Contractor agreement for a care worker introduced by an agency

An introduction agency for self-employed carers is a different business from a home care provider: it introduces carers to clients who then engage the carer directly, takes a fee for the introduction, and does not direct the care. That model keeps the agency outside the registration a care provider needs, but only if the agency stays on its side of the line, and the agreement with each carer is where the line is drawn: what the agency does, what it must not do, the checks it makes, the contract the carer has with the client, and the carer's status. I draft that agreement, for the agency or for the carer, for a fixed fee of £595, delivered in five working days. The agreement describes a self-employed engagement; HMRC's Check Employment Status for Tax tool decides status case by case, and no drafting guarantees it.

Who this is for

Introduction agencies, live-in care introducers and care platforms in England and Wales introducing self-employed carers to private clients, and carers working through them who want to understand the arrangement.

What matters in an introduced care worker's agreement

The introduction model and why it is not a care provider

The agreement should say that the agency introduces the carer to clients, that the client engages and pays the carer directly under a separate agreement, that the agency does not provide care, does not employ the carer and does not direct, supervise or manage the care, and that it is paid a fee for the introduction and any ongoing administrative services it provides; the agency is an employment agency under the Employment Agencies Act 1973 and the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 apply to it, including the rules on fees and on the information it must obtain and provide.

The regulatory line and what the agency must not do

Providing personal care is a regulated activity under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 requiring registration with the Care Quality Commission, and an agency that arranges care plans, rotas and supervises carers is at risk of being the provider; the agreement should prohibit the agency from doing those things, say that the care plan is agreed between the carer and the client (and their family or professionals), that the carer decides how care is delivered within it, and that the agency's role is introduction, matching, checks and administration, with the agency's own policies kept consistent with that position.

Checks, training and safeguarding

The agreement should require the carer to hold an enhanced disclosure with adults' barred list check under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 regime, to provide references, proof of identity and right to work, training certificates and insurance, to tell the agency of any change, and to comply with safeguarding law and report concerns to the client's local authority as well as the agency; the agency should verify and record those matters, which the Conduct Regulations require for work-seekers in positions involving vulnerable people, without turning verification into supervision.

The care worker's contract with the client and the agency's fee

The agreement should require the carer to contract with each client on terms the agency provides or approves (scope, hours, pay, notice, cancellation), to invoice and be paid by the client, and to pay the agency's fee or to accept the client paying it, with the fee stated as a percentage or a fixed sum and its basis compliant with the Conduct Regulations; where the agency collects client payments and passes them to the carer, it is handling money for both and the agreement should say on what terms, because that service is one step closer to being the provider.

Status and the risk of worker rights

A carer engaged directly by several clients, setting their own availability, deciding how care is delivered and bearing their own expenses is self-employed; a carer whose work is allocated, scheduled and supervised by an agency is likely to be a worker under section 230 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 or an agency worker within the Agency Workers Regulations 2010, with rights under the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 and the Working Time Regulations 1998 including for travel between visits and sleep-in time as the law treats them. The agreement reflects the self-employed introduction model and the agency should operate it; a carer who is in truth an agency worker has those rights against whoever is the employer.

Complaints, incidents and ending

The agreement should set how complaints by clients about carers and by carers about clients are handled (the agency's process, without the agency deciding the care), how incidents and safeguarding concerns are reported, the agency's right to withdraw the carer from its register for breaches or concerns, the carer's and the client's data under the UK GDPR with the agency as controller of its records and health data handled under Article 9, and notice from either party, with the carer's engagements with clients continuing or ending under the carer's own contracts with them.

What it costs

Consultancy or contractor agreement, £595. Drafted for your business. Five working days.

Template set for repeat use, £895. One master agreement plus a short-form schedule you can reuse for every engagement. Five working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the consultancy and contractor agreements page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• A clear, express assignment of intellectual property to your business
• Confidentiality provisions that protect your business information
• Restrictive covenants drafted at a scope a court will uphold
• Clear treatment of status, so the arrangement is not accidentally something else
• Payment, deliverables and termination provisions that match how you work
• A reusable structure, so the next engagement costs you nothing

What is not included

• Employment status determinations and off-payroll working assessments, which need your accountant
• Tax advice
• Disputes with a contractor you have already engaged
• Immigration and right to work compliance

Questions I am often asked

If we match carers to clients and manage the rota, are we a care provider?

Probably, and registration would then be required. An introduction agency introduces and administers; the client and the carer agree the care. The agreement draws that line and the agency's practice has to respect it.

Can the carer be self-employed if they work full time for one client?

They can, if the client engages them directly and they decide how the care is delivered, though one full-time client is a factor the status tests weigh. The agreement reflects the direct engagement; the carer and client's own contract is where the hours sit.

Who is responsible if a carer we introduced harms a client?

The carer, under their contract with the client and the law, and the agency for any failure in its checks. The agreement sets the checks the agency makes and keeps the delivery of care with the carer and client.

Related guidance and services

• Consultancy and contractor agreements, £595, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Data protection agreements and privacy terms, £795

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: October 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.