Hiring checklist: verify before anyone starts

Print this page, work through it in order, and keep it with the caregiver’s documents. Do not skip the first four items: they are the ones that protect your parent when you are not at home.

1. Identity and paperwork

• Original government photo ID seen, copy kept, details noted (name, ID number, address).
• Address proof checked against the ID where possible.
• Two recent photographs collected.
• Emergency contact details for the caregiver written down — a person who is not the caregiver.
• Bank account details confirmed in the caregiver’s or agency’s own name, not a third party’s.

2. Verification

• Police verification requested through the agency or your local police station. Keep the acknowledgement number, not a verbal “done”.
• Where an agency does the verification, ask which documents they collect and see a sample.
• Two previous families contacted as references — ask specifically about attendance, honesty and how problems were handled.
• If the caregiver will handle money, bank cards or the door keys, say so in writing and decide the limits in advance.

3. Scope of work, in writing

• Shift hours, weekly off and public holidays written down.
• A list of what the caregiver will do, in plain language — bathing, dressing, toileting, moving, medicines reminders, cooking, errands, company.
• A list of what the caregiver must not do — no injections, no changing medicines, no wound dressing, no handling ATM cards unless you have decided otherwise in writing.
• Language of the household confirmed as a hard requirement, not a preference.
• Whether meals, phone credit and travel are paid for, and who pays.
• Festival and home travel: paid or unpaid, how many days.

4. Money

• Salary figure, payment date and payment method agreed.
• Agency fee, if any: one-time or monthly, and how it affects the caregiver’s salary.
• Trial period length and what happens at the end of it.
• Notice period for either side to end the arrangement.

5. Trial period

• Length agreed: 1–2 weeks for a day arrangement, at least 2 weeks for a live-in.
• Pass-or-exit criteria written before the trial starts.
• A named family member who observes and gives feedback during the trial.
• The caregiver meets your parent alone for a short period, so you can see how they interact without you in the room.

6. Day-one readiness

• Medicines list printed: name, dose, time, with no instructions for the caregiver to change anything.
• Doctor and hospital contacts on the wall or on the fridge.
• Emergency numbers saved in the caregiver’s phone: family, neighbour, 112.
• House rules explained: who enters, where the caregiver may rest, photographs and visitors.
• Keys, gate codes and phone access agreed.
• Camera policy, if any, explained before anyone starts — with your parent’s consent.

7. After the first fortnight

• Written review with the caregiver: what is working, what needs to change.
• Escalation contact confirmed: who to call when someone does not show up.
• Replacement timeline confirmed in writing and in hours.
• Salary payment confirmed on the agreed date.
• Re-read this checklist every three months — needs change faster than families expect.