The service · Western & South-Western Sydney
The Waymaker Independence Pathway
Structured one-to-one support for young adults aged 18-25, built around practising the parts of adult life they want more control over. This page explains exactly what that involves — before you talk to anyone.
Section 1
Who the Pathway is for
The Pathway is built for one situation: a young adult, roughly 18-25, moving into adult life, who has real goals and still needs practice, prompting or guidance across some everyday situations.
They may live at home. They may rely on family for a lot of everyday organising. They may have finished school recently, or be figuring out what comes after a program that has ended. What matters is that they want more say over how their week runs, and can take part in the same practice repeatedly.
Speaking directly to the young adult reading this: this is support you direct. You choose what gets practised, how much help you want, and what you would rather do yourself. If a goal on the list is not yours, say so and it comes off.
Funding
Waymaker currently works with self-managed and plan-managed participants.
Waymaker Pathways is not a registered NDIS provider and works with self-managed and plan-managed participants. Whether a support can be funded depends on the participant’s own plan and circumstances.
Section 2
The transition problem, and the gap inside it
The move into adult life changes the goals faster than it changes the number of chances to practise them.
While school is running, structure comes built in: a timetable, a bus, staff who know the routine, a predictable week. When that ends, the structure goes with it — usually at the same moment the expectations get bigger.
What tends to fill the gap is help. Someone drives them. Someone orders for them. Someone fills in the form, makes the call, remembers the appointment. Every one of those is a reasonable decision in the moment, and together they can quietly remove the practice.
We call the result the Practice Gap: the difference between knowing what to do and being able to do it consistently in real life, with the right level of support.
The gap in practice
- Knows the bus routeHas travelled it alone twice
- Can count changeHas paid for their own lunch this month
- Wants to workHas practised the morning routine that gets them there
- Can follow a recipeHas decided, shopped for and cooked a meal
Section 3
Why activity is not the same as capability-building
This is not a criticism of support workers. It is a difference in how the hours are structured.
Support organised around activity
The session is planned around what to do. It might be enjoyable, useful and genuinely valued — and still leave capability where it started, because nothing was targeted and nothing was tracked.
Support organised around capability
The session is planned around one capability the participant chose, practised at a support level that suits the moment, with what changed written down. The activity is the vehicle, not the point.
Section 4
The STEP Method, in short
Snapshot
Where are things now?
What matters to them, what they already do, what support is in place, and where there is room for more participation.
Target
What matters next?
A broad goal becomes one specific, real-world capability worth practising - specific enough to know whether it is changing.
Experience
Practise it in real life.
The same capability, practised in the actual setting, with the level of support that fits the moment.
Progress
What is changing?
Initiation, participation, assistance needed, confidence, consistency, problem-solving, asking for help.
Section 5
What gets practised, and who chooses
Practice can sit anywhere across six areas of adult life:
- Daily life and routines — getting ready, organising belongings, keeping a week running.
- Money and everyday decisions — paying, comparing, staying within an amount, choosing.
- Getting around and community — familiar journeys, and what to do when a plan changes.
- Communication and self-advocacy — saying what they want and do not want, asking for help.
- Social and community participation — taking part in things they actually enjoy, the way they want to.
- Work and study readiness — the routines around a regular commitment.
Nobody is put through all six. Most people work on one or two capabilities at a time, and the participant decides which.
Participant choice is structural, not a slogan
Targets are agreed with the participant and can be changed by them at any point. If they do not want a capability on the list, it comes off — including if a parent or referrer suggested it.
Worker matching
Matching is on the practical things that decide whether practice actually happens: the goals in play, shared interests, communication style, language, gender preference where it matters, and availability that fits the real routine.
Section 6
What the first month can look like
Week 1
Independence Call and fit
A conversation about goals, context and whether Waymaker is the right fit. If it is not, we say so here.
Weeks 1-2
Snapshot
Meeting the participant, understanding what they want more control over, what they already do, and what support is in place.
Week 2
Match and first target
A worker matched to them, and one specific capability agreed as the starting target.
Weeks 3-4
Practice begins
The same capability practised in the real setting, with the support level adjusted as needed and notes on what got in the way.
This is an illustration of the sequence, not a promised timeframe. Actual timing depends on availability, funding and what suits the participant.
Section 7
Support that moves, and progress that is visible
Graded assistance
Support moves up and down this ladder, in both directions
Where support sits depends on the person, the activity, the environment, safety and their own preference. Moving down a rung is not failure, and the top rung is not the goal for everyone.
- Rung 1: Demonstrate / do withA worker shows or does it alongside them.
- Rung 2: GuideStep-by-step guidance through the task.
- Rung 3: PromptReminders and check-ins at the right moments.
- Rung 4: StandbyA worker is there, but not stepping in.
- Rung 5: Self-directedThey lead, and ask for help when they want it.
How progress is described
Not as a score. As changes anyone can recognise:
- Whether they start the task themselves
- How much of it they take part in
- What level of assistance is needed now
- Confidence, and consistency across different days
- Problem-solving when something changes
- Asking for help at the right moment
- Doing it somewhere new, with someone else
Family and referrer involvement
Set up at the start, with the participant's agreement about what is shared and with whom. Support Coordinators can receive progress information useful for a plan review. The participant decides the boundaries of that — they are an adult, and it is their information.
Section 8
What the Pathway is not
Not therapy, clinical or specialist behaviour support
Not a clinical, functional capacity, eligibility or funding assessment
Not supported independent living or 24-hour care
Not a fixed skills curriculum everyone completes
Not a guarantee about how capability will change
Not support that decides goals on a participant’s behalf
If what you need sits in one of those categories, we would rather point you elsewhere than take it on. See who Waymaker is and is not for.
Questions
Pathway questions
How often does practice happen?
It depends on the plan, the target and what the participant wants. Capability builds through repetition, so a regular weekly rhythm usually works better than occasional long sessions.
Who decides what gets practised?
The participant. Families and referrers add context and we bring structure, but a target nobody chose is a target that quietly stops happening.
What if a target turns out to be wrong?
We change it. The Progress stage exists partly to catch that - a target that is not working tells us something useful.
Can support increase again?
Yes. Support moves in both directions. Illness, a new environment, a change at home or a hard month can all mean stepping back up the ladder, and that is a normal part of the process.
Do you work with other providers and therapists?
Yes, with the participant’s agreement. If an OT has recommended an approach, practising it in real settings is often exactly what is missing.
Is this the same as community access?
It can look similar from the outside - both involve being out in the community. The difference is that a Pathway session has a target, a support level, and a record of what changed.
Three ways to take the next step
Whichever one fits, you will get a straight answer about whether Waymaker is the right fit.
Parent or family member
Six areas, about four minutes, a capability profile and up to three suggested priorities.
Take the Independence ScorecardSupport Coordinator or professional
Minimal referral details up front. We review fit and come back to you either way.
Refer a young adultReady to talk it through
A short Independence Call about goals, fit and how practice would actually work.
Discuss your goals