When Dylan Blackley worked as a support worker for people with disabilities, he noticed something important was missing. Many young people weren’t connecting with their older support workers. They needed someone more like them – someone they could relate to.
“I saw some clients falling through the gaps,” Dylan explains. “The values and morals I were witnessing didn’t always align with mine.”
So, Dylan started Support & Connect, a service that matches participants with mentors they can truly connect with. What began as just Dylan helping a few people has grown remarkably fast – his team now includes 25 mentors supporting over 80 participants in just 18 months!
The Power of the Right Connection
At the heart of Support & Connects success is a simple but powerful idea: people thrive when they work with mentors they can relate to.
Dylan shares a story that perfectly illustrates this point:
“A 20-year-old young man was referred to us after having bad experiences with other services. We were advised to take it very slowly with him – that he doesn’t engage well and lacks motivation. We were told to keep it to just two hours a week.”
What happened next surprised everyone. When paired with a mentor closer to his age with similar interests:
- He immediately asked for more support hours.
- He set ambitious goals including learning to swim, managing finances, and getting into the gym.
- He achieved nearly all his goals within just one year.
- He now engages in 10 hours of support each week.
“The feedback he gave us was that he just never had the right mentors before,” Dylan explains. “He was having 40-50 year old people trying to support him, which was never going to work for this client.”
This transformation highlights Support & Connects core philosophy: without the right personal connection, support work simply cannot succeed.
Breaking Industry Stereotypes
Creating a team capable of delivering these transformative connections required Dylan to challenge established industry norms.
“When I started looking for mentors, this field is very much dominated by workers in the more mature bracket, and heavily female-driven,” Dylan notes. “Trying to break that stigma and find young, sporty, outgoing males was a big barrier.”
Finding that first young male mentor was nearly impossible, but once he succeeded, momentum began to build:
- The first hire became Dylan’s second-in-charge.
- The second hire was just as difficult.
- The third was a bit easier
- Then it became easier and easier
Today, approximately 15-20 team members at Support & Connect are under 30 years old – a dramatic departure from industry norms.
“It makes me really proud to know that I’ve broken that stigma,” Dylan reflects. His organisation has created new pathways for young people to enter the disability support sector while building a team uniquely positioned to connect with younger participants.
Goals Come First
What makes Support & Connect special isn’t just who they hire – it’s their unwavering focus on helping participants achieve meaningful goals.
“We are so goal oriented as an organisation,” Dylan emphasises. “We don’t like to just sit back and have a coffee. We want to fulfill those client’s goals.”
Dylan understands that what counts as a significant achievement varies for each person:
- For some, it might be getting to the gym for the first time.
- For others, it might be learning to manage money.
- Some might want to build confidence to go shopping.
“A life-changing goal for each individual means a different thing,” Dylan points out. “Every goal is just as important to fulfill for us, so it means everything. It’s super important for each client’s independence and helps them move further along as a person.”
Why It Matters: Dylan’s Personal Connection
Dylan’s passion for helping others stems from both professional ambitions and personal experience. Before starting Support & Connect, he was training to become a paramedic, demonstrating his desire to make a difference in people’s lives. His motivation also comes from having a younger brother with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which has given him firsthand insight into the challenges families face. Throughout his life, Dylan has always aspired to be a positive role model, especially for his brother.
“I love nothing more than seeing people achieve their goals and the smiles I get from that,” Dylan shares. “That’s the main thing.”
This personal connection has deepened his understanding of the challenges faced by participants and their families, making his approach both professional and deeply empathetic.
Looking Ahead: Thoughtful Growth
As Support & Connect continues to expand, Dylan remains focused on sustainability while exploring opportunities to offer more services.
“We’ve just started offering counselling – I’m a qualified counsellor, which adds another dimension to what we can offer,” he explains. “Maybe even some occupational therapy in the future as well.”
Despite these ambitions, Dylan approaches growth with care rather than haste. “I hope what we’ve got now can be sustainable, and we can continue a lot of what we’re doing at the moment.”
Advice for Families
For families considering Support & Connects services, Dylan offers thoughtful guidance:
- Take your time making a decision.
- Do your research.
- Make sure the service is the right fit for your family member.
- Reach out for a free initial meeting to see if Support & Connect is right for you.
“This is a huge life decision,” Dylan says. “It’s your family member that you’re wanting to engage support with, so don’t rush into it.”
The Proof Is in the Results
The organisation’s remarkable growth from a sole trader to a team of 25 supporting over 80 participants in just 18 months speaks volumes about the effectiveness of their approach.
“We don’t grow that big or that quick without a reputation,” Dylan notes humbly. “I’d like to hope that we’ve made an impact on every participant’s life, and it’s been a positive one.”Through its innovative matching process, goal-oriented support, and diverse team of mentors, Support & Connect continues to transform lives – not by following industry conventions, but by creating genuine connections that empower participants to achieve what once seemed impossible.
