What You’re Really Paying For

An honest look at where your booking fee and membership actually go

It is a fair question, and one we would always rather answer than leave hanging. When you pay Creative Carers a booking fee or a monthly membership, what is that money actually for, especially in a quiet month when it can look like very little is happening?

The honest answer is that quite a lot is happening, most of it in places you never see. This is separate from your carer’s hourly rate, which goes straight to them. The fee we are talking about here is the part that comes to Creative Carers, and here is what it buys.

The casual booking fee

When you book a casual session, you pay a flat fee of $35 plus GST. It is a charge for everything that sits behind that carer arriving at your door.

From the moment a booking is made, Veronica is on it. In the days and hours beforehand she is confirming your carer, making sure they are prepared and checking they are good to go. If a carer ever has to pull out at the last minute, and every so often one does, she steps straight in to source another, often late into the night, so that you are never left stranded.

The fee is not for the easy bookings. It is for the safety net underneath all of them.

The monthly membership

Membership works a little differently, and the thinking behind it is deliberate. Many agencies charge one upfront placement fee to introduce you to a carer, then leave you to manage the rest yourself. We would rather not hand you that juggle. So instead of a big one-off fee, we spread the cost into a small monthly amount you can stop at any time, and we stay involved the whole way through, sourcing, scheduling and smoothing things over so you do not have to. Good care is not a one-off introduction, it is an ongoing relationship that needs looking after.

Your membership pays for that ongoing work, the part that never really stops:

• finding and matching carers to suit your family
• vetting them thoroughly, with Veronica personally calling their references
• keeping every carer’s checks and training current
• smoothing each booking so the process stays effortless for you
• keeping Veronica on hand whenever you need her

It also means someone is always paying attention. Veronica checks in regularly with both families and carers to hear how things are going, and steps in to sort any issue the moment it comes up. Behind the scenes she keeps herself equipped with the right knowledge and solutions, and keeps Creative Carers across its own processes for handling and reporting incidents. It is the quiet groundwork that keeps every placement safe and steady.

What about the quiet months?

Some months you will barely hear from us, and it is reasonable to wonder what you are paying for then. The honest answer is that a quiet month is the service working, not the service failing.

Veronica comes from the theatre, and there is a fitting comparison in it. An understudy spends most nights in the wings and may never step on stage, yet the show cannot safely go on without them ready and waiting. Your membership keeps everything in that same state of readiness: carers vetted, checks current, a replacement within reach and someone who knows your family ready to step in the moment anything wobbles. The calm you feel is not us doing nothing. It is us having already done the work.

If you ever decide to stop your membership, you are free to do so at any time. We just ask that the request comes to us in writing, a quick email to hello@creativecarers.com.au is all it takes, and we will take care of the rest.

We would always rather be open about this than have you quietly wondering. If you ever have a question about your booking fee or your membership, please just ask. We are very happy to talk it through.

The fees mentioned here are current at the time of writing and may change. You can find out more about membership here.