Find the right carer online

‘Like Family’ connects people needing care with local people providing care.

You can choose from the pool of carers that are registered on the platform or you can ‘post a job’ on the ‘Like Family’ platform to find a carer that fits your requirements. Bookings are managed on the platform.

Operating in NSW and Victoria, and potentially other states in Australia.

You may want to choose ‘Like Family’ if you;

• want an organisation that focuses on providing social support and creating fun experiences.

May be less suitable if;

• your primary care needs are not related to social support. You will have to find additional carers outside ‘Like Family’ with the skills you need.

Fee arrangement;

• you will be charged a flat rate of $42 per hour for any carers that you select from the platform. This makes it easy for you to keep track of your funding.
• each carer is paid the same rate of $32.20 per hour for one-on-one support.

Governance and training;

• carers are not employed by ‘Like Family’, they are independent contractors that operate as a sole trader or company with an ABN
• an NDIS Worker Check, Police Check and an in-person induction are mandatory for carers.

‘Hireup’ is an NDIS registered online platform that helps you find, hire and manage carers.

The recruitment, management and payment of carers is contained on the online platform.

Based out of New South Wales but with coverage across Australia.

You may want to choose ‘Hire Up’ if you;

• want an organisation that specialises in disability support
• want transparency in the management and payment of carers
• want an NDIS provider that also provides a large selection of carers to choose from through the online platform
• need access to a wide range of care services.

May be less suitable if;

• have a Home Care Package (aged care)
• you want to negotiate care services and hourly rates yourself.

Fee arrangement;

• ‘Hire Up’ hourly rates vary depending on the day, these rates are provided on their website. They include details on how much their carers are paid ‘in the pocket’.

Governance and training;

• carers are employed as casual employees with ‘Hire Up’
• ID Check including referees, NDIS Worker Check and Police Check is mandatory for carers
• carers must complete Hire Up training which includes Working With Purpose, Working Safely and Preventing Abuse and Neglect, as well as First Aid, NDIS worker orientation module
• bookings through the platform are covered by comprehensive insurance; workers compensation, public liability, professional indemnity which covers all parties using the platform
• ‘Hire Up’ has a dedicated incident response team.

‘Mable’ helps you connect with carers in your community, and choose the people who share your interests and suit your care needs. The process of recruitment, management and payment is managed through the platform.

Based in New South Wales with coverage across Australia.

You may want to choose ‘Mable’ if you;

• want to negotiate care services and hourly rates yourself
• like to give and read reviews of services
• need access to a wide range of care services
• want full transparency of bookings, management and payments.

May be less suitable if;

• you want more support and expert advice in finding an appropriately priced and qualified carer
• you want the platform to have more oversight of the carers.

Fee arrangement;

• carers on ‘Mable’ set their own hourly rates, the ‘Mable’ platform receives 10% of what the carer earns and adds 5% to the carers hourly rate.

Governance and training;

• carers are not employed by ‘Mable’, they are individuals that operate as a sole trader or company with an ABN
• mandatory for each carer to have an ABN, Police Check, ID check, Working with Children Check if relevant, qualification checks for specific services and a check of AHPRA registrations for Nurses and Allied health professionals
• bookings through the platform are covered by insurance; general liability, professional indemnity and personal accident (workers compensation not optional).

Care Seekers is a platform that connects you directly to disability and aged care carers. The process of recruitment, management and payment is managed through the platform. The platform caters to self managing people as well as care coordinators who are recruiting carers on behalf of a client. Care Seekers is also an NDIS registered provider.

Based in News South Wales, strong presence in Victoria and national availability dependent on carers available in the area.

You may want to choose ‘Care Seekers if you;

• want to recruit and choose a carer that has specific skills
• want to post a job and have local carers will contact you
• have an existing care coordinator and need to find additional members to add to your care team.

May be less suitable if;

• you want the organisation to have more oversight of the carers
• you want more support in finding an appropriately priced and qualified carer.

Fee arrangement;

• the hourly rate is set by each carer and dependent on qualifications and services required
• ‘Care Seekers’ receive a percentage of the hourly rate.

Governance and training;

• carers are not employed by ‘Care Seekers’, they are individuals that operate as a sole trader or company with an ABN
• Police Check and onboarding process including referee check mandatory for carers
• bookings through the platform are covered by insurance; public liability and personal accident.

‘Find a Carer’ is an online marketplace where older Australians and people with a disability can connect directly with carers. Recruitment, scheduling and payment are managed through the Care Seekers platform.

Find a Carer operates Australia-wide, based on availability of carers in the area.

You may want to choose ‘Find a Carer’ if you;

• want to see the service provider organisations available in your area as well as independent carers
• need access to a whole range of services.

May be less suitable if;

• you want the platform to have more oversight of the arrangement between you and your chosen carer
• you want more support in the process of finding an appropriately priced and qualified carer
• you want more certainty of the fees prior to booking a care service.

Fee arrangement;

• each carer sets their own hourly rate, and a fee is charged by ‘Find a Carer’ for each booking. The fee is scalable, determined by your method of payment and how much help you chose to have. The Fees range from 12.5 to 25%.

Governance and training;

• carers are not employed by ‘Find a Carer’, they are individuals that operate as a sole trader or company with an ABN.
• Police Check mandatory for carers
• it’s your (person receiving care) responsibility to check carers have appropriate qualifications for the care you need
• bookings through the platform are covered by insurance; public liability, professional indemnity and personal accident.

The platform is a one-stop-shop across Care, Allied Health, Food, Products & Transport. Mobility is an online platform where care workers can connect easily with clients. The platform enables you to manage your care, scheduling and payments.

Based out of Western Australia, and available Australia-wide depending on the availability of carers in the area.

You may want to choose ‘Mobility’ if you;

• want access to products, food and transport in addition to care services
• want to create and see reviews and ratings of workers
• want to take responsibility for carer bookings, management and payments
• want access to ‘real time’ invoicing and payments – so you know how much funding you have available to you.

May be less suitable if;

• you’re not interested in using a phone app to manage your care
• you want the platform to have more oversight of the process of finding and managing appropriately priced and qualified carer/products
• you want more certainty on costs.

Fee arrangement;

• the hourly rate is set by each carer and dependent on qualifications and services required.

Governance and training;

• carers are not employed by ‘Mobility’, they are individuals that operate as a sole trader or company with an ABN
• mandatory for carers to have a Police Check, Working with Children Check, Roadworthy certificates, Drivers licence, Car insurance, Rights to work in Australian check
• mandatory training in: Manual Handling, Infection Control, Mealtime Planning, Medication Management, Supporting Choice & Control
• bookings through the platform are covered by insurance; public liability, professional indemnity and personal accident.

Kynd is a platform to help people match with carers that suit their needs and interests. The platform allows you to recruit and book your carers.

Based in Queensland, services available depending on carer availability.

You may want to choose Kynd if you;

• already have a carer that you want to employ. ‘Kynd’ has a BYO carer option which is a slightly lower fee compared to the matching option
• want a platform focused on disability care
• want to post a job ad
• want to be able to call people from the platform for support
• like to use phone apps.

May be less suitable if;

• you are receiving a home care package, however, they do provide private aged care support.

Fee arrangement;

• the hourly rate is set by each carer and dependent on qualifications and services required. Kynd charges a 15% fee on top of carer fee.

Governance and training;

• carers are not employed by ‘Kynd’, they are individuals that operate as a sole trader or company with an ABN
• ID, Police checks and ABN mandatory for carers
• bookings through the platform are covered by insurance; public liability, professional indemnity and medical malpractice.

TappON allows people seeking carers to create a profile, view, communicate, book, manage and pay for your supports through the one platform.

Based in New South Wales, available Australia-wide.

You may want to choose ‘TappON’ if you;

• want access to an organisation that offers support in multiple forms including in-person, telephone and through their online platform
• want access to virtual support, the platform has a dedicated telehealth network which may be useful for people living rurally
• access to a range of different services
• want to browse through independent carers as well as organisations available in your area.

May be less suitable if;

• you want the platform to be less involved in helping you choose a carer (they create short list for you)
• you’re not keen on telehealth or virtual support.

Fee arrangement;

• the hourly rate is set by each carer and dependent on qualifications and services required. TappOn charges a 20% service fee for every booking.

Governance and training;

• ID, Police checks and ABN mandatory for carers
• bookings through the platform are covered by third party public liability insurance.

‘Live in Carers’ is a service that matches people requiring care with a carer to live with them. They source carers to suit the your needs, the arrangement varies for each match.

Each live-in arrangement varies in length of time, contribution to accommodation and meals, types of services delivered and so on.

They will support you through this contract arrangement.

You may want to choose ‘Live in Carers’ if you;

• need a lot of support at home and like the idea of having a carer living with you
• want a dedicated service to assist you in planning and recruiting your carer
• you’re looking for an alternative to moving into an aged care or disability supported home
• live rurally and have little or no access to home care service options
• would like care from the same person every day.

May be less suitable if;

• you want ongoing support in managing and paying your carer
• you don’t require a lot of care services or assistance
• you don’t wish to share your home with another person
• don’t want to commit to one carer.

Fee arrangement;

• ‘Live in Carers’ will charge a registration fee in the first instance and final placement fee once you have selected a suitable carer.

Governance and training;

• reference and background check, Working With Vulnerable People Check, Police Check and First Aid Certificate mandatory for carers
• ‘Live in Carers’ is similar to a recruitment or placement service, the platform has limited or no ongoing management or oversight over the carer’s work activities once they have been placed with a client.

Available world-wide but dependent on the availability of people in the local area.

You may want to choose ‘Airtasker’ if you;

• are willing to take on responsibility for advertising and recruiting your carer including verifying checks and qualifications
• have ad-hoc care needs and odd jobs that don’t require ongoing attention.

May be less suitable if;

• you’re not familiar with using this platform already
• you want a platform that is specialised in aged or disability carers.

Fee arrangement;

• the hourly rate is suggested by you (the person receiving care) in the first instance, the person that responds on ‘Airtasker’ will either agree with the rate you suggest or suggest a new rate which is dependent on the person’s skills, qualifications and types of service
• ‘Airtasker’ deducts a service fee that is based on a tier system, it is between 10-20% of the hourly rate charged.

Governance and training;

• ‘Airtasker’ has a secure payment system within their platform which provides safety for transferring money
• ‘Airtasker’ has no mandatory checks or qualifications but you can view carer profiles to see whether the individual has the checks and qualifications you desire
• bookings through the platform are covered by third party public liability insurance.

Search for carers and/or post job advertisements online and manage the process yourself through these available platforms;

• Gumtree.com.au
• Seek.com.au, Jora.com, Indeed.com.au
• Facebook
• Linkedin

You may want to choose one of these option if you;

• want to post a job advertisement and take on the whole process of recruitment, interviewing, verification, onboarding, management and payment yourself
• want to use connections to existing groups or discussion pages on social media to find a carer
• want to recruit your own carer and then sign them up to an online platform such as those listed previously.

May be less suitable if;

• you’re not familiar with using these platforms already – each have a slightly different process
• you don’t want to take on the responsibility of posting an advertisement, recruitment, interviewing, verification and onboarding.

Fee arrangement;

• the hourly rate will be dependent on the person’s skills, qualifications and types of services offered. These platforms have no oversight or impact on the fees charged
• no mandatory checks, requirements or qualifications
• the platform may charge you a fee for posting a job advertisement.

Governance and training;

• each of these platforms requires you (the person receiving care) to take responsibilities for checks, qualifications, safeguards and so on
• these platforms do not have a secure payment system in place so you will have to find a method to pay safely (i.e. Paypal etc).