Cleaning or support work? Choose help around the tasks you need

We Love Support Workers, But They're Not Cleaners

By Jade Taylor · Originally published 26 January 2021

Gloved hands wiping a surface with a cloth and spray

Deeper review: 6 October 2026. The deeper review adds article-specific decisions and audience guidance. Historical passages and their adjacent corrections remain preserved.

Choose around the task rather than the worker’s label

The original provider opinion draws a strong line between cleaning and support work. Current NDIA guidance includes household assistance and skill-building within support work. The useful question is whether the actual task, worker’s skills and booked time fit your needs. Read the official guidance

For a bathroom clean, ask what surfaces, equipment and time are included. For practising a household routine, ask how the worker will involve you and adapt instructions. If you need both, record where each service starts and finishes rather than paying twice for the same task.

Ask which areas the cleaning service cannot clean safely and who supplies the equipment and products.

Original article and dated context

Jade Taylor is the Co-founder and CEO of Sistability – a proud NDIS registered provider specialising in providing housekeeping, cleaning and in-home laundry services to NDIS participants – throughout Sydney and the Northern Rivers NSW – to assist in keeping homes well-maintained and safe.

Support workers (or social carers) are amazing! There’s no doubt about it. They are an invaluable resource to have access to under an NDIS support plan.

They can assist NDIS participants by providing a range of support services including personal care; meal preparation and grocery shopping; companionship and going on adventures together; transportation; running errands with you; nursing and more.

[Clickability update, September 2026: A support-worker title does not establish nursing qualifications. Check that the person has the skills and professional credentials needed for the specific task. Safe and competent support is required.]

If you have a support worker now (or you have considered getting a support worker at any time), you may have noticed that many of them also offer domestic assistance support.

What is domestic assistance

However, it’s important to understand that ‘domestic assistance’ in these circumstances mostly only includes light cleaning duties such as loading and unpacking the dishwasher, wiping down the kitchen counter, light dusting and doing some laundry or putting things away.

And that’s all great! But generally a home needs more than that to maintain it.

We have had a number of participants contact us after realising that relying on their support workers to help them around the home with their cleaning and laundry simply isn’t enough or fair to the support worker - a participant's home needs more of a thorough clean, more often, by specialist cleaners who are willing to get down on their hands and knees to get to those hard to reach places like inside the oven.

If you're wondering whether this type of house work is included in your plan, here's a helpful guide to cleaning and the NDIS.

We don’t claim to be experts in the kitchen; we can’t look after your kids, take you to appointments or run errands for you; but what we can do is clean!

Choosing the right provider

The truth is, you can have your cake and eat it too! It’s not about choosing one service provider over the other. By hiring a specialist cleaning team to look after your HOME, AND a support worker to focus on YOU, you get the best of both worlds.

And did you know that you can use your NDIS support plan to pay for domestic cleaning services with NO gap? Talk to your NDIS Planner, LAC, or Support Coordinator to find out more.

[Clickability update, September 2026: This is not a blanket funding or price guarantee. Check the service is an eligible NDIS support, fits your plan and budget, and clarify any costs you will pay yourself. Read current NDIA support rules.]

For more information on all the cleaning, in-home laundry and housekeeping services that we provide NDIS participants, you check out what we do here, or explore the benefits of cleaning in this blog post.

Choose the worker around the job and required skills

Use one shared task sheet to prevent gaps

Create three columns: task, person responsible and frequency. A cleaner might do the agreed thorough clean while a support worker helps the participant organise laundry between visits. That is one possible arrangement, not a rule for every household.

Review missed tasks with the participant first. A family preference for an immaculate home should not silently replace the participant’s priorities or extend someone’s shift. If a task repeatedly falls outside the agreement, discuss skills, time and cost rather than blaming a worker for work they were never booked to do.

Explain what your cleaning service cannot safely deliver

Be specific about heavy lifting, hazardous work, nursing, personal care and products or equipment you do not supply. A cleaning business and a support service may have different competence and insurance arrangements. Do not imply that every participant needs two providers or that a funded service always has no personal cost.

Agree the service and proposed charges in terms the participant can understand. Use the agreement to resolve overlap and revisit it if needs change. Read the official guidance

Questions readers ask

Can a support worker ever help with cleaning?

Yes, if it is within the agreed service and the worker can provide it safely. The article’s distinction is a provider perspective, not a universal prohibition. Official guidance

Does choosing a registered cleaner guarantee no private costs?

No. Check funding eligibility, your plan, the agreed charges and any privately paid items before booking. Official guidance

Must I hire a cleaner as well as a support worker?

No. Start with your actual tasks, the worker’s agreed scope and available funding. Separate services can help where there is a real gap, but they are not a universal requirement. Official guidance

Find a cleaner for the tasks you need covered

Describe your home-cleaning needs through Clickability. Browse cleaning providers and reviews, then confirm the service and costs directly.

Find a cleaning provider · Browse cleaning providers