HOW TO HIRE · CARE & SUPPORT

How to hire a special needs carer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Special needs care at home is regulated in every UK nation. Here are the agency and vetting checks, what to ask, and direct payments.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a special needs carer in five steps

  1. Check registrationCQC, CIW, the Care Inspectorate or RQIA.
  2. Ask about trainingAutism, learning disability, epilepsy, complex health.
  3. Share the support planCommunication, routines, triggers.
  4. Use the right vetting checkAdults' or children's barred list, PVG or AccessNI.
  5. Ask about direct paymentsAfter an assessment.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

CQC registration (England)

In England, help with washing, bathing, dressing or using the toilet, given at home to someone who cannot manage it because of age, illness or disability, is the regulated activity of personal care. An agency sending a special needs carer to do it must be registered with CQC for that activity; one that says it has applied is not yet registered.

Search the agency on CQC's site, open the location that runs your care, check 'personal care' is listed and read the latest rating. cqc.org.uk →

Care Inspectorate Wales, Care Inspectorate or RQIA

Wales: a domiciliary support service must register with Care Inspectorate Wales under Wales's 2016 social care regulation Act, unless an exemption applies, such as care for four or fewer named people at a time. Scotland: a care at home service may not operate unless registered with the Care Inspectorate. Northern Ireland: the RQIA registers domiciliary care agencies under the Domiciliary Care Agencies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007.

Wales: CIW's service directory. Scotland: the Care Inspectorate's find-care directory, with grades. Northern Ireland: RQIA's register of domiciliary care agencies. careinspectorate.scot →

Criminal record check — DBS, PVG or AccessNI

Care work with adults can get the enhanced DBS check with the adults' barred list in England and Wales, or the AccessNI equivalent in Northern Ireland; in Scotland a special needs carer in a regulated role must be a PVG scheme member. You cannot apply for a DBS check on a self-employed carer yourself — they apply and show you the certificate, which has no official expiry date. If the person cared for is under 18, ask for the enhanced DBS check with the children's barred list in England and Wales, PVG membership in Scotland, or an enhanced AccessNI check in Northern Ireland.

Ask to see the special needs carer's certificate or PVG proof and read when it was issued. Ask to see the certificate or PVG proof and its date. gov.uk →

Introductory agency, or you as the employer

An agency that only introduces a special needs carer and has no ongoing control is outside CQC registration in England and CIW registration in Wales, so no regulator inspects the care. If you hire and pay a special needs carer directly — including with direct payments — gov.uk says you are usually their employer: a contract, payslips, at least the National Minimum Wage, employers' liability insurance and payroll.

Ask in writing whether the agency employs and supervises the carer or only introduces them, and who you pay. gov.uk →

VAT

Care for someone with special needs is exempt from VAT only when it comes from a charity, a public body or a provider registered with CQC (England), CIW (Wales), the Care Inspectorate (Scotland) or RQIA (Northern Ireland), following a care plan; from anyone else the standard rate applies. An independent special needs carer booked by the hour is outside that exemption, though one earning under £90,000 is not registered for VAT and does not charge it.

Ask the special needs carer whether they are VAT-registered, and if an agency sends them, check its registration with the regulator for your nation. gov.uk →

“What training do your special needs carers have?”

A good answer: Named training in autism, learning disability or the person's condition.

“Can you follow our communication methods?”

A good answer: Yes — signs, symbols, devices.

“How do you handle distress?”

A good answer: Positive approaches from the plan; no restraint.

“Will the same carers come?”

A good answer: A small team.

“Which criminal record check do your carers hold?”

A good answer: The one for adults or children, by nation.

“How do you record care?”

A good answer: Notes shared with family.

“Can you support outings and clubs?”

A good answer: Yes, with mileage priced.

Booking by the hour

  • The rate per hour, with the rate for evenings, weekends and two-carer support
  • The minimum booking for each session and what happens if it ends early because the person is unwell
  • Who pays activity tickets, travel and the carer's meals on outings, and the mileage rate
  • The support plan agreed before the first hour — routines, communication aids, triggers to avoid, personal care
  • ID checked, the rating, and insurance for any moving, handling or driving

Walk away if

  • No condition-specific training
  • Restraint not in the plan
  • Changing carers often
  • Not registered for personal care
  • Wrong or no vetting check
  • No records shared
LOW
£26
TYPICAL
£33
HIGH
£40

What a special needs carer costs: £26–£40 per hour

Special needs care is charged by the hour, with higher rates for complex needs. Special Needs Care price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Special needs carers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you, or book by the hour.

  1. AssessmentNeeds, communication, routines.
  2. Support planAgreed with family.
  3. IntroductionsGradual.
  4. SessionsPersonal care, activities, community.
  5. ReviewRegular.

Support plan
The written plan for care and communication.
Positive behaviour support
Approaches that reduce distress.
Direct payments
Money to arrange your own support.
Personal care
A regulated activity.
Barred list
The list of people barred from regulated work.
Makaton
A sign and symbol language.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep notes and plansShare with school or therapists.
Review oftenNeeds change.
Keep direct payment recordsReceipts and timesheets.
Share how it wentA short review of the special needs carer — punctuality, care, value — is what others read. Use the make-it-right step first if anything needs putting right.

MONEY BACK

Grants that may apply

Direct payments let you arrange and pay for support yourself after a needs assessment; if you pay a worker directly you may become their employer.

LOCAL COUNCILS · GRANTVerified 16 Oct 2026

Direct payments

set by the council after a care needs assessmentpaid to you to arrange your own care instead of the council arranging it

Who: people aged 16 or over assessed as needing care and support, carers, disabled parents and older people needing community care

  • you must be assessed by social services first
  • if you pay someone to care for you, you may become an employer
Official details on gov.uk →
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE TRUSTS (NORTHERN IRELAND) · GRANTVerified 16 Oct 2026

Direct payments

set by the Trust from your assessed support needspaid directly to you

Who: people assessed as needing social services help, including carers and parents of disabled children

  • used for the services or equipment in your care plan
  • you can employ a personal assistant, and as the employer you are responsible for checks and records
Official details on nidirect.gov.uk →

Schemes change. The amounts above were checked on the dates shown; the official page is the one that counts.

STEP 1Give the special needs carer the chance to fix itSend a dated message describing the fault and the fix. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 sets the standard — reasonable care and skill — for any special needs carer trading for money; falling short of it over the care lets you claim a free repeat or a reduction under section 54.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate a booked special needs carer below four stars and you are asked whether to send it to them first; we follow it through. Then you review.
STEP 3CQC, CIW, the Care Inspectorate or RQIAUse the agency's complaints process first. You can then tell the regulator about the care a special needs carer gave: CQC in England takes feedback on any service it registers, the Care Inspectorate in Scotland takes complaints, RQIA in Northern Ireland follows up concerns, and CIW registers services in Wales. If someone is at risk of harm, contact the council's adult social care team.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is still owedIf the special needs carer will not refund or put it right, a small claim needs no solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a special needs carer: questions people ask

If it gives personal care, yes — with the regulator for your nation.

For a child: enhanced DBS with the children's barred list, PVG or AccessNI. For an adult: the adults' barred list equivalents.

Yes, after a council or Trust assessment; if you pay a worker directly you may become their employer.

£26 to £40 an hour, typically around £33. Complex needs and two-carer support cost more. The special needs care price guide has the full breakdown; enter your town above for prices from special needs carers near you.

Not by a registered provider — VAT Notice 701/2.

Complain in writing and tell the regulator; the agency owes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in care & support

How to hire: Disability Support WorkerHow to hire: Respite CareHow to hire: Personal Care AssistantHow to hire: Domiciliary CareHow to hire: Overnight CareHow to hire: Mobility AssistanceHow to hire: Live-In CarerHow to hire: Companion CareAll 701 hiring guides →

Special needs carers near you

Special needs carers in LondonSpecial needs carers in ManchesterSpecial needs carers in BirminghamSpecial needs carers in GlasgowSpecial needs carers in BelfastAll special needs carers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. CQC — personal care (regulated activity)
  2. Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, schedule 1
  3. CQC — search home care agencies
  4. Care Inspectorate Wales — guide to registration under the 2016 Act
  5. mygov.scot — how care is regulated
  6. RQIA — registration guidance
  7. RQIA — register of services
  8. gov.uk — DBS checks: levels and who can request one
  9. mygov.scot — PVG for personal assistants, the self-employed and people working for an individual
  10. nidirect — AccessNI checks for the self-employed and personal employees
  11. gov.uk — employing someone to work in your home
  12. gov.uk — Welfare services and goods (VAT Notice 701/2)
  13. CQC — give feedback on care
  14. Care Inspectorate — how to complain
  15. RQIA — raise a concern
  16. gov.uk (DBS) — regulated activity with children
  17. gov.uk — apply for direct payments
  18. nidirect — direct payments
  19. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — consumer's rights for services
  20. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  21. Welfare services and goods (VAT Notice 701/2) — 2.1 Care, treatment or instruction; 3 Bodies that provide exempt welfare services
  22. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  23. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register