In 2025–26, DHS partnered with Flinders University on a study about ‘span of control’. Span of control refers to the number of disability support workers one supervisor should be responsible for when support workers are working alone in isolated settings.
Flinders University reviewed existing research and produced a report with key findings to guide good supervision for disability support workers, and to help ensure the safety of both workers and people with disability.
There is little research about supervision ratios for isolated disability support workers. So the report also looked at related evidence and practical insights to help services choose the supervision approach that works best for them.
Key finding
People with disability and support workers are safer when supervision is strong, timely, skilled and treated as a core part of quality support.
Supporting findings
Support workers who work alone need strong supervision, because working alone with people with disability carries real risks.
The review found that quality supervision is:
- regular and planned
- protected from being skipped when things get busy
- easy to access
- tailored to disability
- responsive to risk
- built on trust
- focused on human rights
- backed by a manageable number of workers per supervisor.
There's no single correct ratio of workers to supervisors.
The right number should be based on:
- the needs of the people being supported
- how experienced the worker is
- the level of risk and complexity involved
- the service setting
- the supervisor's own capacity and skills
- how quickly workers may need support to make decisions.
Resources
Flinders University Span of Control plain language summary (Online)
Flinders University Span of Control Final Report (PDF 957.9 KB)
Flinders University Span of Control Final Report (DOCX 976.1 KB)
Flinders University Span of Control Overview of Key Findings (PDF 259.7 KB)
Flinders University Span of Control Overview of Key Findings (DOCX 112.6 KB)
More information
Phone DHS on 8415 4383
Email DHSDisabilityInclusion@sa.gov.au