How do I add Agency Staff to the platform?

When your organization requires external support to fill roster gaps, it is essential to manage Agency Staff with the same level of oversight as your internal employees. By creating specific "Agency" profiles, you can track their hours, verify their compliance, and ensure they have the necessary access to client notes without compromising your internal payroll data.

1. Defining the Agency Profile Type

Before adding an individual, ensure the "Agency" is recognized in your system to help categorize costs and reporting.

1. Log in to the Platform for Care web portal.
2. Navigate to Staff > Active Employees.
3. Click Add Employee.
4. Key Distinction: In the Employment Type or Contract Type dropdown, select Agency Staff or Contractor.
5. Organization Link: If your system allows, link the profile to a specific "Vendor" or "Agency Name" (e.g., CareLink Agency) to help filter these workers in the roster.

2. Setting Up Access Permissions

Agency staff often require different permissions than your permanent team. They need to see client notes for their assigned shifts but may not need access to internal company announcements or broad staff lists.

1. Go to the Security or System Access tab.
2. Role Assignment: Assign a role specifically designed for external workers (e.g., "Agency Field Worker").
3. Restrict Visibility: Ensure their role is limited to viewing only the clients they are actively rostered to.
4. Mobile Access: Toggle Allow Mobile Login to ON so they can clock in and out and record progress notes.

3. Managing Compliance and Clinical Safety

Even if an agency guarantees their workers are compliant, Platform for Care allows you to maintain your own digital audit trail.

1. Navigate to the Compliance tab.
2. Mandatory Documents: Upload the worker's specific certifications (e.g., NDIS Worker Screening or First Aid) provided by the agency.
3. Expiry Tracking: Set the expiry dates. This prevents an agency worker from being accidentally rostered if their documents lapse.
4. Skills Mapping: Assign necessary skills (e.g., "Active Support" or "High-Intensity Care") so the worker appears in the correct vacancy searches.

4. Payroll and Invoicing Logic

Because agency staff are paid by their respective agencies and not your internal payroll, their financial setup is different.

1. Navigate to the Payroll or Employment tab.
2. Export Exclusion: Ensure the "Exclude from Payroll Export" box is checked. This prevents their hours from being sent to your bank for payment.
3. Internal Costing: You can still enter an "Agency Hourly Rate" (the amount the agency bills you). This allows you to track the true cost of the shift and compare it against your client's funding budget.

5. Assigning Agency Staff to the Roster

Once the profile is active, you can treat the agency worker as a standard resource in your roster modeling.

• Vacancy Allocation: You can directly assign an agency worker to an open vacancy.
• Bulk Assignment: If an agency provides the same worker for a week-long block, use the Bulk Allocation tool to assign those shifts in one action.
• Tracking Activity: Use the Timesheet Report (filtered by 'Agency') to reconcile the agency's invoice at the end of the month against the GPS-verified hours in the app.

Troubleshooting Agency Access

• Login Issues: If an agency worker cannot log in, verify that the Organization URL provided to them is correct and that their email address doesn't have a typo.
• Missing Client Info: If a worker can see their shift but not the client's care plan, check their Security Role to ensure they have "View" permissions for Client Attachments.
• Overlapping Shifts: The system will still block an agency worker from being rostered to two clients at once, helping you maintain safety and compliance.