The provider says, “We found someone.” Do not treat that sentence as the end of the hiring process. Treat it as the start of a match check.
This guide covers the service process between receiving a caregiver assignment and approving that person for recurring shifts. It does not repeat the intake call, interview, background check, schedule confirmation or first-day checklist. If you are still deciding between an agency and a direct hire, use Hire a Caregiver in St. Louis: Agency or Direct first.
1. Ask how the assignment was made
Say: “Before I accept the assignment, please tell me what information you used to choose this caregiver.”
Listen for specific connections to the work in the house: the agreed shift tasks, the location, the required arrival window, pets, stairs, smoking rules, lifting expectations described by the family and the way your parent communicates.
Write down:
Caregiver’s name: ____________________
Person making the assignment: ____________________
Reasons given for the match: ____________________
Walk away from the assignment, not necessarily the provider, if the only explanation is “They are available.” Availability matters, but it does not answer whether the caregiver received and accepted the conditions of the shift.
2. Confirm what the caregiver has already been told
Do not ask only whether the provider has your notes. Ask which parts were given to the proposed caregiver.
Use these questions:
- “What shift duties has the caregiver agreed to perform?”
- “Has the caregiver been told about the stairs, pets, parking and entry instructions?”
- “Has the caregiver accepted the full arrival and departure window?”
- “Was the caregiver told who will be in the house?”
- “What information will be provided before arrival, and what will be provided in the house?”
Write down any item the assignment coordinator cannot confirm: ____________________
A vague “It is all in the file” is not confirmation. Ask the coordinator to read back the conditions that could cause the caregiver to decline the shift.
3. Request a brief introduction before recurring shifts are assigned
Ask whether the provider can arrange a phone call, video call or in-person introduction with the proposed caregiver. The purpose is not to repeat a full interview. It is to verify that the same assignment has been described to everyone.
Ask the caregiver:
- “What have you been told you will be doing during the shift?”
- “Is there anything about the house or schedule that you still need explained?”
- “Who did they tell you to contact if the instructions do not match what you find?”
Compare the caregiver’s answers with the provider’s answers. Record differences without trying to settle them during the introduction.
Difference to resolve: ____________________
Person responsible for resolving it: ____________________
4. Set the acceptance rule before the introduction ends
Tell the provider what must be confirmed before you approve recurring shifts. Keep the rule short enough to read back over the phone.
Example: “We will approve the recurring assignment after you confirm that the caregiver received the written duties, accepted the full shift window and knows whom to call when an instruction is unclear.”
Our acceptance rule: ____________________
Do not let silence become acceptance. State whether the assignment is accepted, declined or pending one named answer.
5. Put the assignment decision in writing
Send one message to the provider. Include the caregiver’s name, the shifts being approved and any condition that remains open.
Use this format:
“We approve ____________________ for the recurring shifts described as ____________________. This approval is based on confirmation that ____________________. The unresolved item is ____________________. Please tell us who will close that item before the caregiver works alone.”
If you hired the caregiver directly, send the same confirmation to the caregiver and keep the reply with your hiring records. The administrative responsibilities differ between agency and direct hiring, so keep the lane clear throughout the process. The site’s Five Steps to Hiring provides the larger sequence.
6. Use the first few shifts as a match check
Choose three observable items from the assignment, not a general question such as “Did it go well?”
Check:
- Did the caregiver arrive within the confirmed window?
- Did the caregiver recognize the agreed duties without receiving a new verbal assignment from scratch?
- Did questions go to the contact named by the provider?
Shift observation one: ____________________
Shift observation two: ____________________
Shift observation three: ____________________
Send corrections through the provider’s stated contact process. Do not build a second, private version of the assignment through scattered texts with the caregiver.
7. Know the signs to stop the match
Pause recurring shifts and ask for a different assignment when:
- The provider will not explain why the caregiver was selected.
- The caregiver describes duties that materially differ from the duties you approved.
- A known house condition causes surprise at arrival even though you disclosed it.
- No one can identify who has authority to correct the assignment.
- The provider treats an unconfirmed assignment as accepted.
Write the reason in factual terms: “The caregiver was told ____________________, while our confirmed instruction says ____________________.”
Reason for declining this match: ____________________
Requested next action: ____________________
8. Keep the record with the hiring file
Save the assignment message, the provider’s confirmation, the caregiver’s name and your three observations together. If the match changes, repeat this process for the replacement instead of assuming the same information followed the schedule.
For the desk’s documentation standards and public-source method, see How We Write the Sheets and the site’s Sources page.