How do I know a care shift request is genuine and safe as a freelance carer?

A genuine shift request tells you clearly who is asking (a named, CQC-registered agency or care home), comes through a platform or channel where you were already verified before any request could reach you, and gives you a real choice to accept or decline — never a demand, never a payment upfront. If a request is vague about who's behind it, pressures you to respond instantly, or asks for money or personal banking details before you've even seen the shift, treat it as a warning sign and don't proceed.

What a genuine request looks like

A legitimate care shift request should include, at minimum: the name of the agency or care home, the shift date, time and location, and enough detail (client needs, visit type) for you to judge whether you're the right fit. You should be able to see or ask for the provider's CQC registration status, and you should never feel rushed into accepting before you've checked the basics. Genuine platforms and agencies also keep a record of the request — so if anything goes wrong later, there's a trail showing who asked, when, and what you agreed to.

Red flags to avoid scam care jobs

• Unsolicited messages via personal WhatsApp or text from a number you don't recognise, with no agency name attached.
• Requests for payment — a genuine care provider never asks a carer to pay a fee, deposit or "registration charge" to receive shifts.
• Vague or missing details — no address, no client information, no way to verify who's asking.
• Pressure tactics — "reply in the next 10 minutes or we'll give it to someone else" is a manipulation tactic, not how safe scheduling works.
• No verifiable identity — if you can't find any trace of the agency (no CQC listing, no website, no landline), be cautious.

If something feels off, it's reasonable to pause, ask direct questions, and check the provider's CQC registration on the CQC website before accepting anything.

Why verification matters more in care than most gig work

Care work involves access to vulnerable people's homes and personal records, so the stakes of a fake or unsafe request are higher than in most freelance sectors. Two things should always be true before you take on a shift: you were verified (DBS check, right-to-work, identity) before you were ever matched to work, and the person or organisation requesting you is itself checkable — not just a phone number claiming to be an agency. Both sides being verifiable is what makes a shift request trustworthy, not just the fact that it arrived through an app.

How a trusted carer platform is meant to work

This is exactly the gap that platforms built for cross-agency carer sharing are designed to close. On Nanum, the model is request → accept — a human on the agency side requests a carer for a gap, and a human carer decides whether to accept, with full visibility of who's asking and what the shift involves. Nothing is auto-assigned or silently placed. Freelance carers are intended to be verified once, at the platform layer — identity, right-to-work and DBS status checked up front — so that when a request does come through, you're not being asked to trust a stranger blind; you're both already known to the same trusted system. Because this flow is still rolling out, always check directly with any platform or agency what verification has actually been completed before you accept a shift, rather than assuming it from marketing alone.

Practical steps before accepting any shift

1. Confirm the agency or care home's name and check its CQC registration.
2. Ask who verified you and what checks (DBS, ID, right-to-work) were done — a genuine platform should have record of this, not just your word.
3. Never send money or bank details to receive a shift.
4. Get the shift details in writing (date, time, location, task) before confirming.
5. Trust your instinct — if a request feels rushed, secretive, or too good to be true, ask more questions or walk away.

FAQ

Do I need my own DBS check to take shifts through an agency or platform? Yes — an enhanced DBS check is standard for care roles, and many platforms use the DBS Update Service so your check can be reused across providers rather than repeated for every new agency. Always confirm with the specific agency or platform what they require and how it's checked.

Can an agency ask me to pay to receive shift requests? No — a legitimate care provider or platform does not charge carers to be offered work; any request for payment, deposit or "registration fee" to access shifts is a strong sign of a scam.

What should I do if a shift request seems suspicious? Don't respond with personal or financial details — instead, try to verify the agency independently (CQC register, official website, landline number) and ask direct questions about who is requesting you and why before making any decision.