Shivoo is a hiring platform helping families find caregivers for special needs children and adults.

After you login, you select your search criteria. Shivoo will display profiles that correspond with your needs. You can choose to contact those caregivers or you can search again.

Use this link to sign up today.

Unlimited access to Shivoo costs $24.99 per month. You can cancel at any time.

You choose. Shivoo displays profiles that meet your search criteria. All profiles include contact information that you can use to set up an interview.

No.

Yes. Check with your broker and agency about “staff advertising / recruitment costs” that are classified in family budgets as OTPS (Other Than Personal Services). Please note: If you are a client of Susan or Chancy, please do not sign up for this service. They will help you find staff as your broker.

Shivoo’s directory is open to all, regardless of your participation in New York State services. Individuals approved for Self Direction and traditional services can find help through Shivoo, as can families who are self-funding.

If your criteria are very narrow, your likelihood of a match can be lower. Try less restrictive parameters, or browse the full list with hundreds of caregivers in the New York City area.

Our directory includes staff who can provide direct support to individuals with a range of intellectual / developmental disabilities. New York State’s Office for People with Developmental Disabilities recognizes “intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, Prader-Willi syndrome and other neurological impairments.”

Our Community Habilitation Staff will work on the goals set by the Individual and/or their Circle of Support. Respite Staff can also provide temporary relief to other caregivers.

Our directory includes staff who can provide direct support to individuals with a range of intellectual / developmental disabilities. New York State’s Office for People with Developmental Disabilities recognizes “intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, Prader-Willi syndrome and other neurological impairments.”

Our Community Habilitation Staff will work on the goals set by the Individual and/or their Circle of Support. Respite Staff can also provide temporary relief to other caregivers.

The staff in our directory are identified as providers of Community Habilitation (“Com Hab”) or Respite care — or both.

No. All care partners in our network are independent and ready to be hired directly by a family or a social services agency / Fiscal Intermediary.

For families that are participating in services through New York’s OPWDD, the on-boarding process for a new staff person can take up to four weeks in order to complete background checks and other requirements. If you choose self payment, you can set the timing.

If you live in New York State and currently receive services through the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), your caregiving staff may be paid through your family’s budget of Medicaid funding. Contact your Fiscal Intermediary (FI) to on-board new staff and establish payment terms. Please note that individuals needing care must be approved for an OPWDD Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waiver in order for the government to pay for caregiving services.

Alternatively, you may pay staff directly out of pocket at your discretion.

Rates vary by individual, but they typically range from $15/hour to $32/hour. If you receive support through New York State services, speak to your Fiscal Intermediary (FI) to confirm what rates are approved for your circumstance and budget. If you are paying your staff with a Fiscal Intermediary, it allows a maximum of 40 hours a week per caregiver.

If you are self paying (out of pocket), you can set the rate and hours.

Some staff candidates may have direct experience working with individuals with disabilities or a background in an adjacent field. Because each family’s needs are unique, a successful caregiver partnership is often dependent less on their hard skills than on social and emotional competencies, as well as proactive caregiver training from the family. New York State has no required certification for Community Habilitation (“Com Hab”) or Respite workers, however all staff in the Shivoo directory complete an informational workshop prior to entering our database.

Shivoo connects its paid users with prospective staff and assumes no liability toward either party. We do not conduct background checks, criminal checks or reference checks on staff. Please read our Terms of Use closely.

For those who qualify for Medicaid benefits through New York State’s Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) and enroll in Self Direction, a Fiscal Intermediary agency is required to perform fingerprinting and several background checks on prospective staff. These checks include:

Staff Exclusion List (SEL): Names of individuals found responsible for serious or repeated acts of abuse and neglect in New York State. Additional information: https://www.justicecenter.ny.gov/search/sel

Criminal Background Check (CBC): The New York State Justice Center reviews the applicant’s criminal history, and makes an initial determination on whether the applicant can be considered for hire for the position. Additional information: https://www.justicecenter.ny.gov/criminal-background-check-cbc-process.

Mental Hygiene Law 16.34 (MHL 16.34): A search of records provided by previous employers in New York State’s OPWDD service system of substantiated allegations of abuse and serious neglect by a prospective employee or volunteer.

Statewide Central Registry Database Check (SCR). Searching records of child abuse and maltreatment.

Our model is to offer paid users access to open-to-work caregivers. We do not facilitate any working relationships. Employers are responsible for the ongoing management of employees.

For employers who qualify for New York’s Medicaid-funded OPWDD HCBS program, their Fiscal Intermediary (FI) agency may provide support for staffing challenges.

Shivoo does not provide supervision or training for caregivers. Our model is to offer paid users access to a open-to-work caregivers, but we do not facilitate that relationship.

For staff paid through New York’s Medicaid-funded OPWDD HCBS program, the employer’s Fiscal Intermediary (FI) agency may provide staff annual training and on-going supervision.