How to choose a companionship service: twelve questions to ask before you book
The questions that separate a safe, well-run companionship service from a directory of strangers: employment status, DBS checks, insurance, backup, pricing and the personal care boundary.
Choose a companionship service on six things, in this order: whether the companion is employed by the provider or merely introduced; whether an enhanced DBS check with the adults' barred list has been done and can be shown; whether the provider holds employers' and public liability insurance; whether you get the same person every week with a named backup; whether the price is published in full with no minimum term; and whether the provider states plainly that it does not provide personal care and what it does when a client's needs change. A provider that answers all six in writing before the first visit is one you can rely on.
The twelve questions
Ask them all, and ask for the answers in writing. A good provider will have them ready because it is asked them every week.
1. Is the companion employed by you, or self-employed?
This is the question that decides most of the others. If the provider employs its companions, it is responsible for their pay, tax, holiday, sick pay, training, supervision and insurance, and it is the one you complain to. If the companion is self-employed and the provider merely introduced them, you are dealing with an individual, and the provider's responsibilities stop at the introduction. Neither model is illegal. Only one of them puts the duty of care where you would expect it.
2. What DBS check has been done, and can I see it?
The answer should be an enhanced DBS check with a check of the adults' barred list, dated within the last few years or kept current through the DBS Update Service. Companions who shop on a client's behalf or drive them to and from health appointments are carrying out regulated activity with adults as defined under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, which is precisely what makes the barred list check available to the provider. A provider that has only done a basic check has not done the check the law allows it to do.
3. What references were taken, and were they spoken to?
Two references, taken by telephone rather than by form, from people who have seen the candidate work. Ask whether the provider spoke to the referees or only collected written ones.
4. Was there a face-to-face interview?
A companion will be alone in your relative's home. Somebody at the provider should have sat across a table from them first. Ask who.
5. What insurance does the provider hold?
Employers' liability insurance is a legal requirement for any employer in the UK. Public liability insurance covers harm to your relative or their property. Ask for the insurer's name and the cover amounts. If the companion is self-employed, ask who holds the public liability cover, because it may be nobody.
6. Will it be the same person every week?
The point of companionship is a relationship. A rota of whoever is free is a different service. Ask how the provider matches companions to clients, how often the match changes, and whether the client can ask for a different person without fuss.
7. What happens when the usual companion is ill or on holiday?
The right answer is a named backup the client has already met, within the first month. The wrong answer is that they will find someone on the day.
8. Is the price published, and what does it include?
A price on request is a price that changes. Ask for the hourly rate, the minimum visit, the evening and weekend uplift, mileage, and whether VAT is charged. Ask what happens to the price after a year.
9. Is there a minimum term, a deposit or a cancellation fee?
For a service booked by the hour there is no good reason for any of the three. One week's notice from either side is a fair arrangement.
10. How will I know how the visit went?
A written update to the family after each visit is the difference between knowing your mother was visited and knowing how she was. Ask to see an example, with the names removed.
11. Do you provide personal care, and what happens when my relative needs it?
Whitegreen Companions provides non-regulated independent living support. We do not provide personal care, nursing care, clinical care or any other activity regulated by the Care Quality Commission. Our companions can remind you to take medication but never administer it. If your needs change, we will help you find a registered care provider.
Every companionship provider should be able to say something as plain as that. The follow-up matters as much: when a client starts to need help with washing, dressing or the toilet, that is personal care under regulation 2 of the 2014 Regulations, and it must be provided by an agency registered with the CQC. A provider that says "we can help with a bit of that too" is telling you it will break the law when convenient.
12. Can we meet before we commit?
A meet-and-greet at home, free of charge, with the family present if wanted. Most mismatches are caught in that first hour, and a provider confident in its matching will not charge you to find out.
Warning signs
- An hourly rate that could not pay the National Living Wage of £12.71 once travel, pension and insurance are added.
- No written price list.
- A DBS certificate the provider cannot produce, or a basic check where an enhanced one was available.
- The word "care" used loosely, with no clear line around personal care.
- A different face each week, explained as flexibility.
- Pressure to sign for a minimum term.
What good looks like
Employed companions, an enhanced DBS with the adults' barred list check, two spoken references and an interview before any first visit. The same person every week with a backup you have met. A price list on the website. One week's notice, no deposit, no minimum term. A written note after every visit. And a provider that names the personal care boundary before you ask and tells you what it will do when your relative reaches it.
Common questions
What DBS check should a companion have?
An enhanced DBS check with a check of the adults' barred list. Companions who shop on a client's behalf or drive them to health appointments are in regulated activity with adults under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, which is what makes the barred list check available. A basic or standard check is not enough.
Is an introduction agency the same as a companionship provider?
No. An introduction agency puts you in touch with a self-employed companion and steps back. You, or the companion, carry the employment, insurance and cover questions. A provider that employs its companions carries those itself.
Should I meet the companion before the first visit?
Yes, and it should cost nothing. A meet-and-greet at home, with the family present if wanted, is the point at which most mismatches are caught.
What should the provider tell me about personal care?
That it does not provide it, in writing, and what it will do when a client begins to need it. The right answer is that it helps you find a registered provider and does not charge for doing so.
Sources
Every figure above comes from one of these. If one has moved or changed, tell us and we will correct the guide.
Start with a conversation, not a contract
Tell us who the visits are for and where they live. If we can help, we will arrange a free meet-and-greet with the companion we have in mind. If we cannot, we will say so and point you somewhere that can.