Yes, the minimum shift length is one hour. 

We believe that short 15- or 30-minute visits do not give the carer enough time to properly care for the client. Our minimum shift length ensures a better standard of care and a more meaningful relationship between the caregiver and care receiver.  

At Chardon, the central ethos of our business is that you, the client, are the best person to choose and manage your carer or personal assistant. Sometimes, a next of kin chooses a carer on behalf of someone they themselves help to care for.  

When an individual or their family can and wants to choose and manage their carer, we believe that Chardon is their best option. 

• • Interviews can be very nerve-wracking for some people, so try to make the carer feel at ease 

  • Avoid asking yes/no questions, try asking something in a way that allows them to give a more detailed answer – how, what, when, why and where are good words with which to start your questions  

  • For example, instead of asking ‘Do you have experience with dementia care?’, you can ask ‘What was your experience of caring for someone with dementia like? How did it go?’ 

  • Try to discover whether the carer properly understands what matters to you the most 

  • Make sure that the carer will be able to meet you or your loved one’s care requirements 

    We believe it is essential that you feel as comfortable as possible with bringing a carer or personal assistant into your home. Interviewing a carer before hiring them is a good way to check that someone is the right person for you. 

    Before interviewing a potential carer, it is a good idea to prepare your questions to make sure you ask everything you want to and gather all the information you need to make a decision.  

    Having read the carer’s profile, you will be aware of their experience, hobbies/interests and their personal statement, but an interview will allow you to delve deeper and find out more about a carer, their experience and personality.  

    Here are some tips for interviewing a carer: 

  You can always ask for a carer’s references if you think it will help you in an interview, or when making a decision. 

• Every client will have different priorities and will need to ask different questions. Make sure you tailor interview questions to your individual situation. However, if you are struggling to come up with questions, here are some suggested questions you could ask a carer in an interview: 

• How long have you been a carer?  

• Having looked at your profile, I have read your expertise, but can you please explain more in depth?  

• What skills do you feel you could bring to the job?   

• Are you able to do heavy lifting? If so, please describe a time when you have had to do so (if required)  

• What are your cooking skills like? (if required)  

• How do you get on with pets? (if this applies)  

• If a live-in carer is required – How happy are you about living away from home? 

• Do you have your own car? If not, how do you anticipate getting here and out and about?  

• If you or the care recipient have precise issues, ask if they have ever worked with someone similar before. For example: ‘how would you deal with forgetfulness?’, or ‘have you dealt with an aggressive client before?’   

• Do you have a buddy set up as an option for your client to choose as cover for your holidays or illness?  

• Do you have any questions for me? – Invite questions at the end, the carer must be happy to work for you as well as you be happy to hire them.  

It is also important to discuss:

• The carer’s preferred rota/hours

• Their rates and any additional expenses such as travel and food

• If they charge an additional cost for having to get up in the night (most live in carers are fine with a bit of disturbance, however some charge per call)

• Time off (most live-in carers expect 2 hours off a day)

• Mobile phone use (many clients restrict to emergencies and time off) and use of broadband (if there is any at the house)

• Duties expected in addition to the care work, for example: housekeeping, minding pets, driving.

We find that if everyone is happy and on the same page, this will help to create more enjoyable long-term care relationships. An interview can help you check that you like the carer and that the carer feels comfortable and prepared for the job. 

Use the care-type filter in the search bar and select ‘live-in’. There are hundreds of live-in care workers on the platform. 

Live-in carers tend to travel to the job location for a defined contract period, so the distance shown can be disregarded when searching. 

We are approving carers from across the UK onto our platform on a daily basis – if you do not find any carers in your area please complete the Request a Carer and suitable carers will apply directly to you.  

After creating a request ad, it will be sent out not only to our database of approved carers, but also to our database of 20,000 carers who are in the process of getting approved. If they show interest in the job posted, unapproved carers can upload the relevant documents and book their interview to be approved and apply for the job. 

Yes, you can either search and message multiple carers or Request a Carer advertising for multiple carers. You can then interview the carers and approve their service agreements according to your needs.