Aged care and disability support resume

Start with the person’s support context

Read the advertisement for the service setting, duties, shift arrangements and travel expectations. Residential aged care, community support and disability services can involve different work. Choose examples that fit the advertised responsibilities instead of using a single generic “care worker” resume for every setting.

Your summary can state the settings you know and the contribution you can support with examples. Avoid broad clinical claims if your role was support work. Describe collaboration with supervisors and other workers accurately, and keep the person receiving support anonymous.

Make the evidence easy to check

The Australian resume guide explains the general structure. Use the referees guide to prepare contacts without disclosing their details unnecessarily.

Check NDIS screening against the role

The NDIS Commission’s worker-screening guidance explains screening for particular roles, including risk-assessed roles with registered providers. State and territory units conduct the checks. Do not assume that every job labelled disability support has identical screening instructions.

State the named check and truthful current status when the employer requests it. Keep an application in progress distinct from a clearance. Follow the employer and relevant screening unit’s current process rather than copying a portal instruction from an older blog.

A police check is a separate item. Victoria Police’s guidance says employers and organisations may request a National Police Certificate and advises asking the requesting organisation if you are unsure which type is needed. That does not establish a universal police-check rule for every care role.

Fictional worked example: a useful support-work bullet

Fictional example: Morgan Example worked at Fictional Harbour Support. The candidate, provider and events below are invented; no client story or private record has been reused.

The original bullet says: “Provided excellent care and helped clients.” A more useful version is: “Prepared a clear shift handover from agreed support notes, highlighting an outstanding appointment request for the incoming worker to follow up.”

A second example is: “Noticed that a planned activity no longer matched the person’s preference, checked the change through the agreed process and recorded the updated plan for the next shift.”

These examples explain communication, choice and continuity. They do not claim that Morgan independently changed clinical treatment or performed a task outside their role. In your version, describe what you personally did and the result you can discuss without identifying the person receiving support.

Describe qualifications and training accurately

If you hold a Certificate III or IV, use its exact title, institution and completion status. Do not relabel a qualification to match the advertisement. If you are enrolled, say that and give an expected completion only when you have a reliable basis. This guide does not assert that one qualification is mandatory for every aged care or disability position.

For first aid, list the actual relevant training and current status when requested. Check the employer’s requirements rather than assuming one course covers every task. Keep training and the responsibilities you were authorised to perform as separate claims.

Safe Work Australia’s health-care and social-assistance guidance identifies people handling among hazardous manual tasks. A resume should describe your actual training, equipment and procedures carefully; it should not offer lifting instructions or imply a generic course authorises every transfer.

Match evidence to your career stage

For a first role, use supervised placement, volunteering or adjacent work with clear labels. Examples of reliable handovers, respectful communication and following an agreed procedure can be useful when they are real. Do not invent direct-support experience to fill a gap.

For an experienced role, show the setting and responsibilities that match the vacancy. For a coordinator position, explain the planning and communication you owned and how you followed up unresolved work. Keep the person’s privacy and your own scope visible at every level.

Before applying, compare the resume against the advertisement line by line. The job-ad glossary helps explain unfamiliar wording. Check qualifications, screening status, dates and referee permission, then review the actual exported file.

Questions about care and support resumes

Does every disability support job require the same screening?

Do not assume that. Check the role, provider and jurisdiction against the current NDIS Commission guidance and the employer’s instructions.

Should I include a Certificate III or IV still in progress?

Yes, when relevant, but label it as current enrolment rather than a completed qualification. Use the exact course title and truthful completion information.

Can I describe a client outcome?

Describe your contribution without identifying the person or disclosing private support or medical details. Avoid claiming that you caused an outcome you cannot substantiate.

Is manual-handling training enough to claim every support task?

State actual training and check the responsibilities, procedures and authorisation relevant to your role. Training alone does not show that you have performed every support task.

Sources and review

Official pages checked 17 October 2026: NDIS worker screening, Victoria Police checks and Safe Work Australia manual tasks.