frequently asked questions

So, what is live-in care? Live-in care is for those who need 24-hour support but wish to remain living in their own homes rather than move into a residential care home. We provide a tailored service to suit the requirements of the individual receiving care as well as their family.

What does a live-in care do exactly? Our carers as there to provide 1-2-1 care and to enable your loved one to continue enjoying a secure, safe, comfortable, and independent life within their own home. They are there to assist with personal care, bathing, washing, and dressing, assisting with their personal and oral hygiene, toileting, administering medication, maintenance of their appearance, cooking meals and general household duties.

Please note that our live-in carers are not trained nurses. They can undertake clinical tasks such as managing PEG feeds, dressing wounds, and managing catheters or stomas but they are unable to administer injections.

Your live-in carer will regularly vacuum, dust, mop, change bedding and empty bins. They will also help with laundry too. We talk through all these duties when we carry out your care assessment.

Due to the wide range of services offered within our live-in care services, costs can vary on a case-to-case basis – dependent upon the level of care required. We will be able to provide an actual cost once your loved one has been assessed.

For example, basic live-in care which is for those who do not require any personal care assistance is £1090 per week. This type of live-in care service is tailored more for those who are looking for companionship, assistance with meals preparation, security, cleaning, shopping, and other household duties.

The cost for live-in care is all dependent upon your situation. You may be eligible for government assistance in meeting some, or all, of your care costs. Learn more about NHS continuing Healthcare Funding here.

There is also public funding available for live-in care as well as well as benefit entitlements. Customers can fund their care privately or via direct payments, but if you need advice on care funding options, we recommend that you speak with a Financial Advisor who has experience in this area.

Yes, we can. We work with multiple councils up and down the UK to ensure those with a broad range of financial circumstances can afford the support they need.

To pay for care with Joyful Care, you need to request whatever local authority funding you’re entitled to as a direct payment. This means it will go straight into your bank account and you then pay the money to Joyful Care directly.

This may or may not cover the full cost of the care. If it doesn’t, most families use savings, pension, or an equity release scheme to cover the rest of the cost.

We can take payment from a card of your choice on a weekly basis, or we can set up a direct debit from a nominated account. If it’s funded by a local authority, then we can invoice them directly.

You’ll only ever pay for care you’ve already received, and you’ll always be able to find back-dated invoices in your Joyful Care account.

If you’re not entitled to government support, this is because the relevant authority, usually your local council, has deemed you have enough money to pay for your own care.

This is the situation a lot of family’s face. However, it’s important to remember that as soon as assets fall below the thresholds, you’ll be entitled to funding from your local authority. With care at home, you’re likely to be eligible for funding more quickly than if you opt for residential care – given that your home is excluded from assets in the financial means test.

We don’t charge any additional charges, just our flat rate of £1090 per week for single person also depends on the person requirement if is a couple or have a high need the cost might be a little higher. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any extra costs to budget for. You’ll need to provide the carer with a food budget. You should also consider a budget for household upkeep, bills, groceries, mobility etc.

If your loved one is more mobile, we also recommend thinking about a recreational budget. This could be put towards making sure your loved one and their carer can go on regular days out.

Some of our live-in carers are drivers and will be happy to drive you wherever you need to go. If you wish your live-in carer to use your car, we advise you to check their driving licence to see that it covers driving your car. You’ll also need to arrange for them to be insured under your own policy at your own cost.

You’ll need to have a suitable, furnished, warm, secure, and private room for your live-in carer.

As your carer may spend their breaks and downtime in their room, it’s important for them to have furnishings such as a comfortable bed, bedside table, chest of drawers, wardrobe, an armchair, desk, and television where possible.

We suggest that the carers room is lockable, or if this isn’t possible, that there is a safe place for them to keep their personal belongings and valuables. They are also advised not to invite their own friends and family to visit them at your home.

Our live-in carers are there to care and support you 24 hours per day/7 days per week. However, to comply with employment law regulations, your carer will require a minimum two-hour break during every working day. During this time, they must be free to leave your home.

Like our customers, our live-in carers come from a variety of different backgrounds. However, the common thread between them all is their desire to support our customers with empathy, kindness and to do the best they can to make their lives happy.

A DBS, Disclosure and Barring Service check (previously known as CRB) is a certificate that ensures someone is suitable to be a carer and has not got a criminal record.

A PVG, Protecting Vulnerable Groups check is the Scottish version of DBS. It is a certificate that proves someone has no criminal record.

We make sure each Joyful Care carer has a recent DBS/PVG/Access NI before approving them onto our platform. 

Like any standard agency, our Carer Support Team background check and interview all our carers. 

This includes Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks in England & Wales, Disclosure Scotland, and NI Access in Northern Ireland. We also check identity documents, rights to work in the UK, tax, and employment status and, if relevant, driving license and relevant qualifications. 

We also insist on two independent referees (at least one of them a UK resident) who are willing to vouch for the carer.

Yes, in fact we believe that Joyful Care is safer than the traditional agency model. 

Joyful Care platform we match clients with self-employed qualify carers according to client requirement after assessing the client care needs – therefore our platform is not required to be registered with the Care Quality Commission, the Care Inspectorate or the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA).

However, we at Joyful Care aspire to, and expect the carers on our platform to equally aspire to, the CQC, the Care Inspectorate and the RQIA codes of conduct.

If we hear that any of our carers or clients have acted in breach of these codes, we will investigate immediately.

We take all reports of unacceptable behaviour by carers extremely seriously. If we receive a formal complaint against a carer from a client, we will inform their other clients at once and reserve the right to either prevent the care worker from acquiring new clients or in cases of a serious nature remove them from the platform immediately.

You pay for overnight care though a secure payment system on our app or website. We will create a service agreement and shift invoice which will automatically be sent to your Joyful Care account for your approval. Once you have approved these, you will be taken to the payment portal. Your payment is held securely until the shift is completed and is then released to the carer 2 working days after the end of the shift.

To arrange overnight care, you can contact and tell us your care requirements and we will match you with a carer that fit those needs.

Waking night carers work throughout the night. In addition to helping, you with any needs you may have during the night, such as bathroom assistance, reassurance and pain management, the carer can carry out everyday tasks such as cleaning in the home while you sleep.

Sleeping night carers sleep while you sleep. Their presence is mostly to reassure you that someone is there if needs be. One or two calls may be made throughout the night, however if more calls are anticipated, a waking night carer would be a better option. Please be aware that we may charge an additional fee for more disturbance than was previously agreed. Make sure to discuss this with us.

Most definitely. When we match our live-in carers with customers, we ensure that anyone who has a pet is matched with an animal lover.

Ultimately the relationship between the client and the carer is a working relationship. If the relationship is not functioning, then our advice is for you to replace your current carer with another care worker.

If the dispute is of a serious nature, for example, a criminal act, then you must report it at once to the police and Joyful Care We will investigate it immediately.

We take all reports of unacceptable behaviour by carers extremely seriously. If we receive a formal complaint against a carer from a client, we will immediately inform their other clients and reserve the right to either prevent the care worker from acquiring new clients or in cases of a serious nature remove them from the platform at once.

No, we have a rolling agreement. We ask that if you’d like to terminate care with us that you provide us with two weeks’ notice.

If you have to end care with us because of acute hospital admission or death, of course, we just ask that you make us aware of the situation as quickly as possible. And it goes without saying that you’ll not be charged.

The day carers swap over, we call a handover. You can keep track of the dates of upcoming handovers through your My Joyful Care account. On the day, your current carer will remain with your loved one until the new carer arrives.

Unless otherwise agreed, the carer will conduct an in-person handover to pass on all the relevant information. To make sure this happens, we recommend making yourself available for the first handover or a new carer to help this process.

We expect every self-employed carer using our platform to adhere to the latest government guidelines for PPE. We send out a weekly email to every approved carer outlining the most recent coronavirus updates from the government to keep them well-informed.

However, as Joyful Care carers are self-employed it is their responsibility to source and wear the correct PPE. If you believe that your carer’s levels of protection are not sufficient, either discuss it with them in person or let a member of our team know at client@joyfulcare.co.uk

Yes. Every self-employed Joyful Care carer is fully insured for the hours that they transact through the platform. The insurance is activated by the approval of a service agreement and accompanying shift invoice provided by us.  Our insurance provider is Surewise.

Joyful care has public liability insurance with a policy that covers up to £1,000,000 if necessary. This protects your loved one in the unlikely event of accidental damage to property caused by the carer.

Joyful Care is an online platform for those seeking care and self-employed carers. We have harnessed technology to give you, as a client, complete choice, and control over who your carer is. 

Every carer on the platform has been interviewed and fully vetted by our recruitment team – they have had their DBS checked, have the right to work in the UK and any qualifications mentioned on their profile have been backed up with certificates.

Care agencies typically send in different carers daily. With us you have complete control and the opportunity for consistent and trusted carers of your choice.