The You’re the Boss team is currently small, and therefore we’re all multi-tasking in our roles, but we’re on hand to help with any queries or suggestions you have. If you can’t see the answer to the question here then have a look at the articles we’ve written, or contact us and we’ll try to help.
There are three key ways that you can become a paid carer. The first is to work for a provider or agency, and this is how many people will start out. The advantage is that you are employed, you have a boss, you have all your employment rights covered and you don’t have to find your own clients. Make sure that the contract you are hired on suits you; some care providers use zero hours contracts, which may not be right for your situation or they might offer you the flexibility that you want.
The next option is to be employed directly by the service user. This is good if you have a neighbour, for example, that you want to help out on a formal basis (ie, get paid for it). If you are not planning on taking on any other clients, then being employed by the client is a good option. You have your normal employment rights and your client will be responsible for paying you, setting out your duties in a contract and you will usually have set hours.
Finally, you can work for yourself. You might be working on your own with multiple clients, or you might be setting up your own business and hiring staff. Either way, there are pros and cons to being your own boss. You get a lot more control over your clients, your earnings and the hours you work. However, you are also responsible for your own taxes, providing policies, procedures and materials, and you don’t get sick pay or holidays.
You do need to keep in mind that the decision over whether you are employed (by the service user) or self-employed is not entirely up to you: HMRC regulations determine your employment status depending on a variety of different elements regarding how your business is set-up.
For more information have a look at some of our articles under the ‘your care business‘ menu. Remember there’s additional information for those who subscribe to the ‘free membership’ and lots more detailed information, tips and discounts with other organisations for ‘premium members’
There is currently no legal requirement that you have any training qualifications before becoming a paid carer, however You’re The Boss would definitely recommend you do get training before providing care – it leads to better and safer working for all concerned and, if you’re advertising your services, is more likely to encourage people to hire you. Additionally, training qualifications may also help reduce any insurance premiums that are offered.
It is recommended good practice that you do have some basic training, and this can be accessed in a number of ways including face-to-face training and via online resources. One online service that provides training, and with whom YtB has links, is My Learning Cloud. It provides a number of courses that you can do in your own time that are certified as counting towards formal qualifications that you may wish to gain in the future.
One course that is worth looking at is The Care Certificate. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) state that all staff should receive a comprehensive induction that takes account of recognised standards within the sector and is relevant to their workplace and their role. The relevant induction in this context means The Care Certificate.
There are number of courses that you may find useful to take, so have a look on the website.
If you are interested in a more formal qualification, then take a look at the Skills for Care website, which lists the adult social care vocational qualifications available.
For more information have a look at some of our articles under the ‘your care business‘ menu. Remember there’s additional information for those who subscribe to the ‘free membership’ and lots more detailed information, tips and discounts with other organisations for ‘premium members’.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates, inspects and reviews all adult social care services in the public, private and voluntary sectors in England. There are some very strict rules over who must register with CQC to be allowed to provide services. If you provide personal care or other regulated activity, you need to be registered with CQC unless: you are employed by the service user directly; you are a self-employed sole trader, and you have no responsibility for supplying a substitute at anytime (ie, if you are on holiday, off sick, etc).
For more information have a look at some of our articles under the ‘your care business‘ menu. Remember there’s additional information for those who subscribe to the ‘free membership’ and lots more detailed information, tips and discounts with other organisations for ‘premium members’
DBS (formerly known as CRB) check searches a person’s details against criminal records and other sources, including the Police National Computer. The check may reveal convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings. You should consider getting a DBS check (and registering with the Update Service) to show to your clients to give them peace of mind. You cannot get a DBS check on yourself, so you must go through a third party organisation. You’re the Boss undertake DBS checks for Paid Carers as part of the YtB accreditation process. Click here to find out more about the issues surrounding DBS checks and who can get them, or click here to apply for YtB Accreditation.
For more information have a look at some of our articles under the ‘your care business‘ menu. Remember there’s additional information for those who subscribe to the ‘free membership’ and lots more detailed information, tips and discounts with other organisations for ‘premium members’
It is important to note that whether you are employed or self-employed is not a matter of choice. It is something that is regulated and you will be one or the other based on a set of criteria. It is important that you make the right choice, or you could end up with HMRC on your tail. Find out more here, for premium members there is a far more detailed article which can be found either from your dashboard or through the ‘your care business‘ menu
When you are setting up a care business, either as a self-employed sole trader or a larger enterprise, then you will need to be organised and make sure that you have all the right documents and records in place. If you are setting up an organisation that needs to be CQC registered then you’ll need to make sure that you have everything CQC requires.
If you’re a self-employed Paid Carer then there is no legal requirement to have specific policies and procedures, by You’re the Boss believes that there are some which are simply fundamental. To become a YtB Accredited Paid Carer the absolute minimum we expect are
For more information have a look at some of our articles under the ‘your care business‘ menu. Remember there’s additional information for those who subscribe to the ‘free membership’ and lots more detailed information, tips and discounts with other organisations for ‘premium members’. We offer many of the things that you will need in our shop or if you’re a premium member you can access all the documents for free from your dashboard.
Whether you are just starting out, looking to change careers, or moving from employment to self-employment, there are a few steps that you have to take to become a self-employed paid carer. To make it easy to get started and see what is involved, we have put together some articles on what you need to do to get started.
Premium members can access a far more detailed article from their dashboard or via the ‘my care business‘ menu
