FAQs

If you’re seriously considering becoming a Helping Hands Carer you’re bound to have a few questions. Hopefully we’ve covered most of them, but we’ve summarised a few of the more commonly asked questions that our HR team hear.

• Does the role of Live-in Care require that I live with the customer?

Yes, as the name suggests, a Live-in Carer lives in the customer’s home and is on hand 24/7. Most of our Carers work for blocks of 5 to 8 weeks between breaks.

• Will I have my own room?

Yes, absolutely. It’s a stipulation in the customer agreement that a Live-in Carer must have their own room. In fact, before a carer is placed, one of our assessing team will visit the property to check that it is suitable.

• Where are your customers based?

Helping Hands has customers all over England and Wales, in all the major cities, in rural towns and villages and some by the coast. We even have a few customers on the Isle of Man and in the Channel Islands. We do our best to place Carers in geographical areas that they are comfortable in.

• What breaks will I be entitled to?

A Helping Hands Live-in Carer is entitled to 14 hours break per week; this time must be taken in daylight hours. Breaks need to be taken when it is most suitable for the customer, as often cover will need to be found. This time can be broken down to two hours per day or, for example, if the customer goes to a day centre, the Carer can take four hours in one afternoon.

• Who will I be employed by?

You will be directly employed by Helping Hands, not the family. We directly recruit, train, assess and manage all of our Carers; we’re not simply an introductory agent. This allows us to maintain our very high standards, to keep our Carers’ training up-to-date, and gives us a greater control over the care package.

• Are there training opportunities?

Yes, you will have many training opportunities with Helping Hands. We believe in the continuous professional development of our people, so as well as the intensive induction course there are numerous on-going training opportunities.

• Will there be someone to contact in an emergency?

Absolutely; our Carers are never left unsupported. If an emergency takes place within office hours, you can call your dedicated Live-in Care Manager. If it happens outside office hours then you have access 24/7 support via a dedicated phone line, where you can speak to someone for help, advice and guidance.

• Do you prepare Care Plans for customers?

Yes, an individual Care Plan is written during the assessment of each customer. The Plan will detail medication, medical conditions and all assistance required for day to day care.

• Do you carry out Risk Assessments?

Yes, when a customer confirms that they would like to go ahead with Live-in care, a member of our assessment team visits the customer to perform a Risk Assessment. The information from the Risk Assessment will be detailed in the Care Plan.

• How much will I get paid?

The Live-in Carer salary ranges from £360 - £460 per week (before Tax & National Insurance deductions). The actual amount will depend on the level of care required for the particular customer.

• Will I get paid on a monthly or weekly basis?

Our Live-in Carers are paid on a monthly basis. As we employ you directly, rather than you being paid by the family, we take care of your tax and national insurance paperwork. As a direct employee of Helping Hands, you are also entitled to statutory sick pay and accrue annual holiday entitlement.

If you have a particular question that we haven’t addressed, then please feel free to email us at recruitment@helpinghandshomecare.co.uk