Find a Carer
If you need help at home to support someone who cannot manage alone, you can get paid care and assistance from your local authority or private provider. This is often called domiciliary care or home help, and can be as little as an hour a week, up to full time live-in care.
The first option is to use a homecare agency or online search tool to hire a carer directly. However, this can be challenging because it’s difficult to verify the information about their experience and qualifications that you are provided with in a classified listing. It’s also your responsibility to arrange everything from employment contracts, statutory sick pay and holiday cover.
Another option is to engage a fully managed service provider. They will assess your needs and provide you with a list of vetted, suitable carers who they then employ for a weekly fee. This option can reduce your responsibilities because they will take care of the day-to-day management and supervision of the carer.
There are other places to look for a carer, such as noticeboards in surgeries or at community centres, coffee mornings, and websites for parents of disabled children or disability forums. You may have friends or family who can recommend a carer, but you should always carry out your own checks and interview them in person to ensure that they are the right fit for you. It can be helpful to bring a friend or relative with you to the interviews so that they can ask questions as well. Find a Carer