Are you taking enough breaks?

Support Worker Breaks

As per Occupational Health and Safety Legislation while at work, you must take reasonable care for your own health and safety. This includes ensuring that you have adequate rest breaks or rest periods to control risks, to relieve fatigue and to be able to eat a meal if working in excess of 5 hours.

Rest/Tea Breaks

It is recommended that you take a 10 min rest break in each four hours worked at a time agreed with your participant. Rest/tea breaks count as time worked. Tea breaks will still need to be recorded on your timesheets, this will not be deducted from your time worked.

Meal Breaks

It is recommended that you take a meal break of not less than 30-minutes for shifts in excess of 5 hours. This is an unpaid meal break to be taken at a time mutually agreed with your participant.

In some circumstances you may only be able to take a meal break with your participant, therefore it may be negotiated with them that you are paid for your meal break. These paid breaks will still be required to be recorded on your timesheet. It will need to be noted that it is a paid break so it is not deducted from your time worked.

Cancellation of shifts with your participant

There may be times you are unable to attend a shift. Best practice would be to notify your participant as soon as possible so they can make other arrangements.

The minimum notice that is required as per CPSN’s Home & Personal care Employees (casual), Victorian Workplace agreement (2006-2009)

Section 18 Duty and Responsibility of Casuals (18.5) The employee shall give the family/client a minimum of 3 hours’ notice of an inability to attend a shift.