Sitting service for an elderly parent: how to arrange one
What a sitting service is, how a paid companion differs from a volunteer sitter, what to ask before you book, and how to arrange one in Greater Manchester.
A sitting service is someone reliable who stays with your parent so that you can go out, for a few hours at a time. The NHS describes the traditional version as a trained volunteer from a charity or carers' organisation. A companionship visit does the same job on a fixed day each week, from one employed, DBS-checked person your parent has met, with a written note to you afterwards. Choose on three things: whether it is the same person each time, what happens if they are ill, and whether your parent gets to meet them first.
What people mean by a sitting service
The phrase comes from the carers' world. You are looking after a parent at home, you need to be somewhere else for a few hours, and you cannot leave them alone. A sitting service is the person who comes and sits with them. The NHS guide to carers' breaks describes the traditional version as a trained volunteer keeping the person company for a few hours, arranged through a charity or a carers' organisation.
Volunteer schemes depend on who is available: the slot moves, the person may change, and the hours can be short or irregular. A break you cannot plan around is not much of a break, which is why many families want the same thing on a fixed footing.
What a companionship visit adds
A companionship visit is a sitting service built to be reliable. The same companion comes at the same time every week, so your parent knows who is coming and you know when you are free. The companion is employed by us, has an enhanced DBS check with the adults' barred list, and has met your parent at a free meet-and-greet before the first visit, so nobody unfamiliar arrives while you are out. If the usual companion is ill, a named backup your parent has already met steps in.
And the two hours are not just sitting. Cards, a walk to the shops, lunch made and eaten together, the garden centre, a video call to the grandchildren. Your parent gets an afternoon that is theirs. You get a short written note afterwards saying how it went, so you come home knowing rather than asking.
What to ask before you book anyone
Whether you go with a charity, an agency or us, ask these five things and get the answers in writing.
- Will it be the same person each time? A different face each week undoes the point.
- What happens if they are ill or on holiday? The right answer is a named person your parent has met, not "we will find someone".
- What checks have been done, and can I see them? Ask for an enhanced DBS check and whether it included the adults' barred list.
- What will they actually do for two hours? Company, an outing, a meal, small jobs. Be clear about what your parent needs and enjoys.
- What do they not do? Personal care is regulated and comes from a CQC-registered provider. A sitter who will "help with a bit of that" is not keeping to their boundary.
Paying for it
Three routes. You can pay privately; our prices are on the pricing page, with no minimum term and no deposit. If your parent receives Attendance Allowance, it is not means-tested and can be spent on whatever helps, including a weekly visit. And you can ask your council for a carer's assessment under section 10 of the Care Act 2014; councils fund respite for carers assessed as needing it, sometimes as a direct payment you spend on the service you choose. Our respite guide covers the assessment and Carer's Allowance in more detail.
Arranging one with us
Ring us or send the form with your parent's postcode and a few lines about them. A person replies within one working hour, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, and rings you for a twenty-minute conversation. The meet-and-greet at home is free and usually within five working days; you and your parent both meet the companion, and nothing is booked until your parent says yes. From then on it is the same person, the same slot, every week, and one week's notice from either side if it ever needs to change.
Common questions
What is a sitting service?
Someone who stays with the person you care for, usually for a few hours, so that you can go out. The NHS describes the traditional version as a trained volunteer arranged through a charity or carers' organisation. Paid companionship visits do the same job with an employed companion on a fixed weekly slot.
Is a sitting service the same as respite care?
It is one kind of respite. Respite also covers day centres, short care-home stays and paid home care. A sitting service is the small, regular kind: two or three hours a week you can plan around.
Does a sitter provide personal care?
A companion does not. Company, an outing, a meal, the shopping and small jobs are all fine. Help with washing, dressing or the toilet is personal care and comes from a CQC-registered provider. If your parent needs that during the hours you are out, say so on the first call and we will help you find it.
Can the council pay for a sitting service?
Sometimes. Ask for a carer's assessment under section 10 of the Care Act 2014; councils fund respite for carers assessed as needing it, sometimes as a direct payment you can spend on the service of your choice. Attendance Allowance, if your parent receives it, can also pay for a weekly visit.
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
Tell us who the visits are for and what they enjoy. We will ring you back within one working hour, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, and arrange a free meet-and-greet at home with the companion we have in mind. Nothing is charged until you have met them and said yes.