On Mable, there are two ways to find independent support workers — you can search for support workers or post a job ad on Mable.
If you are a coordinator, you can use either of these two ways to book support for your clients. Here’s how.
Searching for support workers on Mable
Here are the steps you need to follow to search for support workers on Mable:
- You can search through your coordinator account or log in to Mable as your client through your coordinator dashboard
- Select the ‘Search workers’ option on the left hand side menu
- From here, you will need to follow the steps to filter your client’s preferences. These will include choosing the suburb in which the support is required, the type of support services your client needs, specific activities or tasks for which they need support (such as gardening, meal preparation, etc.), and gender and language preferences. You can click on ‘Show all filters’ to see them all.
Once you’ve completed these steps, you will see a list of all the support workers that fulfil your clients’ criteria.
This list includes summaries of worker profiles, and they will display the worker’s name, rating, support type they offer, their proximity and a preview of their bio.
You can find out more about the support worker by clicking on ‘View profile’. In their profile, you will find detailed information about their:
- Experience, skills and qualifications
- Values
- Indicative rates
- Availability
- Hobbies and interests, and more.
You can shortlist the worker profiles that match your client’s needs and preferences. You can also message the support worker to discuss more about support needs, negotiate rates, set up meet and greets, and request or accept service agreements. You can also communicate via video calls.
Any responses from support workers will come to your client’s inbox.
Posting a job ad on Mable
The other way to find and book support workers on Mable is by directly posting a job ad on Mable.
The benefit of posting a job ad is that it’s seen by more support workers. When you post a job ad, it is seen by all support workers that match your criteria. Workers who are interested and fit the requirements can then respond to you.
To do this, log in as your client through your coordinator dashboard and select the ‘Jobs’ option. You will then see an option to ‘Post a job’.
From here, you will need to follow the steps that include selecting the job type (Standard or Last Minute), the description of the job, location, times and duration.
You will also be able to describe your client’s support needs in as much detail as required.
Workers’ responses to your job ad will appear in your client’s inbox.
Note: If you’re posting a Last Minute Job, make sure your client’s account has been verified.
Seven things to include in your job ad
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 in matching the client with a support worker with a similar personality).
- Date and time of job: Your client may need to go to an appointment at a specific time. Or they may be flexible, such as wanting to go to a local art gallery. The more specific you are about when and what time they need support (and if you’re flexible or not), the clearer the job ad.
- Location of the job: Will the client need support at home or elsewhere? Will they need to be picked up from home and taken somewhere else for support?
- Your client’s goals: What goals is your client 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 client’s 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 licence: 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 ad makes sure the support worker knows what’s non-negotiable for you in terms of your support needs.
Don’t forget, as a coordinator, you also have access to Mable’s ‘Manage jobs’ tool. This tool is useful in managing all your open, public, private and Last Minute job summaries in one place. This is also helpful to find the best-matched support workers faster. Simply select Manage jobs in your dashboard.
