The checks behind every Carer

A short guide for Creative Carers families, on what we require of every carer and how joining works

Before a Creative Carer ever plays a single game with your child, they have passed through a careful set of checks. This guide walks you through exactly what we ask of every carer, so you can see what sits behind the warm, creative person at your door. It is written with parents in mind, though carers are very welcome to use it as their own checklist.

Checks explained

Working With Children Check. Every carer holds a current Working With Children Check. For paid work it must be an Employee card, the ‘E’ type, which is the version Victorian law requires for anyone paid to care for children. Learn more in Working With Children Checks.

Police Check. Every carer provides a National Police Check, and we encourage them to renew it regularly, ideally once a year, though how often is ultimately your decision as the parent or guardian. It rounds out the Working With Children Check, which by design only looks at child-related history. Learn more in Police Checks.

First Aid. Every carer holds a current first aid certificate. Ideally that is Childcare First Aid, known as HLTAID012, the childcare-specific course that covers CPR for babies and children, anaphylaxis and asthma. Some carers hold a current general first aid certificate, which is fine, and we ask them to move across to childcare first aid as soon as they can, or when their certificate next comes up for renewal. Learn more in First Aid: What Training Your Carer Should Have.

Visa documents. If a carer is in Australia on a visa, we verify their status when they join us. We sight their passport and collect their Visa Grant Notice, and we request a recent VEVO check confirming their visa details and work rights. A copy of that VEVO result is included in the carer’s package when we arrange your meetings, so you can see it for yourself.

Visa conditions can change over time, so if you would like real-time confirmation at any point, you are welcome to ask your carer to run a fresh VEVO check for you. We encourage it. Because you engage the carer directly, it is worth knowing their current work conditions and that those conditions can change.

References. Every carer provides references from families or professionals who have seen them care for children, often within a CV or resume. Where a carer gives us these, we pass them on to you, and you are welcome to follow them up yourself if you would like to hear directly from the people who know their work. There is no real substitute for that.

You can find out more about these through our other blogs. Carers, if you are reading this as your own checklist, you do not have to work it all out alone. We walk every new carer through these one by one when you join us.

More than a checklist

The checks are the baseline, not the whole story. We look for carers we believe have the skills and the initiative to come up with creative activities, both around the house and out across Melbourne. And to back them up, we have gathered our own source of activities, researched over time, which we are always happy to share with families and carers alike.

How much does Creative Carers cost?

There are two parts to our service.

The first is your carer’s hourly rate, paid directly to your carer, which typically ranges from $33 to $45 per hour. The second is a monthly membership fee paid to Creative Carers, based on how many hours of care you need each month. You can find out more about membership here.

That split matters for a reason worth knowing. Creative Carers is an introductory agency, not an employer. Your carer works for themselves as an independent contractor, which means they look after their own tax and superannuation, and you engage and pay them directly. We find, vet and support every carer and we take the safety side seriously, but the working arrangement itself is between you and your carer.

Your membership gives you access to a range of benefits, including:

• Fully vetted and qualified carers
• Administrative support
• Booking assistance
• Unlimited online meet-and-greet sessions
• Our Carer Guarantee
• 24/7 support from Veronica
• A variety of activities and reading materials for parents and children

Your membership also keeps us watching over the details. We make sure every carer’s certificates stay current, chase up renewals the moment they are due and update anything that has expired. We keep track of their training, study and professional development as they grow, and we do our best to stay across what is going on with our carers so we can keep you informed.

If you only need occasional, ad hoc care, you do not need a membership at all. We simply charge a $35 plus GST booking fee per session.

If you would like to understand more about what your fees go towards, our blog What You’re Really Paying For explains it in full.

Cancelling your membership

If you are on a monthly membership for ongoing care, you are free to cancel at any time. We just ask that you send a quick email to hello@creativecarers.com.au to let us know, and we will take care of the rest.

Behind every Creative Carer is a quiet stack of paperwork, all of it done so you never have to think about it. You get to enjoy the music and the painting, the muddy walks and the made-up stories. We will look after the rest.

If anything here raises a question, just reach out. We are always happy to help.

Disclaimer: This guide explains the checks we require of our carers and how our service works, for families and carers in Victoria. It is background information, not legal advice, and it cannot speak to the specifics of your own situation. Requirements, fees and official processes can change over time, so please treat the official government pages we link to as the final word, and seek professional advice where you need it. Anything you choose to do based on this guide remains your own decision.