How to Use Enable's Matchmaking Tools to Find Your Caregiver

Finding the right caregiver is one of the most important steps in building a strong support system for your child or adult family member with disabilities. A great caregiving team can make daily life smoother, support independence, and bring peace of mind to parents. Here at Enable, it's always our preference to build a team utilizing your own network of friends, family and neighbors. But sometimes you need more supports, and the search process can feel overwhelming.

Here's where Enable's Matchmaking service comes in. Instead of sifting through job boards or relying on word of mouth, you can use the service to be matched with qualified DSPs who fit your needs and will fit in with your family's style.

In this post, we'll walk through the step-by-step process of using Enable's matchmaking service so that you can find a great match easily.

Step 1: Create Your Family Profile

Start by visiting the Enable Matchmaking page on our website. You can easily reach this page from anywhere in the website by selecting the Matchmaking link from the navigation menu on the top right.

Enable's Matchmaking tool helps families and caregivers find a great fit. Search by skills, location & preferences.

Set up Your Account

Create an account with your email address. You'll then be prompted to select either "Guardian" or "Caregiver". Caregivers looking for work also use this site, but this post is focusing on the guardian experience, so we will select "Continue as Guardian" and create a profile. This is where you'll share:

• Support needs (behavioral, physical, medical, daily living, etc.)

• Communication style & social preferences

• Any caregiver preferences

Think of this step like filling out a matchmaking form. It's about helping potential caregivers understand who your child is and what kind of support works best.

Create a Sample Schedule

You'll then create your weekly schedule based on a typical week. This information will be shared with potential caregivers so that they can see if they're available at the times you might be looking for support.

This form helps create a typical weekly schedule so that potential caregivers can understand when you might be looking for DSP support.

After selecting "Generate Schedule", the tool creates a typical weekly schedule. As you review the generated schedule, it's easy to manually edit it or add more details to the support description to update the schedule. The tool will quickly update the schedule to include your changes.

It's easy to create a weekly schedule so potential caregivers can see if your needs match up with their availability.

Review your Client Profile Preview

The Matchmaking tool will generate a preview of all of the information you have inputted so far for your review before the next step. You can make any needed edits, or select "Continue to App."

Step 2: Review Your Matches

Enable's Matchmaking Tool Makes it Easy

Once your profile is complete, Enable uses its Matchmaking system to connect you with available caregivers in your area. Explore potential matches on our interactive map, filtered by your specific criteria and location preferences. Each caregiver nearby has:

• A profile with experience and skills

• Availability schedule

• Some have photos and an introduction video

Their profiles provide more information like whether they have uploaded references, if they can drive, and other important information. You can use filter options to further refine your search to meet your needs.

As part of joining the matchmaking system, most caregivers send in a picture of the ID and take a verified selfie so we can confirm they are the ones with their ID. Occasionally, the program doesn't work for someone, so they might not have completed this step and their listing can still be visible. Be more cautious meeting with these caregivers until Enable has had a chance to run full background checks and reference checks, which will happen during onboarding if you choose to work with that caregiver.

Enable's Matchmaking tool includes an interactive map to view profiles of local potential caregivers.

Connect & Chat

As you review their profiles, you'll be able to message potential matches through our secure platform and arrange meetings when you find the perfect fit. You'll receive immediate alerts via email when you have new matches or potential matches in your area.

Step 3: Submit Paperwork

Easy Next Steps

Once you and a caregiver have agreed to work together, you can confirm the caregiver as part of your child's care team. If you and the caregiver are both already registered with Enable, simply email teams@enable.family and let us know the name of the caregiver you plan to work with. We'll take care of the rest, and it's a quick and simple process to get your new caregiver working on your team.

If you are registered with Enable, but the caregiver is not, have them fill out a Caregiver Interest Form, and remind them to include the name of the client on their form. This important step will speed up the process to get them onboarded. Once they click on the orange "submit" button at the bottom, we will be able to start their onboarding process.

If neither of you are registered with Enable, you'll both start by filling out onboarding forms. The Client Registration Form is for the guardian of the person needing care to fill out. For registration purposes, the guardian is whomever is in charge of the person receiving services and likely controls the schedule and budget. The potential caregiver will fill out a Caregiver Interest Form. In this situation, it's important for you, the guardian representing the client, to submit your paperwork first so that the caregiver can be linked to a client team. Without your prior registration, their onboarding is paused until your paperwork is turned in.

There are about 12 steps to onboarding, and Enable sends all of our next steps through email. Check your email frequently and encourage your selected caregiver to do the same. The full process usually takes between 14 and 20 days, and your caregiver will be able to clock in once the client and they are both fully onboarded.

Enable's Matchmaking tool takes the stress out of finding a caregiver by giving you access to trusted, pre-screened providers who fit with your family's needs. By following the step-by-step process--creating your profile, meeting & selecting potential caregivers, and submitting paperwork to Enable--you can find the right support with confidence.

Explore Your Community with Enable

And once you've found your caregiver, Enable recently started sharing community events and training supports that our families may enjoy. We look for great trainings or other support opportunities offered by organizations around Oregon that help people with disabilities and their families. We've also asked Enable families and our staff for their favorite ways to explore their towns. We put these together and are publishing blog posts on events happening in Portland, Salem, Eugene and Bend, with more cities to come. Please send us your favorite activities in your hometown so that we can share them with other Enable families. Email us at cen@enable.family with your ideas! We also post upcoming community events around Oregon on our Facebook page, so be sure to follow us.