The first answer a provider gives you feels like the policy. Often it is one staff member's best recollection on one afternoon. This test checks whether the answer holds when a second person, on a different call, gives it to you again. You are not trying to catch anyone out. You are finding out whether the office can give you the same facts twice, which you will need every week after you sign.
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Step 1: Pick one question with a fixed answer
Choose a question whose answer should never depend on who picks up the phone. Use this one: Who is the supervisor assigned to my case, and what hours can I reach that person on a weekday evening? Do not use a question that depends on your parent's details, such as how a particular bad day would be handled. Those invite a new answer every time and make the comparison meaningless.
Write the question here: ______________________________________________
Step 2: Make the first call and write down the exact words
Call the main intake line. Ask the question as written. Do not summarize the answer in your own words while you are still on the phone. Write down the name of the person, the time of the call, the direct number they gave you, and the hours they said. If they say the answer depends on something, write down what they said it depends on.
Caller name: ______________ Time: ________ Direct number: ______________
Hours given: ______________________________________________
Step 3: Ask a second person the same question
Call back the same day or the next morning. Ask for a supervisor, a scheduler, or anyone who is not the person who answered first. Read the question exactly as you wrote it. Do not tell the second person what the first one said. If you mention the first answer, you will get a reaction to it instead of an answer of their own.
Second caller name: ______________ Time: ________ Direct number: ______________
Hours given: ______________________________________________
Step 4: Compare the two answers line by line
Place the two answers next to each other. Check three things. Does the same person or role appear as the contact? Do the hours match, including the weekday evening window? Does the direct number work? If any of the three differs, the office has not settled the answer yet, and you have learned that before it mattered.
Match on contact: Yes / No. Match on hours: Yes / No. Number works: Yes / No.
Step 5: Ask for the answer in writing
Send an email or ask for a written summary that names the contact, the number, and the hours. Then read the written version against both phone answers. The written version is the one you can hold them to. If the office will not put it in writing at all, record that as a finding in your notes.
Signs to walk away
Stop comparing and cross the provider off the list if any of these appear. The second answer gives a different contact or different hours and no one can explain why. The contact changes its name or role when you ask a follow-up. The answer is always 'that depends' and no one will name what it depends on. The written summary says something the phone answers did not, and the office says the phone answer was the one that counts.
What to keep
Keep both call notes, the written summary, and the comparison sheet in one folder. Add the question you used so you can repeat the test with another provider in exactly the same way. A short comparison from the same question, asked the same way, is more useful than a long set of impressions. For the reasoning behind this kind of comparison, see How We Write the Sheets, and for where each claim on this site comes from, see Sources. If you are still deciding between agency and direct hire, the agency or direct comparison page lays out the choice.