How it works
Arranging help for someone you love is a big step, and most people put it off because they do not know what happens next. So here is the whole thing, start to finish, with nothing glossed over — including the things helpers do not do.
Enter your postcode and a little about the person who needs support — their routine, what is getting harder, and when help would be most useful. It takes a couple of minutes. If you would rather talk it through, send an enquiry and a real person replies within one working day.
No account needed, no card, no obligation.
We show you helpers covering your area, with a profile written in their own words: what they enjoy doing, their hourly rate, when they are free, and whether they drive. Everyone you see has completed every check — nobody appears on Witho while anything is outstanding.
Up to three matched helpers, chosen for area and the support you need.
Before anything starts you meet the helper — usually a short, no-obligation visit at home, with other family there if you would like. It is a conversation, not an assessment. If it is not the right fit, say so and we will suggest someone else. Nobody is expected to explain why.
Free. No commitment either way.
Pick a time from your helper’s calendar. Visits are a minimum of one hour, with at least 24 hours’ notice so nobody is scrambling. What happens during the visit is agreed between you and your helper, not set by us.
Your helper sets their rate from £20 an hour and keeps all of it. We add 10% to your total.
You keep the same helper — that is the whole point of choosing them yourself. Most families settle into the same time each week, because familiarity is most of the value. If your helper is ever unavailable they will tell you, and we can help you find another whenever you need one.
Change, pause, or stop whenever you need. No notice period, no contract.
Every helper on Witho has completed all of this before their profile appears.
The detail behind each check is on our trust and safety page.
If you are the sort of person who already does this for neighbours and family, this is the same thing — paid properly.
Tell us where you are, when you are free, and what kind of support you enjoy giving. No CV required — we care more about judgement and warmth than a work history.
DBS through Care Check, identity and right to work, two references we actually ring, and an interview with a member of the Witho team. The DBS costs around £23, paid to the checking service — not to us — and the certificate is yours to keep and use elsewhere.
You write your own profile and set your own availability. Families in your area can then find you and request a time that suits you both. You choose which introductions to accept — always.
You set your own rate — the minimum on Witho is £20 an hour — and you keep all of it. Witho takes no commission and charges you no fee, ever. You are self-employed, so you look after your own tax and National Insurance — we will point you to HMRC’s guidance when you start.
Witho Pulse
If you would like it, your helper can leave a short note after each visit covering five everyday things — how they seemed, whether they ate and drank, how they were getting about, anything noticed around the home, and how the conversation went. There is a box for anything else worth mentioning.
It arrives by email within minutes of the visit. Families who live at a distance tell us it is the single most reassuring part of the arrangement, because the pattern over a few weeks says far more than any one phone call.
Witho is support, not care. Helpers do not wash, dress, or toilet anyone, do not handle medication, and do not carry out clinical tasks. If that is what is needed, we will tell you honestly and point you towards a regulated care provider — even though it means we lose the work. Getting that boundary right is what keeps everyone safe.
Send us a message and we will come back to you within one working day.