In a previous blog post we talked about the difference between care agencies, self-employed carers and introductory agencies like us. In this post I wanted to tell the story of how and why we became self-employed carers ourselves and how that led us to start Sparrow Self-Employed Carers.
Sparrow is a family run business started by two carers, big sister Anna and little brother Tom. We’re an introductory agency based in Hexham, Northumberland. We find great people, support them to become self-employed carers and match them with people looking for care in and around the Tyne Valley.
We both had careers before starting Sparrow. Anna was a nurse and Tom worked in various roles including as an Operations Manager but in the end we both gravitated towards care work. For both of us, as for so many people working in care, the first step was to work as agency carers. We loved the job, but we did get tired of checklists, crazily short appointment times and sometimes it was hard to take the time to make the simple changes we knew would improve our clients’ lives. In short, we both wanted to provide better care than we were able to by working for agencies.
One weekend we did the sums and realised that when we included unpaid training and travel time or the many unpaid ‘breaks’ between clients, we were actually working for below the minimum wage. 🤪 It seemed like the typical agency model of care wasn’t working for anyone, least of all for us carers. We knew what a difference good care made to people’s lives and we knew we wanted to keep working as carers, but we also knew there had to be a better way.
It was big sister Anna who found the way forward when a chance with an acquaintance led on to the topic of care for her elderly parents. When Anna mentioned that she was a carer she was quickly asked whether she would consider working as a self-employed carer and looking after her parents. Anna agreed and began working as a self-employed carer just a week or two later. She quickly found that self-employed care was soooo much better. She managed to earn a fair wage (in time she doubled her agency pay) and she had the freedom to choose the hours she worked, who she worked with and the care that she provided.
Tom soon became a self-employed carer too. We both loved it and although it took a little time, as news of our services to spread we eventually found we had no shortage of work. Best of all we also realised that without the agency fees, which are usually over 50% of the fee, we were saving our clients money too. It was win-win. 🥳
But we had to admit that going it alone as a self-employed carer came with some definite disadvantages. We had loads of research to do at the start, we had to find out about the CQC, arrange DBS certificates, insurance, training etc. etc.. We also had to learn to run our own businesses, how to send do the invoicing, which expenses we could claim for and how to navigate tax returns. 😰 We missed having colleagues we could ask questions and get support from too. Sometimes after a hard day a conversation with someone else in the same boat can make all the difference to your morale, or help you find a solution you wouldn’t have thought of alone. Finding suitable clients was always a worry too. We had countless conversations about how we wished there was someone to help us get set up and navigate becoming a self-employed carer.
Over time we told everyone we knew about how great it was being a self-employed carer and we tried to convince other carers to join us. We knew loads of people who we knew who would make great carers, but they were put off by the reputation of care as a poorly paid and thankless task. When we talked about self-employed care it seemed like a huge step and we realised many people would never make the leap by themselves.
So we set up Sparrow to break that leap into a series of small steps so we could help people we knew would make great carers, to get started and ultimately to thrive as self-employed carers. Our overall aim is to find enough high quality carers to meet the huge and growing demand for care in the Tyne Valley.
To achieve that we make it as easy as possible for people to become self-employed carers. We want to let as many people as possible know that this is a great option that is not only, meaningful and rewarding but also can be well paid. Most of our carers earn £20+ per hour while saving their clients money. We take all the uncertainty out it through our introductory course, we provide everything people need to get started and then help them find clients.
We don’t need loads people with loads of direct experience (although it’s great when people have it). What we really need is to find fantastic, sociable, caring, hard-working and competent people to join our growing community of carers. That will help us to provide the care that we so badly need in this area one outstanding self-employed carer at a time.
So... what is the Sparrow bit all about?
Now that you know why we started Sparrow you probably get the self-employed carer bit, but you might still be wondering why we're called Sparrow. Because for us being a self-employed carer is all about freedom. The freedom to earn a decent wage, the freedom to work how and when you want and the freedom to provide high quality care. Nothing symbolises freedom more clearly than a bird but we wanted to find the right bird that would symbolise the qualities that make a fantastic self-employed carer.
Sparrows are understated but charismatic, birds that are sociable and industrious. They work together to do many of life’s chores, foraging, preening, dust-bathing and roosting together. We thought this made the humble, sociable sparrow the perfect metaphor for our self-employed carers who are not only free and independent but also part of a well connected network of other carers.
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Do you know someone who would make a great self-employed carer? Share our story with them and ask them to join the flock. They can give us a ring on 07855010853 or visit our website www.sparrowcarers.co.uk. We'll be happy to have a chat and help them decide whether being a self-employed carer is right for them.
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Do you know someone in need of care. Our carers can provide great value, personalised care, companionship and home help in the Tyne Valley and surrounding areas. Call us on 0785010853 to or visit www.sparrowcarers.co.uk for more info.
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