How to Hire an Independent Support Worker Through CareVicinity
11 August 2026
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11 August 2026
Choosing a support worker for yourself or a family member is a big decision. You're trusting someone with day-to-day care, and it's not always obvious where to start, what funding applies, or how to tell a good match from a risky one. This guide walks through the practical steps for finding, vetting, and hiring an independent support worker for aged care or DVA-funded home support in Australia, including how CareVicinity's marketplace fits in: from confirming your funding through to your first shift.
In short: you confirm your funding, post your care needs, browse and connect with support workers who have completed CareVicinity's applicable screening requirements, agree on rates and responsibilities, then start receiving care. Care seekers pay no platform fee. CareVicinity's 12.5% platform fee applies to the support worker.
This guide is for care seekers and families looking for home support for an older Australian, whether that's help around the house, personal care, or ongoing companionship. It covers the practical steps for hiring an independent support worker through CareVicinity's aged care and DVA-funded pathways.
If you're a support worker or provider looking to join CareVicinity instead, this isn't the guide for you.
Before you start looking for a support worker, it helps to know how your care will be paid for. CareVicinity works with a few different funding paths for aged care and veterans:
Support at Home: the Australian Government's current aged care home support program. If you already had a Home Care Package, you were moved across to Support at Home automatically and don't need to reapply. If you're new to aged care funding, an assessment through My Aged Care is the starting point.
DVA-funded home support: for eligible veterans and their families. Eligibility and the specific type of support available depend on your circumstances, so check directly with the Department of Veterans' Affairs to confirm what you're entitled to before booking a support worker.
Private/self-funded care: you can also arrange and pay for support privately, without going through a government program.
CareVicinity doesn't determine your funding eligibility. That's decided by My Aged Care or DVA. Once you know what you're working with, you can move on to finding a support worker.
On CareVicinity, you start by posting a short description of the care you're looking for: the type of support, how often you need it, and any preferences that matter to you (such as language, gender, or specific experience). This becomes visible to independent support workers in your area, who can then apply if they're a good fit.
The more specific you are here, the easier the next step becomes.
Once your post is live, you can review the support workers who've applied, or search and filter the wider pool by qualifications, experience, languages, availability, and gender to find people who match what you're looking for.
Every support worker on CareVicinity completes CareVicinity's applicable screening requirements and provides references before their profile is visible or they're able to apply to your listing. For aged-care and DVA work, an accepted police check is sufficient. Different screening requirements apply to NDIS-related work. You don't need to separately request or check this yourself; it's already part of being on the platform.
If you already have a support worker you like and want to bring them onto CareVicinity, that's possible too. They'll need an ABN, the applicable screening documentation, references, and any qualifications required for the services they'll be providing, and can then apply to your listing like any other worker.
This is also the stage where you can message potential matches and ask questions before deciding who to go with.
Once you've found someone you'd like to work with, you and the support worker negotiate and agree on their rate and what the role involves. This is confirmed through a simple digital service agreement inside CareVicinity, which sets out what's expected on both sides and can be adjusted later if your care needs change.
Care seekers pay no platform fee. CareVicinity's 12.5% platform fee applies to the support worker and is already reflected in the hourly rate shown when they apply.
GST is a separate detail, not part of the core fee: it can vary depending on the support worker's GST-registration status, the service being provided, and the care seeker's funding source. CareVicinity identifies the applicable GST treatment within the platform, so you don't need to work it out yourself.
From here, your support worker begins delivering care on the schedule you've agreed. They're covered by CareVicinity's insurance for approved services booked and invoiced through the platform, and you can track your schedule, approve shifts, and view invoices as care continues, with the flexibility to adjust the arrangement as your needs change over time.
Beyond the screening every CareVicinity support worker completes before they're visible (see Step 3), a few practical factors help you judge whether someone is the right fit for your specific situation:
Relevant experience: not just years of experience in general, but experience with the type of support you need (for example, dementia care, mobility assistance, personal care, or DVA-specific needs).
Availability that matches your routine: whether they can reliably commit to your preferred days and times, not just occasionally.
Communication: how clearly and promptly someone responds to your messages before you've agreed to work together is a reasonable indicator of how they'll communicate once care starts.
Compatibility: for ongoing, in-home support, personal rapport matters alongside formal qualifications and experience.
These are judgements you make yourself while browsing and messaging candidates (Step 3). CareVicinity confirms that applicable onboarding and screening requirements have been completed; the care seeker still assesses experience, suitability, and personal fit.
A short conversation before you commit can save problems later. These are useful to ask any support worker, regardless of platform:
What experience do you have with the specific type of support I need?
How do you handle a day you're unavailable, and is there a backup arrangement?
What's your approach if my needs or routine change over time?
Are you comfortable with the specific tasks involved (for example, personal care, medication reminders, or mobility support)?
How would you communicate with me or my family if something came up during a shift?
There's no single "correct" answer to these questions; they're about judging clarity and fit, not passing a test.
Choosing on price alone. A lower rate isn't good value if the support worker doesn't have the right experience for your needs.
Leaving expectations unwritten. Confirm specific tasks, hours, and responsibilities in the service agreement (Step 4) rather than relying on a verbal understanding.
Not planning for unavailability. Ask about backup arrangements before you need them, not after a missed shift.
Skipping the funding check. Confirm your Support at Home or DVA entitlements before you start browsing, so you're not comparing options you can't actually access (Step 1).
How much does it cost to hire a support worker through CareVicinity?
Care seekers pay no platform fee. CareVicinity's 12.5% platform fee applies to the support worker and is already reflected in the hourly rate shown when they apply.
GST is a separate detail, not part of the core fee: it can vary depending on the support worker's GST-registration status, the service being provided, and the care seeker's funding source. CareVicinity identifies the applicable GST treatment within the platform, so you don't need to work it out yourself.
Do I need Support at Home or DVA funding to use CareVicinity?
No. You can also arrange and pay for care privately. If you do have Support at Home or DVA funding, check your specific entitlements with My Aged Care or DVA before booking, since eligibility varies by individual circumstances.
How are support workers screened?
Every support worker completes CareVicinity's applicable screening requirements before their profile is approved. For aged-care and DVA work, an accepted police check is sufficient. Different screening requirements apply to NDIS-related work. Workers also provide references before they can appear on the platform or apply to a job. This happens before you ever see their profile.
Can I choose my own support worker?
Yes. You can browse and filter support workers by qualifications, experience, languages, availability, and gender, and message potential matches before agreeing to work with them.
Can I bring my existing support worker onto CareVicinity?
Yes, if they have an ABN, the applicable screening documentation, references, and any qualifications required for the services they'll be providing. They can then sign up and apply to your job listing, so your arrangement is covered by the same insurance and payment process as any other match on the platform.
Does CareVicinity operate across Australia?
Yes. CareVicinity is an Australia-wide marketplace connecting care seekers with independent support workers. Availability of specific services and workers may vary by location.
Post your care needs and start browsing independent support workers who match what you're looking for. Compare independent support workers on CareVicinity today, or read more about how CareVicinity works if you still have questions. For more detail on funding, screening, and how payments work, see our FAQs.