Work as a support worker, at the rate you set

Support workers help people with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs or physical disabilities live as independently as they can, at home and in their community. On VerriPro you work for yourself: set your own rate, list your specialisms, choose your bookings and get your documents checked once in the VerriPro Provider app.

Get the VerriPro Provider app What you need to join

What a support worker does

The aim is the person’s own goals: running their home, keeping a job or a course going, seeing friends, managing money and appointments. You help with what they need and step back where they can do it themselves.

  • Learning disabilities and autism

    Support with routines, communication, independence and getting out into the community.

  • Mental health

    Practical and emotional support to live well at home and keep appointments and plans going.

  • Physical disabilities

    Help with personal care, mobility and everyday tasks, so people stay in control of their own lives.

  • Complex care

    Support for people with higher needs, with the specific training each person’s care plan requires.

A carer and a smiling older woman in a wheelchair stretch their arms out on a sunny country path

Support worker pay, and setting your own rate

Skills for Care found that in March 2026 the median pay of care workers and support workers was 39p an hour above the National Living Wage of the time. As a self-employed support worker you set your own rate, which has to cover the holidays, travel, insurance, training and tax an employer would otherwise pay for.

2026 benchmarks

  • Median hourly pay for care workers and support workers in England: £12.60 in March 2026
  • National Living Wage (21 and over): £12.71 an hour from 1 April 2026

Sources: Skills for Care, The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England 2026 (14 October 2026); GOV.UK, minimum wage rates. The median is from before the April 2026 rise.

Checks, training and specialisms

Support work that includes personal care calls for an enhanced DBS certificate with the adults’ barred list. Since January 2026, a self-employed support worker can apply for their own enhanced check through a DBS umbrella body; see the DBS guide.

Clients and organisations look for the Care Certificate standards, current mandatory training and, for learning disability and autism support, the Oliver McGowan training. The mandatory training guide lists them.

On your VerriPro profile you list your specialisms, such as learning disability, autism, mental health or complex care, so clients looking for that experience can find you.

Support work near you

Areas where support workers are already listed on VerriPro:

Also working with private clients as a carer? See self-employed carer work.

What you need to join, and VerriPro’s role

You upload your documents once in the VerriPro Provider app. A member of the VerriPro team reviews them before your profile can be found or booked. VerriPro is a platform, not your employer.

What VerriPro checks

Before a Professional can be found or booked, they upload these documents in the VerriPro Provider app and a member of the VerriPro team reviews them and approves the profile:

  • Photo ID and proof of address
  • Right to work in the UK
  • Enhanced DBS certificate
  • Qualifications and training certificates
  • Professional registration (NMC, HCPC or GMC) where the role needs it
  • Professional indemnity insurance
  • Two references

The checks are made on the documents the Professional provides. They are not a guarantee, so please still satisfy yourself that a Professional is right for the care you need.

VerriPro’s role

  • VerriPro is a booking platform, not a care agency or an employer.
  • Professionals are independent: self-employed or paid through an umbrella company.
  • Only Professionals approved by our team appear in search. If a required document expires, they cannot take new bookings until a valid one is approved.

How payments work

  • You see the total cost in £, including the VerriPro platform fee, before you book.
  • You pay through VerriPro, not the Professional directly. Card payments are processed securely by Stripe.
  • The Professional is paid after the visit, once the timesheet is approved. If something went wrong, raise it in the app within 3 days and the payment is held while we look into it.

What Professionals are responsible for

  • The care they deliver, and working within their training and registration.
  • Keeping their documents, insurance and registration up to date.
  • Their own tax and National Insurance, as self-employed Professionals or through their umbrella company.

Questions Professionals ask

About joining VerriPro and working through it.

Guides before you start

Join in the VerriPro Provider app

Download the app, set your rate and upload your documents. Once the VerriPro team has approved them, clients and care organisations near you can find and book you.

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Looking for care rather than work? Find a private carer near you.