Mable is an online platform that connects clients looking for aged care and disability support, with independent support workers.
By booking and managing support through Mable:
- You have choice and control over who supports you, when and where they support you, and how much you pay for the support.
- You’re safeguarded by Mable’s strict approval and verification process, and the high-level suite of insurances arranged by Mable on behalf of support workers.
There are two ways to book support workers on Mable — by searching for support workers or by posting a job post on Mable. The benefit of posting a job post is that you can get really specific about your support needs. Explore our in-depth guide on how to post a job on Mable.
In this article, we will look at some details you can include that can maximise your chances of finding support workers that meet all your support needs.
Eight things to include in your job post
It’s not essential that you include every single detail mentioned below. However, the more specific you are, the easier it will be for a support worker to determine if they’re qualified and have the appropriate experience for the job.
- A little bit about the person: It’s always helpful for a support worker to know what kind of person they might be working with. If you can, include details such as age, gender, their personality (is the person energetic, chatty or calm, for instance; this can be helpful if you’d like to be matched with a support worker with similar personality traits).
- Date and time of job: You may need to go to an appointment at a specific time, or you may be flexible, such as wanting to go to a particular exhibition at your local art gallery. The more specific you are about when and what time you need support (and whether you’re flexible or not), the clearer the job post.
- Location of the job: Will you need support at home, or somewhere else, like your church, a wedding reception, or a job interview? Will you need to be picked up from home and taken somewhere else for support?
- Ongoing or a one-off job? It’s helpful for support workers to understand from your job post whether you need them for a one-off support session or whether it has the potential to be long-term. Both you and the support worker can save time and effort by clarifying this in your job ad rather than it coming up later.
- Your goals: What goals are you aiming to achieve through this support? Is it community participation, getting a job, preparing for university, living independently? This will help the support worker understand what qualifications and skills they have that can make them a good candidate and how best they can support you to achieve the desired outcome.
- Specific skills, interests or qualifications: One of the main benefits of booking a support worker on Mable is that you can connect with someone who shares your interests, or has the skills you are looking for. Angela, for example, connected with Damien to learn animation as he had professional experience in the field. Or perhaps you’d like to book a support worker who’s familiar with your culture. In such cases, specifying these aspects can enable the support worker that meets these needs.
- Car and driver’s license: Be sure to mention if you need a support worker who can drive you to where you need to go.
- Must-haves or nice-to-haves Are you particular about booking a support worker of a specific gender? Is it important to you that they be a non-smoker? Should they have a vehicle that is easy for you to get in and out of? Specifying these in your job post makes sure the support worker knows what’s non-negotiable for you in terms of your support needs.
Explore this guide for some really specific examples of how to write a job post on Mable. You can also refer to Mable client Kathy’s guide on how she books support workers on Mable.
If possible, try to acknowledge any responses you receive, even if just to say you’ve chosen someone else.
What’s next: meet and greet
Once you’ve connected with a support worker of your choosing, you can set up a meet and greet. If the meet and greet is successful, the support worker will send a service agreement to you for you to accept. Learn what a service agreement should include; once you have accepted it, your support sessions can begin.
Importantly, once you’ve accepted the agreement, ‘close’ the job on your Mable account so that support workers know it’s been filled. It also means you won’t continue receiving messages about the job.