copy somewhere easy to find. If a worker’s understanding of what they’re there to do doesn’t match yours, the schedule of supports is what you both check against.

Ask, before the first shift, who to call if the worker doesn’t turn up. Most providers have an on-call or office number for exactly this. Save it in your phone rather than trying to find it during a missed shift.

What happens when the worker arrives on the day?

A worker should introduce themselves and show identification before anything else — you’re entitled to see who’s in your home and confirm they’re who the provider sent. Most workers will have read a written support plan beforehand, but expect to explain your routine yourself anyway the first time. Plans miss the small stuff — how you like your tea, which side you prefer help on, what you call things in your own home — and no document replaces you saying it once, in person.

Nothing should happen to your body without you being told first. That’s not a courtesy; it’s what the NDIS Code of Conduct requires of every worker and provider, registered or not — respecting your rights, dignity and privacy, and acting with your informed consent. A worker should say what they’re about to do and check you’re comfortable before they do it, every time, not just on the first visit.

What are the awkward bits nobody mentions?

The practical, slightly odd questions that don’t come up in any brochure but do come up in real homes:

• Where does the worker put their bag and coat? Show them a spot near the door — it sounds trivial, but not knowing adds friction to a visit that already has enough.
• Do you have to make them a cup of tea? No. Some households do it out of habit, some don’t, and either is fine. A worker shouldn’t expect it.
• What if you don’t click with the worker? It happens, and it isn’t a reflection on either of you — say so to your provider; more on this below.
• Should family stay for the first visit? There’s no rule. Some want a partner or parent there to help explain the routine; others prefer to meet the worker one-to-one. Decide what suits you and tell the provider when you book.
• What if the worker is early or late? Reasonable arrival windows should be in the service agreement. If they’re regularly outside it, that’s worth raising.

Is it normal for the first shift to feel a bit awkward?

Yes — expect it to be slower and slightly stiff, not warm and easy, and that’s not a sign anything’s wrong. You’re explaining your routine to someone new, they’re learning your home on the spot, and both of you are more careful and more formal than you’ll be a few weeks in. A task that will later take ten minutes might take twenty the first time.

Most people find it settles by the third or fourth shift, once the worker knows where things are kept and how you like tasks done. If it still feels wrong after several shifts — not just unfamiliar, but genuinely uncomfortable — that’s different from ordinary first-shift stiffness, and worth raising rather than waiting out.

What to have ready, and what to say

Before the visit	What to say
Your daily routine, roughly timed	“I usually get up around 8, shower first, then breakfast.”
Preferences (gender, language, personality)	“I’d prefer a female worker” or “I’d like someone who speaks Vietnamese.”
Pets	“The dog barks at first but settles — just ignore her.”
Parking and access	“Park in the driveway, use the side gate, the door’s unlocked from 9.”
Who else will be home	“My husband will be here, my daughter usually isn’t.”
Allergies or product sensitivities	“No fragranced products, I have sensitive skin.”
What matters most that day	“Can we do the shower first today, I’ve got an appointment after.”

What if I don’t click with the worker?

You’re entitled to ask for a different one, and it’s a routine request, not a complaint. You choose the providers and workers you want to work with, and if the fit isn’t right — a personality clash, or simply a preference you didn’t realise you had until you met them — you can say so. The NDIA’s guide to changing providers starts with the same first step whether you’re changing a worker or a whole provider: talk to them, or ask your support coordinator or a trusted person to raise it for you.

Most providers, SESI included, would rather hear “this worker isn’t the right match” early than have you sit through visits that don’t work. Changing worker after one or two shifts is common enough that it shouldn’t feel like a confrontation to raise.

What happens after the first few shifts?

A short check-in with your provider — a phone call or a quick chat when a coordinator or manager next visits — is a normal part of settling in, not a sign something’s gone wrong. It’s the point where the plan gets adjusted: a different time of day, a change to which tasks come first, more or less time for a task that turned out to take longer or shorter than expected, or a different worker if the first one wasn’t right.

If something feels off and talking to your provider doesn’t fix it, or you’re not comfortable raising it with them directly, you can contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission on 1800 035 544 or through ndiscommission.gov.au. Every registered and unregistered provider is bound by the Code of Conduct, and the Commission handles concerns about how a worker or provider has behaved.

SESI provides personal and domestic activities support and household tasks across Victoria, matched to your routine and preferences from the first shift. If a therapist rather than a support worker is coming to your home, our guide to your first in-home allied health visit covers what to expect there instead. For more on what personal care support actually includes, see NDIS assistance with daily personal activities.

Frequently asked questions

Talk to SESI

If you’re arranging a first support worker visit and want to talk through preferences, routine or timing before the first shift, we’re happy to walk through it with you.

Tell us what’s going on: sesi.com.au/referral · Call: 1800 017 374

This guide is general information based on the NDIA’s guidance on service agreements and changing providers, and the NDIS Code of Conduct published by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, current at August 2026. It is not advice about your individual plan. For help with your own plan or provider, speak with your support coordinator or contact the NDIA on 1800 800 110.