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About Homestay Carers
A founder-run introductory agency helping families in Sussex, Surrey, Kent, Berkshire and Hampshire find live-in carers they can welcome into their home.
Why I started Homestay Carers
It was difficult enough just helping mum and dad accept that they needed a carer. I was living abroad at the time, so I couldn't pop round and check on things; I had to trust people I'd never met.
Every agency I spoke to felt the same: quick to send a questionnaire, quick to close the deal, but impersonal when it came to understanding my parents. All I wanted was someone to visit their home, someone to personally interview the carers, long-term carers who'd fit their way of life, and the ability to speak to those carers directly.
Our standard
Someone who knows your family
When you call, you'll speak to someone who knows live-in care, not a call centre. We visit you at home, and we meet every carer personally before we introduce them.
One named contact, start to finish
From your first call and the home visit to the day your carers move in, you deal with the same person. And they're still your contact if you ever need a new introduction.
We don't take on every family
If live-in care through us isn't right, or we can't find the right carers in your area, we'll tell you honestly and suggest where else to look.
How we work, and why we're not registered with the CQC
What an introductory agency is, what we do and don't do, and how it compares with a fully managed agency.
What every carer goes through
It's the question we ask about every carer before they join our register. If the answer isn't an easy yes, we don't introduce them.
The formal checks come first: enhanced DBS with Adults' Barred List check, right to work, identity, two professional references and one personal reference, and their insurance. They're where we start, not where we stop.
Questions about any of this?
Still researching?
Live-in Care: A Guide for Families
Costs and funding, the questions to ask carers and agencies, and checklists to get the home ready.
Download the Planning Pack (PDF)Free, with no sign-up. Download the PDF to read or print it.
Browse our guides