The mechanism
The STEP Method
Snapshot → Target → Experience → Progress → repeat. Four stages that turn a broad adult-life goal into something that can be practised — and then show whether it is changing.
Stage 1 of 4
Snapshot
Where are things now?
What happens
- A conversation about what they want more control over
- What they already do themselves, and how consistently
- What support is in place now, and who does what
Why it matters
Practice built on assumptions stops happening. The Snapshot keeps the plan theirs, and it is the baseline that makes progress visible later.
Illustrative example
Sam wants to get to TAFE without a parent driving him. Right now he can walk to the bus stop and tap on, but needs step-by-step guidance for the transfer at the interchange.
Stage 2 of 4
Target
What matters next?
What happens
- One broad goal becomes one specific capability, in one setting
- Written so anyone could tell whether it is changing
- Small enough to practise every week
Why it matters
“More independent with travel” cannot be practised or observed. A specific target can be, and it gives the worker something concrete to do on Tuesday.
Illustrative example
Target: complete the familiar route to TAFE, including the interchange transfer, with no more than one prompt.
Stage 3 of 4
Experience
Practise it in real life.
What happens
- Practised in the real setting, not simulated
- Repeated often enough to become reliable
- Support moves up and down as the moment requires
Why it matters
Capability is tied to context. Practising in the real place, with variation, is what makes it hold on a rainy Tuesday when the bus is late.
Illustrative example
Four Tuesdays in a row on the real route. In week two the bus is replaced by a shuttle, so working out what to do next becomes part of the practice.
Stage 4 of 4
Progress
What is changing?
What happens
- What changed is reviewed against the target and the Snapshot
- Shows up as initiation, assistance needed, confidence, consistency or asking for help
- The target is adjusted, replaced or kept, and the cycle repeats
Why it matters
Without this step, support has no way of knowing whether it is working. It also gives families and Support Coordinators something concrete for a plan review.
Illustrative example
Assistance moved from step-by-step guidance to one prompt at the interchange, and Sam now asks a staff member when a service changes.
Graded assistance
How much support, and when.
Inside the Experience stage, support is not a fixed setting. A worker might demonstrate a step, guide the next one, prompt at the tricky moment, then stand back entirely — within the same afternoon.
Worth being clear about
STEP is about building capability, not removing necessary support. Needing support is not a failure, less support is not automatically better, and nobody is expected to reach the top rung. The goal is more choice, more self-direction and the right level of help at the right time.
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.
Boundaries
What STEP is not.
- Not a clinical assessment. The Snapshot is a planning conversation, not a Functional Capacity Assessment, diagnostic tool or NDIS eligibility or funding assessment.
- Not therapy. Waymaker does not provide therapeutic, clinical or specialist behaviour support.
- Not a fixed curriculum. Two participants can be on the Pathway for a year and practise almost nothing in common.
- Not a promise of outcomes. What we commit to is structure, honesty about what we observe, and the participant staying in charge.
Come with us
Take the first step, on your terms.
Start with the Scorecard, or talk it through. Either way, you’ll get a straight answer about whether Waymaker is the right fit.