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HIREUP – TRAVEL & SUPPORT WORKERS

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Our family recently joined Hireup, an online platform for finding and hiring support workers. BJ’s NDIS plan has given him greater freedom to access the community to pursue his interests, but for him to do that, he needs an enthusiastic support worker by his side. We’re not prepared to settle when it comes to the people supporting BJ. We want him to be surrounded by people who are engaged and keen to see him reach his potential. Many of our friends, and readers, use Hireup support workers and they all report they love the freedom and savings it offers, so we thought we’d give it a go. It’s early days but we have one lovely occupational therapy student who impressed us on day one by coming prepared with ideas for their day out. She’d obviously taken on board what we’d said about BJ’s interests and the smiles on his face in the photos of the day, told us he’d had a good time.

Hireup
BJ on his first outing with his Hireup support worker

If you’re unfamiliar with Hireup, I’ll quickly explain how it works. Basically, Hireup gives people living with a disability and support workers the ability to find each other based on location, appropriate skills and common interests. The platform removes the agency middle-man by connecting people living with a disability and support workers directly, allowing them to take control of their own supports in a way that has previously never been an option in Australia.

 Although we originally looked at Hireup for local support I can see the benefits of being able to connect with a support worker when we travel. We love travelling as a family but as BJ gets older we recognise we need to evolve in how we travel. As a family we enjoy many of the same things but sometimes it would be nice to explore individual interests or for Hubby and I to linger over a lovely special dinner (BJ isn’t into lengthy meals). When children are young, they need to follow their parent’s travel itinerary but as they grow they are afforded some independence by separating from their family, even for short periods. BJ is 22 and loves his independence when he gets it. Every time he heads off with a support worker he has a huge smile plastered across his face. We can therefore imagine holidays in the future where we hire a support worker to help BJ pursue his interests while we do an activity with AJ which he may not enjoy. As BJ needs care and assistance 24/7 we also recognise hiring a support worker when on a trip may give Hubby and I a little time out. There is no lounging by the pool or reading a book on the balcony of a hotel because BJ thinks holidays are an opportunity to be on-the-go non-stop.

Families can also look at taking a favourite support worker with them when they travel. One  Hireup support worker recently accompanied a user on a cruise for eight days. The rate, responsibilities and expectations were negotiated between the worker and the family in advance. Having a support worker who is familiar with the needs and routine of the traveller allows the family confidence in the process.

Hireup shared the story of a service user who was travelling to Melbourne. They used a local support worker to take them to the airport in Sydney, and had another support worker meet them when they arrived at Melbourne airport. This reduced the cost overall, because there was no need to pay travel and time costs for a worker for the duration of the flight, or for accommodation for the support worker.

Another user had a conference in South Australia, and after travelling from the Northern Territory with her son, found an SA-based worker to support him for the day.

Hireup also has a job board, where a description of the job is posted and support workers can see it and respond. One Hireup user from the Hunter Valley couldn’t find a regular support worker to accompany her to a concert in Sydney, so she posted an ad on the job board and found a local Sydney worker to go with her.

Now, if you’re like us and concerned about who you entrust your loved one to, Hireup undertakes all the necessary checks for support workers, e.g. working with children, police check, first-aid/CPR and professional reference checks. You can message the worker and ask questions, and if hiring someone locally you can meet up in advance and make sure both the worker and user are happy with the match and want to proceed.

Hireup offers people flexibility in either assisting with their travel or making travel possible. As more support workers become available in more locations, it’s worth checking to see if there are workers available in the destination you’re travelling to. When we next travel we’ll definitely be trying it and I’ll let you know how we go. 

You can learn more about Hireup by checking their website here.

 

 




 

7 thoughts on “HIREUP – TRAVEL & SUPPORT WORKERS”

  1. Julie, Hire Up is such a simple and easy alternative way to find and work with carers
    There are no underlying agency fees
    Everything is done online and very cost effective with the NDIS
    Its biggest advantage, i find, is that carers and clients both have profiles online so you can peruse before engaging a worker , making it easy to match personalities,interests etc , you then have some idea ofwho you will be working week as its your choice, not just someone rostered on for a shift. this can work on both sides, clients can match with carers and carers can also do the same
    We have been lucky to live in the area where hire up was originally conceived so have been using it for quite a while

    Reply
  2. Thanks so much for this Julie, it’s just what I need but I absolutely no idea that it existed! I’m sure I “speak” for many others to when I “say” that I really enjoy getting so much useful info from you, so well done!

    Smiles,
    Jen 🙂

    Reply
  3. Interesting read Julie, I have been looking at Hire Up too and think it is a terrific way for clients and employers to find each other. I hadn’t thought of how handy it could be whilst travelling though, thanks for that.

    Reply
  4. I would encourage support workers in rural areas to join Hire Up so clients who live in regional Australia have more options for finding suitable support workers.😃

    Reply

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