Shape Your Support’s unique approach earns awards nod

SHAPE Your Support launched at the height COVID with the goal to push the standards of the disability support sector and strive for excellence in everything its team does.

Led by owner and director Joe Lawrence, the business responded to what it saw as a lack of male support workers operating in the space, opening an all-male brand that only works with male clients in 2020.

“It’s about positive male role models, because they’re sorely lacking in many, many areas of life for a lot of people, especially in the families we work with,” Mr Lawrence said.

In 2022, the business expanded to include Queen Bee Disability Support to also provide gender-tailored support to women and girls.

It’s a unique approach to disability support that has allowed the business to better respond to the differing needs of its participants.

“It is an operational challenge, but it’s one that we’re willing to take on to stand apart and offer something that is unique,” Mr Lawrence said.

The business now supports more than 170 participants, ranging from young children through to adults, and offers programs centred around social connection and community access that assist participants to get out into the community and enjoy difference experiences.

These programs are tailored to the interests of their participants, with activities such as gaming evenings available for young boys, and art classes for teenage girls. Its school holiday program has become one of the biggest in Geelong.

For one young non-verbal participant who felt unable to leave his home without a family member, these programs have helped build both his confidence and trust, enabling the family recently to take a holiday interstate for the first time.

“It’s opened up a whole bunch of new experiences for that participant,” Mr Lawrence said.

This year, Shape Your Support has been named a finalist in the Geelong Business Excellence Awards (GBEAs), sponsored by LBW Business + Wealth Advisors.

For Mr Lawrence and his team, it marks the first external recognition for their hard work and has offered a welcome opportunity to celebrate how far the business has come.

“We don’t really stop. People need support all the time, even across the Christmas period. There’s not a whole bunch of time we spend sitting down reflecting,” he said.

“It really highlighted some of the good work that we’re doing, but it probably also highlighted some of the areas we can improve as well.”

He attributes the team’s success to its strong culture, commitment to excellence and staying true to the business’s roots.

The disability support industry, he said, is one where it’s easy to make the mistake of trying to grow too quickly to meet what is increasing demand for similar services.

Shape Your Support has created stability by fighting that urge and restricting growth to match the team’s capacity.

“Something that you see in our industry is that pressure to be everything to everyone,” Mr Lawrence said.

“We’re pretty good at the dance now, to be honest. We’ve learned to understand those [demand] cycles, but there’s certainly been periods where we’ve grown too quickly and learned some lessons there.”

The winners of this year’s GBEAs will be crowned at a presentation event at Geelong Arts Centre on October 30. For tickets, head to gbea.com.au