Meeting potential support workers for the first time is an exciting experience – it marks the beginning of a new support journey and provides a snapshot of the types of support you can receive. On Mable, many independent workers encourage a meet and greet with potential clients for free. This gives you and your potential worker the perfect opportunity to get to know one other before they support you.

Only contact workers that sound right for you

To get in touch with an independent worker in your local area, you will need to directly search or post a job on Mable. Most support workers on Mable offer a free meet and greet to potential clients for the purposes of an interview, and you can check this by visiting a worker’s profile and reading their “Rates and Availability Guide”. If you’d like to meet up with a worker so you can get a better sense of who they are and how they can assist you, simply ask them through the messaging feature on Mable.

If a worker doesn’t indicate they offer a free meet and greet on their profile on Mable, you can always ask whether they’re open to a quick meet-up. Remember, these initial meetups are all about making you feel at ease with who supports you. If a worker doesn’t want to meet up with you, it might be worth contacting another.

Choose a meeting place that’s public, quiet, and accessible to both of you

Many clients on Mable organize meetups at a local cafe or other public areas. Some may even invite a potential support worker into their home for a cup of tea. This interview is all about making both parties feel comfortable, and helping you find the right support, so it’s important that you agree on a meeting place that works for you both.

Make a list of the types of support you’re seeking

Before you meet up with your potential support worker, you should think about how you’d like them to assist you. Your list could include:

• details about when you’d like a support worker to provide access to events, classes, or appointments,
• how often you’d like a hand keeping your home clean and tidy,
• whether you require assistance with medication, meal prep, or other personal support,
• or if you’d like access to a private transport.

Although you don’t have to share this list with your potential support worker, you can ask them whether they have experience in these areas.

Prepare questions that will show their personality

A great support worker should have a personality that’s compatible with yours – having a good time is just as important as getting support. You and your potential worker’s meetup can be as formal or informal as you’d like, but it might help to have a few questions handy so you can get an idea of their personal qualities. You could ask something along the lines of…
– Tell me about a time when you helped a client get among their community
– What do you think sets you apart from other support workers?
– Can you tell me about a difficult experience you had with a past client and how you dealt with it?
– What do your friends like about you?

Ask your potential worker to bring evidence of their qualifications

One of the key reasons the Mable Team encourages clients to meet up with workers before receiving support from them is so clients have an opportunity to see a worker’s qualifications. Whether you live with a disability or you’re seeking in-home aged care for your aging parent, you’ll most likely have expectations of your support workers’ knowledge and qualifications – and these expectations are important. Don’t be afraid to ask your potential support worker to bring along copies of their qualifications – you can request this when messaging them via Mable.

Bring along a pen and paper

Sometimes, things can be forgotten at the worst of times – don’t worry, it happens to all of us! Your meetup will probably cover a lot of ground, so come prepared with a pen and paper, laptop or phone so you can keep a record of the worker’s details. If you forget to bring one of these along, you can always visit their profile on Mable to contact them after you’ve met with them.

Remember, if an independent worker provides you support during the one-hour meet and greet, neither of you will be covered by the suite of insurance policies offered by Mable.

Ready to be in complete control of who supports you? Head to Mable and start searching for workers in your local area today.