Give Support

Changing what it means to work in care

Powerful, self-serve product and growth analytics to help you convert, engage, and retain more users. Trusted by over 4,000 startups.

Mutual consent over the care relationship

We promote relationship-centered care, focusing on matching care workers with individuals they are suited to. Skills, personality and interests are all important for building effective, lasting relationships between care givers and receivers.

We always gain consent by both sides of the care relationship before a match is made, and we use trial periods to ensure that we have got it right.

Better paid hours that you can choose

Being an independent worker means you choose when and where you work, you set your own rates and you work with people you have made a conscious choice to support.

Choosing to be employed by us means hours that are clearly defined and agreed to, and being paid the living wage or higher.

We never use zero hours contracts.

Join teams, build connections

We build Teams of care and support around individuals, involving family and friends in those Teams where appropriate to ensure better communication and quality of care.

Using our Platform, individuals can share information, fill gaps in a person's care provision and recruit Equal Care workers to their Team.

The trust you're looking for. The support you need

We trust and encourage our members to use their skills and communication with their Teams to problem-solve and find solutions without feeling the need to constantly refer things up a management chain.

However, we will also provide support where needed and direct our members to appropriate training and opportunities for professional development.

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Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know about the product and billing.

Is being independent the same as being on a zero-hours contract?

No. Being on a zero-hours contract is a good way for the employer to have all of the power and flexibility involved in carework. It's typically offered as ad-hoc shift work, where you don't know who you'll be supporting, where you'll be going or how many hours you will be asked to do week to week. You have no say over the hourly rate, and you may even get penalties for not being on hand the moment the employer wants you. Being an independent worker means you choose when and where you work, you set your own rates, and you work with people you have made a conscious choice to support (you are part of their team!).

How will you help me stay safe?
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As part of facilitating a match we carry out a trust and safety review. You'll know who you are supporting and any concerns in advance. If there's a requirement for specialised training we will let you know and we will never connect people without the right level of experience. We will also set up paired working in some circumstances.

How does the charging and payment process work?

The hours of support you give over the month are recorded using our bookings software. At the end of each month we pay you for hours worked and invoice all our Teams. For independent workers the income you receive each month is variable based on the number of hours worked. Employees receive a fixed salary.

If you match me with someone local do I have to continue going through Equal Care?

At the moment, yes, we are including a non-solicitation clause in our Giving Support Promise. The commission rate is already very low and we are investing time and energy into creating a trusted, well-curated way people can get support. The contribution is solely to support this work - it goes into the co-op commons, not into making lucrative profits for shareholders!

Why are you doing fixed hour employment contracts instead of ones that change week to week?

There are two main reasons for this:
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Reason One: By working in Teams this means that you support far fewer people than a normal agency. You join each Team and commit to the support you give at those hours each week (or every two weeks if it involves weekend working). We are committed to avoiding the 'revolving door' that a lot of people getting support experience, where they may see up to twenty care workers in a single week because of varying rotas. We're all about building relationships with the people you support, avoiding lots of different faces coming through their door - having regular hours is a key way to do this.
Reason Two: Having employment contracts that commit to a set number of hours but don't tell you when you will be working from week to week makes it difficult to live your life! Knowing your rota only a couple of weeks in advance makes it hard to commit to see friends, to book holidays, to plan for weddings, parties, childcare, everything really. We think that employed roles in care and support work need to be clear about when you're at work and when you're not. So you can do the things that other people do.

Are you able to guarantee hours?
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We cannot guarantee hours for independent work, however, we are reasonably confident that - provided you are applying with the ability to offer personal care and you are a driver with your own wheels - we can provide you with the hours you're looking for within four weeks of starting with us (from the point of completing the due diligence). For people who do not drive, who would like to stay very local or who would like to offer more specialised forms of support, it can take a little longer to build you up to the hours of support you are looking to give on a weekly basis. If you have a very specific set of requirements about who, when, where and the type of support you offer it can take up to several months to find the right match.

Our employed roles are all to whichever hours are set in your employment contract and these are guaranteed, regardless of whether you are doing care in those hours or not. We do not pay on an hourly or a shift basis. It is just like a 'normal' job!

I don't live in the Calderdale. Is this an issue?

At the moment, yes, sorry. However, please tell us you are interested in working with us, as we have lovely plans for growing and want to hear from people keen on starting in their own locations. The most important thing about growing our work is that it is started and owned by the people living in that place.

Do I have a contract with Equal Care Co-op or the person I'm supporting? Or both?!

If you are working independently, you will have signed up to an Independent Care and Support Workers Promise with us. You will also have an agreement with the person you're supporting (this can be written or verbal). We can help you set this up. For employed workers the support you give is covered by your employment contract with Equal Care.

Will I have access to training?

Yes. We offer connections to external training and also provide internal training for our staff. For independent workers and in fact all our team members (including family and team owners), this training is open. However, as a CPD requirement for your independent work, although we can offer it freely we cannot pay for you to attend.

Give meaningful care and support on your terms