At Friends Helping at Home, we offer a safe and better option of arranging home and support that’s needed to stay living in your own home.
Safety – buyer beware!
Every carer and support worker is interviewed by us: we check everything we can: previous work references, training, details, DBS police checks to ensure that they are the person that they say they are!
Unfortunately, so often we hear of stories of people arranging their own care having been “befriended” by someone that they met or from a card placed in a post office window, offering “cheap” hourly rates for home care. (Note: our rates are highly competitive and often save customers money).
Booking someone “under the radar” that is, without a proper, professional third party interview and check can prove to be problematic and is potentially a very dangerous, safeguarding issue.
Someone booked without a proper check could be letting someone totally dishonest or worse into your home. You don’t know if someone has a prison record for theft or been ‘struck off’ from working in care. Good social and communication skills aren’t everything. We know that our customers want to know that other people like yourself have booked and got on well with the carers that we’ve introduced.
Safe choice
Friends Helping at Home offers a much safer solution.
We offer you a choice of carers and home helpers that are properly checked and insured, “tried and tested”.
We take up references and have put everyone through a robust interview and don’t select anyone who can’t evidence a good track record of working in care.
Your local branch manager also is there to check that you are getting on well with the people that you have booked.
Karen Breyley, Torbay Branch Manager says, “I introduce carers to customers before they decide whether they want to book, if someone isn’t getting on with a customer, for whatever reason we’ll introduce someone else. It’s not just about ‘ticking-the- box’ but ensuring that customers like and get on well the carers and people that we introduce to them. I am pleased that I’ve never had to report or de-list one of our carers due to dishonestly, but I am always just a phone call away and it is an important part of my job to ensure that customers are happy with the carers and helpers that they have booked. Anyone found to be dishonest or treating anyone badly would be reported to the local Council’s safeguarding team and action taken. Fortunately, we do have a lovely group of care professionals registered with us so this situation hasn’t arisen. I have however, de-listed ‘awkward characters’ that haven’t fitted into our ethos. I am pleased to say that we attract the best and [having had a professional recruitment background] I have a nose for finding good carers. However, the proof of the pudding…… is ultimately up to every customer to be happy, we give a safe choice.”
We also provide help with home maintenance, gardening and ‘odd jobs’ – and apply the same rules and safety checks for every customer.
Contact us to find out how the supported living services we offer can help you remain live in comfort and safety of living in your own home
