Resources for Hiring an In-home Provider

Resources for Consumer-Employers:

Tips for hiring an In-Home Care Provider, click on topic below:

Once you finally have some names of people who are potential care providers. you are then ready to interview, select and hire your In-Home care provider.

First, give some thought to what you want the provider to do and what kind of person will best fit your needs. This will help you to decide who is the right provider for you.

What are your personal preferences:
Make a checklist of Your Personal Preferences. For example:

You may want a non-smoker or someone who will smoke outside the living area.

If you have pets, you may want someone who values and enjoys animals.

If you have allergies, you may want to list the allergens and ask how the potential provider will help you to avoid them.

You may want a quiet home, that is you may prefer that the television or radio be turned off at certain times or you may want one or the other turned on all of time.

You will think of other things that you prefer and that are important to you. Doing this now may make a difference in your comfort later. Write them down. Use this checklist as a guide when you pre-screen and interview potential care providers.

Here are some Tips on How to Proceed in this important screening and hiring process. We recommend you follow these three steps to achieve the best results: telephone interview, face-to-face interview and reference check.

The Telephone Interview:

Remember that you are not trying to hire a worker over the telephone. You are doing a telephone interview to decide whether or not you want to do a face-to-face interview with this person. First, you will want to:

List the tasks that you need to have done. (Use your comprehensive assessment or your service plan).

Explain the schedule you want them to work.

Describe the rate of pay and the payment source (for example, are you paying them privately or is the state paying all of the costs of your care or is the state paying part and you are paying part of the costs).

Review any special requirements that you have. >

Now, ask the potential provider to tell you about:

Their availability for the times you would need them.

Do they smoke or are they allergic to smoke.

Are they allergic to pets?

Where else have they worked?

Would they have a problem doing any of the tasks in your job description?

Have they performed these tasks before?

Do they have reliable transportation?

If the telephone interview does not go well or if it sends up a red flag for you, explain that you have other people to interview and when you have made a decision you may call back.

The Face-to-Face interview:

If the interview went well and you think you might want to hire and supervise this person, make an appointment for a face-to-face interview, giving a proposed interview date, time and location. As a safety precaution, you may want to interview prospective providers somewhere other than your own home.

Ask the potential provider to prepare for the interview by bringing the following information to the interview:

Picture identification and, if they will be driving you in your car, a valid Washington State driver's license. If they will drive you in their own car, ask also for proof of insurance.

Written references from their past three employers or if they do not have these, they may bring a list of the names, telephone numbers and addresses of the people so that you may contact the references directly. If possible arrange to have a reliable friend or a relative attend the interview to take notes on the interview questions and the potential provider's answers; or, if this is not possible, make a list of your questions ahead of time, leaving space to write in the provider's answers. (Take all the time you need to get your questions answered to your satisfaction.)

Review the questions you asked earlier in the telephone interview: ask in a very clear way whether or not they can and will perform the tasks you need to have done; go over the schedule you want them to work once more, the rate of pay, and how they will be paid.

Confirm how the potential provider will get to your home and whether their transportation is reliable and dependable. (Your safety may depend on their answer.)

Ask if there are any tasks they will not do.

Inform the potential provider of your probationary period if you have one.

Ask any other questions that relate to their past or current job performance that you want to ask.

In the interview, look for cues about the potential provider's attitudes and values. Pay attention to the tone of voice as well as nonverbal communication, such as eye contact, facial expressions and posture. One of the most important nonverbal clues is whether or not you will feel safe having this person in your home. Trust your instinct.

Checking references:

Checking references really matters. In checking references, ask the person what tasks the potential provider performed for them and how often the provider did these tasks. If the person received personal care services, ask about the person's required services to determine if they relate to the services that you need. Ask how many hours the potential provider worked for them and, if private pay, ask how often and how much did the person pay the provider. Ask about reliability and trustworthiness. Would the person rehire the provider? Caution ! ! ! Be alert to detect whether or not this person was truly the provider's former employer.

When you are ready to make your decision, rank the potential providers and make an offer to your first choice. When the position is filled, notify the other applicants.

Resources for Hiring and Supervising your Individual Provider:

General Questions to Ask in an Interview (pdf)

Qualities to Look for When Hiring an Individual Provider (pdf)

The Individual Provider Job - What You Should Know (pdf)

Consumer Rights and Responsibilities (pdf)

Sign-up for e-News from the HCQA and learn what others have to say about using the Referral Registry. Read the HCQA Quarterly Newsletter.

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Resources for Hiring an In-home Provider