Island Care offers a level of security vetting based on Governmental regulations, laws, and standards. While we do our best to screen and reject anyone that demonstrates inappropriate conduct, it’s important to understand that our service is not all-knowing. We strongly encourage you to screen potential candidates yourself as well. Check their references and contact previous employers to ask questions. You may consider doing online searches, using social media, or networking to gain information about the person’s work ethic, performance, character, and general lifestyle. In a small community, it is often fairly easy to access this information and helps you get a sense of the potential candidate before you make the choice to connect with them.
Hiring a caregiver is a personal and unique experience for everyone. You may not necessarily know if a caregiver is the “right fit” until you try them on and see how they feel. We suggest that you use our direct messaging platform to communicate securely with caregivers you think may be a good match. This way you can learn their communication style, interests, experience, and start to build connections without compromising your privacy.
Communication may start as messaging and progress to telephone or video interviews so that you can experience real time interactions and feedback from the potential candidate. Whether it’s a long-term carer you’re looking for, or perhaps one for a single occasion, you still can start to build a relationship before you hire. Trust your gut. If your instincts tell you, that the candidate may not be a good match for you, consider other candidates instead. If your intuition suggests that it might be a good match, you can go one step further to meet your favorite candidates in person in a public space before finalizing any decision to hire them.
With Island Care support, you share your contact details only when you feel comfortable and decide the candidate is a good match for your specific needs and lifestyle.
After you’ve done your own background checking, taken the time to familiarize yourself with a candidate, and made the decision to hire them, remain vigilant. We encourage you to be optimistic yet exercise caution.
If you are booking care for a single occasion, you may want to schedule some time at the beginning of the first care session to make sure you are comfortable with the caregiver. Observe their space and check for any safety risks or hazards that may be present if they are providing care in their home. If they are providing care in your home, provide time to familiarize them with your home and any safety features they should be aware of. Monitor their behavior in your surroundings and take care to observe their direct and indirect methods of providing care. How are they received? Are they able to establish a genuine connection that you can trust?
If you have hired a long-term caregiver, you may want to consider dropping in unexpectedly on occasion, using video monitoring, or getting feedback from neighbors or others about how things are going. Trust your instincts. If something feels off or you have concerns about the care, act on it. This may include reporting emergency safety concerns to the local authorities and/or red flagging the individual on our platform so that we can investigate your concern further.
Below is a list of the relevant authorities that may assist you with making a report if you have a concern related to care:
So, you’ve created a profile that provides all your amazing skills and credentials as a caregiver. You’ve checked the available jobs, noted those families whose needs match your qualifications and double
At Island Care, we really believe in the goodness of people. We strive to focus on the positive attributes of others and work hard to maintain a positive care culture. However, at the same time we are realistically cautious and protective of our Island Care community.
So, you’ve created a profile that provides all your amazing skills and credentials as a caregiver. You’ve checked the available jobs, noted those families whose needs match your qualifications and double checked that they also suit your availability. What next? Here’s some tips to move you safely from potential applicant to providing confirmed care with a family.