Fact sheet
Start your own support
team!
Do you like to get ideas from other people?
Does it help you when you can talk about things you are thinking
about with someone you trust?
Most people say ‘yes’ to those questions.
Some people with disability decide to set up a team of people
that can help them to get ideas and to plan in an ongoing way.
The team is made up of people that they know and trust.
Some people with disability just talk to people
they trust when they need to. Maybe they
catch up for coffee and have a chat. Maybe
they talk on the phone.
If you have lots of people in your life that you
can talk to that is great.
It can be good to keep them up to date with
what is happening for you. Take the effort to
stay in touch.
Other people do not have lots of people they
can talk to about things that are important to
them. They decide they want to start a team.
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Starting your team
Some people decide they want a team that meets on a regular
basis to talk about things.
People sometimes call this team a circle of support.
This team could include people like:
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your family
your friends
people in your street
people you work with
people you know from other places – like church.
Do not be afraid to ask people to be part of your team. Most
people feel happy about being asked to take part.
If you decide to start a team that meets in an ongoing way they
can work with you on all kinds of things. It is up to you.
Teams can do things like help you to:
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think about your dreams
work on things you want to fix in your life
work out your goals
think about what you can do to achieve goals.
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It is up to you. You decide what the team talks about.
People in the team can also do things to organize meetings like:
 send out invitations
 take notes
 keep the meeting on track.
Most teams have a planning part and a fun part when they meet.
Having a team can be a great way of meeting with the people
you care about!
Kate’s team
Kate and her team meet every 8 weeks. They talk about what
matters to Kate.
Kate has 8 people in her team.
Kate calls it her circle of support.
Kate’s circle is made up of her:
 mum
 sister
 aunt and uncle
 2 next door neighbors
 high school English teacher
 workmate.
Kate’s circle has met 4 times so
far. They meet every 8 weeks.
At the first meeting, Kate and her mum talked about why they
decided to start the circle.
Kate is 32 and wants to move out of home. Kate and her mum
said that they would like help to think and plan for the move.
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They also talked about some of Kate’s other goals like meeting
more people and getting some work as a volunteer at an art
gallery.
Each time the circle meets, they help Kate work towards
achieving her goals.
Kate enjoys the meetings because she knows there are people
who have ideas that will help her have a great life.
Kate also has fun after each meeting talking and eating food!
John’s team
John is 44 and wants to change some things about his life but he is
not sure where to start.
He knows he needs to hear some new ideas so he has set up a
circle of support.
John’s circle has been told about John’s life so far. They are
helping John think about what he likes and what he does not like.
John is starting to think about what his dreams are.
John’s dad was scared to ask people to be part of John’s team.
He thought that people are busy and would say no. He was
happy when most people said yes.
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How do they work?
Each team is different. You decide what works for you.
How long should we meet?
Most meetings go for about 2 or 3 hours.
This is enough time to plan and have some fun.
You may decide to have less time.
You may think it will help to have some longer meetings – maybe 1
time a year.
How often should we meet?
You and your team will work out what works for you.
Meetings need to happen often enough to support you to do the
things you want to.
Lots of people have meetings every 6 to 8 weeks.
Where should meetings happen?
Meetings should happen
where
you
feel
comfortable and can
talk.
Lots of people have
meetings at home. Some
people go to a café or
hire a place like a hall.
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How many people should be part of the team?
Some teams start out very small. That is ok. The team can then
help you think about meeting more people.
As you get to know more people you can add to the team if you
want to.
Do not have too many people in your team. A team needs to be
able to talk and share ideas. Lots of teams are between 6 and 12
people.
What guides the team?
Your dreams and goals guide what the team talks about.
Your team – whatever you decide to call it – is all about you!
Read Action sheet – How to start your own support team – if you
would like ideas to start a team.
To read more about starting your own support team click
Staring a support network
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