Frequently Asked Questions

MACS was formed in 1992 by a small group of people with physical disabilities who wanted to live more independently in the community. At that point, night-time assistance was primarily achieved through shared accommodation and sleepover support shifts. Resources were pooled together to pay for a support worker to travel between multiple homes, allowing more flexible assistance times, call-in assistance and more cost-effective support. Over time, this service delivery model has expanded to the eleven shifts currently operating.

MACS has a network of support workers travelling throughout the night to provide planned and unplanned support, between 5-55 minutes.  In addition to this, we offer a daytime drop-in shift between 6 am – 2 pm. Our unique responsive service model means that we’re accessible whenever we’re needed. With personalised and fast turnaround support, we enable our customers to enjoy an unrestricted and engaging life on their terms.

Drop-in support is available in Brisbane or the surrounding areas. North Brisbane: 30-minute radius of Chermside. South Brisbane: 30-minute radius of Underwood.

Your disability doesn’t take holidays or disappear at the end of the business day, so neither do we. We’re contactable all night, every night of the year – and our unobtrusive service is designed for maximum independence. A team member drops in at any time to help with exactly what you need, and then says goodbye.

We recognise that support needs can arise at any time, that is why we offer call-in support to help with your occasional unplanned support needs between 6pm and 6am. Call-in support is of a short duration and intended to enhance your comfort and lifestyle throughout the night and into the morning.

• Getting in/out of bed
• Overnight repositioning
• Bowel and Bladder Care
• Medication Assistance
• 2:1supports. We can work in tandem with your primary care team
• Overnight pressure relief / prevention
• Shower and hyenine support
• Meals or drink assistance
• Wellbeing checks
• Charging equipment
• Turning appliances on/off
• Take bin out/in
• Many other small tasks

Drop-in Support meets your care needs at a fraction of a cost.

• A coordinator to organise your services
• Qualified, trained and consistent staff
• Reliable staff who must sign on when they start their shift, which is monitored by our coordination team
• Flexible assistance that can be changed any time you contact the office during office hours. If it’s during the night, you can contact your shift and they will accommodate your request
• A responsive number to contact at any time of the night for call-in assistance
• The ability to book a regular assistance time
• The phone number of your shift is provided to you
• 90% of the time, our staff arrive within 5 minutes of your scheduled assistance time and arrival times are reviewed daily by our coordination team
• If staff are going to be more than 10 minutes late, they will call you with an ETA
• Consistency of staff is achieved by your support worker having three buddy shifts with senior staff so that they become familiar with your routine before going out on their own
• Task-focused drop-in support that ensures your assistance includes all the things you need and nothing you don’t

• Your regular assistance will need to fit in with the flow of our shifts and therefore may not be the exact time you are looking for
• When we receive call-ins, this can at times make us late for your regular assistance
• When another client is away, we may need to alter your assistance time to ensure the efficiency of our shift
• When a client wants to change their assistance time for a one-off, we may contact you to ask you to change your assistance time to accommodate the other person’s request
• When you have a change to your usual assistance or a call-in, you may be assisted by someone whom you have not met before.

You can have this assistance when our shifts are operating in our catchment areas between 6 pm to 6 am, followed by 6 am to 2 pm. Our coordination team can let you know if we can accommodate your preferred time.

Your regular assistance is scheduled into our rosters for a set time, and staff will show up within 10 minutes of that time (if they are running late, they will provide you with an ETA).

Call-ins are when unplanned needs that pop up, or you simply decide you are ready to go to bed, etc.  You can call us and an attendant will swing by to assist you. We offer fast turnaround response times, which are prioritised by need. 

If you would like to change your time, please contact our coordination team and let them know your preferences. One of our friendly team members will look at how we can accommodate your request. If we cannot accommodate your request, we will record your preferences in your file and contact you as soon as a suitable place becomes available.

Where the unplanned occurs, staff can stay for extra time and the additional time will be added to your fortnightly invoice.  If you regularly run over the allotted time, we will discuss increasing the assist time to avoid disruptions to the service for others.

Please contact the office during office hours to cancel your shift. If you need to cancel after hours, please phone your shift. Our cancellation policy applies for short notice cancellations (48 hours).

No, sorry. We are not able to reserve vacant time on our shifts. If you don’t require regular assistance, then our call-in option may be more suitable for you.