“Gives me real peace of mind”: How Ilse built a trusted support team for her daughter

My daughter Amara has cerebral palsy and epilepsy, so our day-to-day life involves a lot more planning and care than most families. 

Amara has very complex needs because her brain injury is extensive, and life can be challenging at times. But she is deeply loved. Her family loves her fiercely, and we just want the best life possible for her.

That’s why finding the right support has always been a top priority for me. 

The right kind of support

When someone is caring for your child, especially a child with complex needs, you want to know they understand her and will treat her with patience and kindness. And, because Amara is non-verbal, having support workers you trust is incredibly important.

She can’t always tell us if something isn’t right, so having the right workers gives me a huge amount of reassurance.

It’s not just Amara the workers need to fit with either – they become part of our family life.

We have another daughter and my parents live with us as well, so our home is a busy, blended family environment. Having support workers who are respectful, easy to be around and who fit naturally into our household makes a big difference, but they’re not always easy to come by. 

Over the years I’d tried a few different support services for Amara. While they helped in some ways, it was difficult to manage rosters and last minute changes, communication was slow, and I didn’t feel like I had much say over who was supporting Amara.

As a very busy working mum juggling work, family, and a child with additional needs, these additional issues with support providers added a lot of unnecessary stress. 

Finding support on Hireup

That’s what led me to Hireup. I was looking for something that gave me access to great workers, while giving me more control and that felt easier to manage day to day.

For our family, anything complicated or time-consuming just isn’t realistic. What I really like about Hireup is how simple it is to use. I can manage everything from my phone while I’m on the go.

If I need to check the roster, book someone or make a change, I can do it quickly without it turning into another big task.

I also don’t have to compromise on the workers because I get to choose who supports Amara. Hireup has allowed me to build a small, consistent team around her, who I feel comfortable with and who connect with her and know her needs.

Our schedule can change quickly depending on Amara’s health or appointments, so having the flexibility to adjust things on Hireup when needed takes a lot of pressure off.

But I also know that the Hireup team is still there if I ever need support. That balance works well for me.

Best of all, I don’t need to compromise on safety.

It’s something every parent thinks about, but it’s particularly front of mind if your child has medical needs like epilepsy, as Amara does.

Knowing she is with support workers I’ve personally chosen and trust gives me real peace of mind. It means I can focus on work and everything else that comes with family life, knowing she’s in good hands.

For me, Hireup has made it much easier to build a support system that works for our family.

Instead of trying to fit into someone else’s system, I’m able to build the right team and adjust things on our terms, while never compromising on what matters most: Amara’s safety and wellbeing.