The number one thing I hear from new providers is: “How do I get more referrals?”
With so many people entering the sector, it’s getting harder to stand out.
Participants, Carers, & Support Coordinators are naturally sceptical of new providers.
They want to know: who are you, what’s your experience, and can you actually deliver?
So in this blog, I’m going to break down a few key things that can help you attract, grow, and retain Participants as a new provider.
Attracting Participants Starts With Your “Why”
If you’re serious about attracting Participants, you’ve got to start with your “why.” Why did you get into this space? Why do you want to help people with disability?
For me, I worked in Supported Independent Living (SIL) for five years, supporting some of the most complex Participants you could imagine. The part I loved the most was taking them out of the house and into the community, something they rarely got to do.
For context, each new service that came to support them was lucky to provide services for more than a week.
All of the Participants I supported in that SIL environment only got to head out into the community for about an hour a day. I felt like that was a massive injustice. So that became the reason I started my own disability service.
You might have a similar story or a completely different one. But if you don’t share it, how is anyone meant to understand your motivation?
If you’ve got no real why, no connection to the disability community, you’re probably going to raise a few eyebrows. So be upfront. What’s your connection? Did you work in the industry before? Did you grow up around it?
Personally, both of my parents have disabilities. My mum’s profoundly deaf, and my dad has Fragile X Syndrome. I don’t talk about it all the time, but it did come up in a chat early on with a Support Coordinator. I mentioned I knew a bit of Auslan, and they asked how. I told them about my mum, and that actually landed me my first referral: a Participant who was deaf and blind. I’d never supported someone with dual sensory loss before, but we made it work. And it started with an honest story.
Don’t Try to Be Everything to Everyone
Here’s another red flag I see all the time: new providers who come in offering everything.
Support Coordination, Community Access, Capacity Building, SIL, Day Programs, you name it. The problem? If you offer everything, but you're not known for anything, you're going to get lost in the noise.
If you want to stand out, pick a niche. Be known for something. It might be mental health, complex needs, high-intensity supports, or community access. Just make sure it aligns with your actual experience, and even better, what you’re passionate about.
We’ve made that mistake too. In the early days, we offered every service we could. These days, we’ve gone back to our roots: community access for complex Participants. That’s what we’re best at. That’s what we’re known for. If I had my time again, I wouldn’t bother offering anything else.
Make It Easy to Refer to You
Now, once you’ve started to build some traction, you want to make it as easy as possible for people to send you referrals.
That means no six-page referral forms. No PDF downloads. The less barriers the better.
You should have a short, simple referral form right on your website. It should go directly to the person responsible for onboarding, and they should respond fast. Really fast.
Support Coordinators will often send out multiple referrals at once. The provider who gets back first usually wins. So make sure your team responds quickly, follows up, and doesn’t let things go cold.
And once you’ve got the referral, keep the coordinator in the loop. Let them know what’s happening. Maybe you’ve scheduled a meet-and-greet or are waiting for a call back, tell them. If you go quiet, they’ll assume the worst, and you could lose the referral.
Build Trust, Even If It’s a Slow Start
Some Participants aren’t ready to jump straight in, and that’s okay. Don’t push. Instead, build trust. Offer a meet-and-greet. Get to know them. Make sure you’re a good fit for each other.
Keep communication open with the Support Coordinator. Let them know how it’s progressing, even if the Participant is taking their time.
It shows that you’re professional, and more importantly, that you actually care.
Track What’s Working
This one’s simple but often missed: track what’s working.
If you’re running ads, networking, posting on social media, track where your referrals are coming from. Use a spreadsheet or a basic CRM. Whatever works for you.
We made this mistake early on. We spent tens of thousands on advertising and didn’t track a single referral source. Don’t do that. Set it up from day one.
Look at what’s working. Do more of that. Stop wasting time and money on the stuff that isn’t.
Retaining Participants
Attracting new Participants is one thing, keeping them is another.
If you say support starts at 9:00 AM, make sure your staff are actually there at 9:00 AM. If they’re running late, let the Participant know. It’s not hard.
Match the right Support Workers to the right Participants. If they request a male worker, don’t send a female. If they need someone with personal care experience, make sure your staff are trained.
Respect people’s preferences. It’s their plan and their life.
Make feedback easy. Make sure Participants know how to contact you. Then, when they do give feedback. Act on it. And let them know you’ve taken action. That closes the loop and builds trust.
And don’t forget your staff. If your Support Workers are trained, supported, and not burning out, they’ll deliver better support. Happy staff equals better service, and better retention.
Getting more is about building trust, delivering consistently, and making it easy for people to access services.
Start with your why. Own your story. Get clear on your niche. And always, always follow through.
If you do those things, the referrals will come.
