Elder's Expected Carer Standards

Elder does not employ carers or direct how care is delivered. These standards aim to ensure Care Recipients and Customers receive a consistent, high-quality, safe and positive experience from self-employed carers using the Elder Platform.

Please note that failure to meet these standards may result in:

• Feedback or eligibility notice
• Temporary restriction
• Permanent removal of access to the platform

Outcomes depend on severity, frequency and risk. Elder may act immediately where serious concerns arise.

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1. Promoting Independence & Personal Choice

Care Recipients have the right to live their own life, on their own terms. The platform works best when self-employed carers take the time to understand the person they are supporting, their history, their preferences, their routines and their boundaries and use that understanding to support them to live as fully and independently as possible.

Live-in care is not just about physical support; the quality of companionship provided has a huge impact on overall wellbeing and how families experience Elder.

What great looks like:

• Getting to know the Care Recipient as an individual from the start of a placement. This includes their history, interests and what matters to them.
• Respecting personal boundaries, daily routines and the way the Care Recipient chooses to live
• Preparing fresh, home-cooked meals that reflect the Care Recipient’s preferences, dietary needs and cultural backgrounds.
• Supporting independence rather than doing things for people that they can do themselves
• Adapting the approach to the Care Recipient's changing needs and preferences
• Supporting the Care Recipient to maintain connection with families, friends and their community

2. Practising Within Your Knowledge & Skills

Success on the platform starts with applying for the right roles.

Self-employed carers who are honest about their capabilities, and who only take on placements suited to their skills and experience are safer for Care Recipients and more successful on the platform. Reading placement specifications in full before applying, and seeking clarification where anything is unclear, is part of this.

What great looks like:

• Reading the Care Profile before applying and being honest about whether the placement matches your skills and experience
• Seeking clarification from the Customer or Elder before starting if anything in the Care Profile is unclear
• Only carrying out care tasks you are trained and confident in delivering safely
• Working in line with guidance provided by relevant professionals and the customer’s preferences.

The following specialist activities fall outside what the platform supports. Self-employed carers are not expected to carry out these tasks:

• Stoma care
• PEG care
• Wound care
• Ventilation including oxygen support, BiPAP or CPAP support
• Unstable epilepsy
• Controlled drug administration
• Covert medication administration
• Specialised administration techniques including injections, glucose reading via finger pricks, pessaries, enemas or suppositories
• Active addiction
• Acute Mental Health disorders
• Any actions that could constitute a deprivation of liberty, such as restricting a person’s freedom to leave their home
• Catheter care beyond emptying the leg bag and attaching a night bag

3. Respect & Anti-Discrimination

Elder is committed to equality of opportunity and Elder offers freedom of choice: carers and customers are free to choose who they work for and with, based on transparency, honesty and mutual respect.

Discrimination of any kind is not consistent with continued access to the platform.

For Elder’s Respect & Anti-discrimination policy, please visit this link.

What great looks like:

• Treating every Care Recipient with dignity and respect regardless of their condition
• Being respectful of the Care Recipient’s home, belongings and property at all times. This includes keeping shared areas clean and tidy, disposing of out-of-date items with the Customers consent and proactively supporting with the day-to-day management of household supplies, including restocking when items are running low
• Leaving the property clean and tidy at the end of your placement
• Engaging with Customers, their families and Elder staff courteously

4. Reliability & Transparency

The platform depends on self-employed carers who do what they say they will do. Families make significant decisions based on the assumption that their self-employed carer will arrive, engage and stay for the agreed duration. Honesty about availability, about concerns, about mistakes is what makes those relationships work.

This not only applies to your interactions with Care Recipients, Customers, Elder HQ staff but also applies to other medical, social care and emergency professionals.

What great looks like:

• Only applying to placements you are confident you can commit to for the full duration
• Applying to placements you can commit based on the scheduled start date
• Attending placements as confirmed, on time and prepared
• Giving as much notice as possible when circumstances change including schedule changes, cancellations and end-of-placement handovers
• Being open and honest when something has gone wrong
• Transparent, honest interactions with Care Recipients, families, Elder and other professionals

Behaviours affecting platform eligibility:

• Not showing up for a confirmed placement, arriving late or cancelling without adequate notice
• Submitting falsified or inflated travel expenses
• Claiming incompatible payments
• Using a Care Recipient’s address as your own proof of address
• Allowing another person to carry our care duties in your place without the knowledge or approval of the customer or Elder

5. Professionalism & Proactivity

Carers represent themselves and the platform in someone’s home. How they present, how they behave and how they engage with families shapes the experience of the Care Recipient and the trust families place in Elder. Professionalism is not about being formal, it is about being consistent, trustworthy and appropriate.

What great looks like:

• Maintaining appropriate personal presentation for a care environment
• Demonstrating professional boundaries within the Care Recipient’s home
• Providing clear, timely and complete handovers to incoming carers
• Engaging respectfully with Care Recipients, Customers, families and Elder
• Using personal devices in a way that does not interfere with care or engagement
• Taking a proactive approach to maintaining a positive and safe environment

Behaviours affecting platform eligibility:

The following behaviour is inconsistent with continued access to the platform and may result in restriction or removal:

• Conduct that undermines trust, safety or the reputation of the platform
• Any attempts to engage with Care Recipients, Customers, or their families privately outside of the Elder platform are not permitted. This includes accepting direct payments or continuing to provide care after a placement has ended.

This is a serious breach of the Terms & Conditions and Carer Standards. Where off-platform engagement is identified, Elder reserves the right to restrict or remove access to the platform and may seek to recover lost fees or pursue financial remedies.

• Unprofessional or inappropriate communication, including tone or behaviour towards Customers, families or Elder
• Having visitors on placement without the Customer’s knowledge or consent
• Excessive or inappropriate use of mobile devices during care activities
• Alcohol consumption or use of illegal substances while on placement
• Failure to maintain appropriate professional boundaries in a home setting

Where such behaviour is identified, Elder may review continued eligibility to access placements through the platform.

6. Clear & Effective Communication

Families who feel informed are significantly more likely to have a positive experience. Self-employed carers who communicate proactively, sharing updates and flagging changes early and raising concerns promptly builds the trust that makes placements work long-term.

What great looks like:

• Keeping the customer updated at an agreed frequency
• Promptly raising concerns about any significant changes in the Care Recipient’s condition, mood or behaviour to the Customer
• Communicating clearly and professionally in all written and verbal interactions
• Raising concerns or challenges early before a situation escalates
• Keeping your tone professional and respectful in all written and verbal communications
• Responding to messages or calls from customers or Elder, particularly during the matching process

7. Protecting Privacy & Confidentiality

Care Recipients and Customers have a right to confidentiality. Information about them, their identity, their address, their health and any images of them or their home is protected by GDPR and UK data protection law.

What great looks like:

• Not disclosing personal or sensitive information about a Care Recipient without explicit consent
• Not sharing or posting images or videos of Care Recipients or their property on social media or elsewhere
• Treating all information about a placement, the Care Recipient and their family with discretion

8. Capability

Delivering a safe service requires self-employed carers to be in a position to carry out their duties effectively. Where a self-employed carer’s physical or mental health affects their ability to deliver a safe service, this has implications for their eligibility to access placements through the platform.

This is not about disclosure obligations. It is about ensuring that the Care Recipient is safe, and that self-employed carers are not placed in situations that are beyond what they can safely manage at any given time. Self-employed carers who have concerns about their own fitness to practise are encouraged to speak to Elder before accepting or continuing a placement.

Download the easy-read version of the Expected Carer Standards

Click the button below to view or save a PDF copy of the standards covered on this page in an easy-read format.