Mable is an online platform that brings together people seeking paid disability and aged care support with people offering paid disability and aged care support.
You can register on Mable to find, book and manage support for yourself or a person with disability – either by paying privately, or by using available government funding options, such as the NDIS or home care packages.
With Mable, you can search for independent support workers in your local community, view the person’s profile, then choose the person or people who share your interests and suit your needs best. You can message, call or meet the person when deciding who is right for you. Find out how to build your support team.
You can also post jobs or bring your existing support team to Mable. The support worker will need to set up their own Mable account and once they’re verified and approved, you’ll be able to hire them through the platform.
Benefits of using Mable
Choice and control
Since the introduction of the NDIS, many people with disability and their families have had the opportunity to exercise real choice and control over who provides the support they are seeking for the very first time. Mable enables that choice and control. You are now able to design your own support framework, choose who you want to engage, decide the what, when, where and how of that support.
Safeguarding
All of the people offering support services on Mable have to meet stringent criteria, including police, reference and certain qualification checks before their profiles are visible on the platform. Every Independent Support Worker has an ABN and the benefit of comprehensive insurances (provided by Mable) for added peace of mind. Mable also has a ‘ratings and review’ feature that allows you to see how many ‘stars’ a person has received and you can read reviews about the services and support they offer. Learn more about safeguards offered by Mable.
Pricing that works
Workers and clients agree on rates before support is delivered on Mable.
What support and services can I access using Mable?
The types of support that you might need over time will vary. On Mable, you can search for specific types of services by support category, or you can post an advertisement/job post detailing exactly who and what you are seeking.
The types of supports you might find on Mable
- Social Support: to get out and about and live a great life
- Domestic assistance: housekeeping assistance to help keep the home in top form
- Therapy: occupational therapy, psychology, physio, speech therapy
- Nursing services: registered nurses, enrolled nurse
- Personal care: to attend to you personal needs
- Independent living: supporting all that it takes to keep life moving along
- Travel: support to get from A to B.
Find more about the types of support you can find through Mable.
Register on Mable and start your search
Once you have set up a profile, there are two main ways that you can utilise the benefits that Mable offers:
- You can search for and engage support from independent support workers already on the Mable platform
- You can bring someone you have found elsewhere, to Mable. They just have to go through the appropriate screening process prior to being able to offer services via Mable.
Using the ‘search’ option. What/who are you looking for?
Before you start your search, think about the type of person you are seeking and also be really clear about what it is you are going to be asking this person to do.
Once you are viewing a profile, the types of things you should be looking for are:
Who are they? It’s always interesting to see how people describe themselves and what they include in their profile description by way of explaining who they are, what they have done and the things they are interested in.
Safeguards: what checks have been done and what training has the person undertaken? Do they have qualifications that you think are important? For example, if the person is offering to provide ‘personal care’, Mable requires a minimum Certificate 111 or Certificate IV in Disability or similar, before they can provide the service. If offering ‘social and community support’ only, no formal qualification is required by Mable.
Badges: Mable provides an easy way to view some important aspects about the person i.e. non-smokers, pet friendly, LGBTQIA+ friendly, etc.
Services offered: this is where the independent support worker details what services they are offering via Mable.
Indicative rates: The support person states what their hourly rates are for weekdays, weekends, and overnight. They may also provide their Public Holidays rates. ‘Indicative’ means that they are a suggested rate, which can be negotiated.
Areas of expertise: What is the person identifying as an area of expertise?
Work and education history: here you can see what they have done before in their working life and what level of education they have.
How do I know what is a reasonable hourly rate to pay?
Each independent support worker on Mable will advertise their ‘indicative rate’. This is the rate they are ‘suggesting’ per hour of support provided. It is called indicative, as it is a guide to the rate, not a set-in-stone rate and is negotiable. Learn more about indicative rates.
The rate you agree to should be based on their experience, their skill base, their qualifications (if needed), their level of expertise in the area you are seeking etc. It is a negotiation, so be prepared to discuss it at the meet and greet. Bear in mind that they are a sole trader and therefore responsible for their own tax, super, etc, so they will factor that into their hourly rate.
It may be that if you are requiring a higher level of support or expertise or responsibility than is usual, it may be appropriate that you offer a slightly higher hourly rate.
Meet and Greet
Most of the support people on Mable provide the first hour of service free to enable a ‘meet and greet’. This is a great opportunity to meet in person and discuss all the requirements of the job and get a good feel for the person. Learn more about preparing for this meeting.
How do I enter into an agreement?
After you have discussed and agreed hourly rates, the type of support you are seeking and when they are needed, the independent support worker will send you an Agreement which outlines all of these details. The Agreement must be accepted before the support person can begin working. If an Agreement has not been sent and accepted, the support person is not covered by insurance for any work that they do. This practice is discouraged as it opens both sides of the equation to risk.
You will receive an email notification when your support person has sent you an Agreement. To view and accept the Agreement, log in to Mable, go to your inbox and open the conversation with the person who has sent you the Agreement. An Agreement can also be rejected. For example, if the times agreed upon are incorrect. It is also possible to alter an existing Agreement. The independent support worker can do this from their end as agreed and they will then send it to you to accept.
Do I pay for travel time?
It is anticipated that the agreed hourly rate is inclusive of any travel time that will be incurred once the support person is at work. It is not expected that time travelling to and from your home will be included in the work hours. If, however, you negotiate a trip away from home that might include substantial travel time, distance and petrol, then it would only be fair to come to some sort of agreement as to how those additional hours will be paid for and how the use of the independent support worker’s private vehicle might be compensated, i.e. out of the NDIS travel allowance received by the person being supported, or paid for privately if necessary.
If you are going to be driven in the independent support worker’s private vehicle at any time, make sure that the driver has a current drivers licence and is driving a registered vehicle which has full comprehensive car insurance. It’s okay to ask to see their driver’s licence and registration papers. Or you can check the licence plate online in NSW at Services NSW.
Resolving disputes with support workers
Open and honest feedback is an important part of maintaining quality of support. On the Mable site, you can rate your experience of the support person you have engaged via Mable through a 5-star rating system, or by submitting a review, or both. This is done through the ‘Provide Feedback’ button under ‘My Support Workers’. Your feedback can be anonymous if you prefer.
This feedback then forms part of the support person’s profile, helping others to make an informed choice, whilst promoting the great work carried out by individuals.
Should you ever have a serious concern about a support person or the service you are receiving, please discuss this immediately with family members, your chosen representative or by making a call to the Mable team on 1300 736 573. Alternatively, you can also choose to make an anonymous call to the Health Care Complaints Commission on 1800 043 159.
Learn more about resolving disputes and managing challenges within a support team.
Can I use Mable if I’m self-managed?
Yes, you can! This is one of the main reasons Mable exists, so that you can exercise ‘choice and control’ as a self manager.
You can sign up to the Mable website and start engaging paid support people. You can message them directly or you can Post a Job (advertise your vacant position).
Once you have found someone you would like to engage with, or you have had the independent support worker you wish to work with register with Mable, it is just a matter of providing a copy of the page in the NDIS plan that confirms the plan can be self managed. Learn more about self-managing an NDIS plan.
Can I use Mable if I have a Plan Manager?
Yes, you can still use Mable! Sign up and search for the support that’s right for you. Once you’ve found someone, or again, you have brought someone to Mable that you wish to engage, you’ll need to confirm your funding source. The Plan Manager will then need to email Mable advising they will pay invoices on your behalf. It’ll take a day or two to verify your account and then you are good to go.
Can I use Mable if my NDIS funding is agency-managed/NDIA-managed?
This shouldn’t stop you from finding and booking your team through Mable. You will need to discuss this with the NDIS registered disability service provider that you are linked to. If they are happy for you to use Mable, you can ask them to get in touch to confirm this and you can go ahead using Mable.
I’ve booked a support worker – what’s next?
- The independent support worker will submit their Support Session to Mable detailing the date and time that they worked, through the Mable app.
- You will receive an email from Mable directing you to the website to view and approve the Support Session. If you don’t approve it, within 24 hours it is automatically approved and processed.
- You will then receive an invoice each week providing you with all the relevant information.
- You claim the amount on the invoice from the NDIS portal.
- Once the funds are received into your bank account, you can then pay Mable, which in turn, pays the support worker.
Note: It is important to be aware of the fact that Mable pays the paid support people on receipt of the funds from you. If you fall behind in your payments, you may end up with very disgruntled support people, so it’s important that you set up a system that supports your payment of invoices in a timely manner.
