Key takeaways
- You have choice and control: Self-managed aged care allows you to choose exactly who comes into your home by reviewing profiles and reviews before booking.
- Utilise free initial meetings: Most independent support workers offer a free one-hour meet and greet to discuss your goals and check your compatibility.
- Verify credentials in person: Use the face-to-face meeting to check your worker's qualifications and verify their evidence firsthand.
- Prepare conversational questions: Asking open-ended questions helps you assess a support worker’s experience, reliability, and communication style.
- Trust your instincts: Look out for positive match indicators like active listening, and feel comfortable expanding your search if a worker does not feel quite right.
Note: This guide is helpful for:
- Aged care recipients doing their own research
- Family, friends or other representatives helping older loved ones find support workers
- Coordinators matching support workers to clients.
For an older person, finding the right support worker can make life easier, safer and happier. One of the big advantages of self-managed aged care is you get to choose who comes into your home. The process of choosing the right independent support worker on Mable gives you choice and control - you can read support worker profiles, check their reviews and ask questions before making a final decision.
Many independent support workers on Mable also offer a free meet and greet with potential clients. It's a chance for both of you to get to know each other and have an honest conversation to work out if you’re a good match.
If you decide to arrange an interview with a potential support worker, this guide will help you get the most out of your meeting. It includes aged care support worker interview tips, questions to ask, where to meet and signs you may have found a good match.
What should you prepare before a support worker interview?
The first step in choosing a support worker is to work out what you want and need from the relationship. Consider:
- What support services you need
- Specific tasks you’d like help with (for example, help with meal preparation, taking medication, social outings etc.)
- How often you’d like support (daily, weekly and so on)
- Other details that are important to you (for example, personality, communication style, reliability, shared interests, cultural preferences or experience with specific conditions like dementia).
You can make notes about these which will help you come up with the right questions to ask an aged care support worker during the interview.
The next step is to search support workers in Australia on the Mable platform. You can view their profiles to see:
- Their experience and qualifications
- The types of support they offer
- Reviews from other clients
How do you arrange a meet and greet on Mable?
Once you have a list of support workers you like, you can get in touch with them on Mable. Most support workers offer a free one-hour meet and greet to potential clients. You can check if they do in their profile under their “Rates and Availability Guide”.
Even if this isn’t mentioned on their profile, you can still ask whether they’re open to it as most usually are. These initial meetings are about making you feel comfortable with who supports you.
You may wish to pick a meeting place that’s public, quiet and easy to access. Many clients on Mable organise meetups at a local cafe or park. It’s also a good idea to bring a trusted person to the meet and greet with you. This could be a family member, friend or representative.
One reason the Mable team encourages clients to meet with support workers before support starts is so you can check their qualifications in person. You can ask them to bring evidence of their qualifications to the meeting when you arrange it. It’s an important part of the process of vetting an aged care support worker, and many support workers are comfortable providing evidence of their qualifications.
Another helpful aged care support worker interview tip is to bring a pen and paper, or laptop, to your meeting. You will likely cover a lot of ground and it can be good to take notes to review later on.
What questions should you ask a potential support worker?
All independent support workers on Mable must meet certain verification requirements in accordance with our Verification Policy. These checks are reviewed to support your decision making, but you should still use the interview to assess both suitability and safety.
There are many questions you can ask to work out whether a support worker is the right match for you or your loved one. These are some examples grouped by category. You don’t need to use them all, and you can also add your own:
Experience and support style
- What experience do you have supporting older people?
- How do you usually work with the people you support? Do you provide ongoing support or help as needed?
- What types of tasks do you feel most comfortable helping with?
- Are you comfortable supporting someone with [specific task, condition or routine]?
- What does a good support session look like to you?
Getting to know the person you’re supporting
- How do you like to get to know the person you’re supporting?
- How do you learn about someone’s routines, preferences and boundaries?
- What do you think is most important in a good support worker relationship?
Communication and relationship fit
- How do you like to communicate with people you support and their family or coordinator?
- How do you ensure the person you support feels comfortable, heard and respected?
- How do you balance helping someone while still supporting their independence?
- Can you tell me about a time you changed your support to suit someone’s needs?
- How do you respond if someone is having a difficult day?
- What would you do if the person you support seemed unhappy with things?
- How do you handle changes in someone’s needs, or raise concerns?
- How do you keep track of important updates or changes between sessions?
Reliability and availability
- What does your availability usually look like?
- How do you handle changes to your schedule?
- Do you have any upcoming holidays, training or changes in availability?
What are the signs of a great support worker match?
Some support workers will feel like a better fit than others. Here are some positive signs that this may be the case.
The support worker:
- Listens carefully and asks questions about your routines, preferences and needs.
- Speaks about the people they support with warmth and respect.
- Is honest about what they can and can’t help with.
- Seems genuinely interested in getting to know you, not just completing tasks.
- Communicates clearly and feels easy to talk to.
- Has availability and a way of working that fits well with what you’re looking for.
What should you look out for in an interview?
Sometimes a support worker may not feel like the right fit. That’s not a bad thing - it means the interview process is working as it should and it’s helping you spot a potential mis-match.
Here are some less-than-positive signs to look out for. The support worker:
- Seems vague when asked about their experience or qualifications.
- Speaks about previous clients in a way that feels dismissive or disrespectful.
- Appears uncomfortable answering questions about how they work.
- Focuses more on pay and logistics than the person they’d be supporting.
- Has availability that is uncertain or inconsistent.
- Just doesn’t ‘feel right’.
What should you do after the interview is over?
Once the meeting is over, take some time to think about how you feel. Did the support worker seem interested and genuine? Are they someone you could feel comfortable with?
If you’re a representative supporting an older person and also attending these meetings, it’s a good idea to ask your loved one these questions. Their comfort matters the most.
You can also interview more than one support worker before making a decision. Taking your time can help you feel more confident in your choice.
Once you’ve found someone, a service agreement helps confirm what you’ve discussed and agreed on.
If at any time, you’re still unsure, Mable’s customer support team can help. You don’t need to work through it on your own.
Start your search today
The right support worker can make a real difference to daily life, so it’s worth taking the time to find them.
Interviewing support workers is a normal and encouraged part of the process on Mable. It helps you get a clearer sense of who feels right for your needs, preferences and routines.
With over 23,000 diverse independent support workers on the platform, there are plenty of options to explore. When you’re ready, you can browse profiles on Mable or reach out for help in getting started.