Do you employ private carers? If you do can you answer some questions / give advice

[earthfindwire]

We’ve had live-in carers for my FIL for a couple of months from an agency. We’re looking at employing someone directly but it looks a bit more involved - working out sick pay, pensions etc. Do you prefer private to an agency and is it a lot of admin? We don’t employ anyone else so not used to this side of things and we’re quite time poor. Any advice welcome!

I’ve never done it but I’m disabled and have looked into it. In the end I stuck with an agency as there’s always a back up when someone is ill or otherwise unable to come. And in my case it was going to be a lot of hassle for a very few hours but crucial to my life and the agency just felt easier.

How is it going to be funded? If you’d be using a direct payment from social services some areas fund support with the admin side - my council don’t, or didn’t a couple of years ago - but friends in other areas have been given various support like running payroll or a space to interview applicants that isn’t in their home.

I’d think quite long and hard about it. Are you planning to employ one person, and then use agency cover for their annual leave/sickness and their down time, or two people who will work opposite each other?

would you be able to finance sickness and maternity/paternity cover?

Please it would be privately funded. That’s a good point about the backup because of illness.

Streaming the plan would be for 2 people on a few weeks on, few weeks off rota. We’d need to check about sick pay.

On the topic of sick pay, legally you can pay SSP which is only about £95pw. The reality of that, however, is that sick carers will still come into work because they can't afford not to, even if that puts your relative at risk. They're unlikely to put your relative's well-being above making sure their kids are fed and the rent is paid; best not to force them to make that choice.

I know that for nannies there's a payroll service called NannyTax which is aimed at the cash rich time poor types. I wonder if they'd run payroll and HR for live in carers - it's not much different really except the age of the person they're caring for www.nannytax.co.uk/

That’s really helpful, thank you Elephant.