How we support families with a child on the autism spectrum.
Financial security
You are employed by pflegehero and receive gross pay of CHF 36–42 per hour for the recognised basic care of your child, including social insurance contributions and Saturday and Sunday supplements. We reimburse the nursing assistant course. We arrange cover during holidays or illness.
Support at home
Our registered nurses visit you at home regularly. Together, we look at your child’s care and support needs and discuss changes, questions and difficult situations in your everyday life. We listen, take your observations seriously and help you make sense of situations. You can reach us by phone at any time.
Documentation and health insurer
Not every care need is visible from the outside. Our nurses record the relevant observations and document the care needs in a comprehensible way. pflegehero handles everything with the health insurer.
How to receive pay and support from pflegehero
1. Requirements
You are of legal age and care for your child on a long-term basis. Care means help with personal hygiene, eating and drinking, dressing and undressing, using the toilet or positioning, including at night. Your child lives in one of the cantons where we are licensed (see Questions and answers).
2. Assessing care needs
A registered nurse visits you at home and assesses your child’s care needs. Many parents do more than conventional childcare every day: they guide every step, prepare transitions and help their child through difficult situations. We look closely at what can be recognised as care. The need is reassessed every three months and whenever things change.
3. Contract and pay
You sign the employment contract and receive gross pay of CHF 36–42 per hour for the recognised care hours, including social insurance contributions and Saturday and Sunday supplements.
4. Ongoing support
Care at home should stabilise family life, not complicate it. We visit you regularly, can be reached by phone and, where possible, arrange cover during holidays or illness so that your child’s care remains secure.
Calculate your pay nowGood to know: what counts as care and what doesn’t
Not every kind of support or supervision automatically counts as billable care. What matters is concrete help with recognised care activities such as personal hygiene, eating, dressing and undressing or using the toilet. A nurse will assess at your home what can be recognised in your situation.
Supervision, childcare and housework are not included. For children with substantial support needs, the IV (disability insurance) provides the helplessness allowance and the intensive care supplement for these. We tell you openly what belongs where and, if necessary, refer you to the right place.
Educational measures such as picture cards, fixed routines or choices can complement care, encourage your child’s independence and ease the strain on everyday family life.
Questions and answers
How old does my child have to be?
What matters is a long-term need for basic care, not the diagnosis or age alone. We clarify in the initial consultation from what age employment makes sense.
In which cantons is employment possible?
Currently in the cantons of AG, ZH, BE, BS, BL, LU, SH, SO, ZG, SG and SZ. Your child’s place of residence is what counts.
Health insurer or IV: what is the difference?
Recognised basic care is billed via basic health insurance and residual cantonal funding. Childcare and supervision are covered by the helplessness allowance and the intensive care supplement of the IV (disability insurance). Both can apply at the same time.
How much is the pay?
CHF 36–42 gross per hour, including social insurance contributions and Saturday and Sunday supplements. The recognised care hours are paid. In our experience, our family caregivers earn around CHF 38.25 per hour.
Do I need a nursing assistant course?
Yes. You must complete it within 1 year of starting employment at the latest. We reimburse the course fees.
How long does it take until the first salary payment?
The initial consultation is followed by an assessment at your home. As soon as the health insurer has recognised the care services, your employment begins. This usually takes 4 to 6 weeks.
We already have children’s Spitex. Is this still possible?
Yes. Employment as a family caregiver complements existing services. We coordinate with the children’s Spitex to ensure that no services are billed twice.
What happens to my details?
We only use your details to contact you and for the assessment. They will not be passed on to third parties. Privacy policy
Your contacts
Cyrill Bischoff
Social Pedagogue HF, Autism Specialist Partner
Parents of children on the autism spectrum do a great deal every day that nobody sees from the outside. I help them make sense of everyday situations and find the right kind of help.
Chanel Wendt
Head of Nursing Services
During the assessment at home, we look closely at the support your child needs every day. This makes it clear what can be recognised as care.
Check your pay entitlement: tell us briefly about your situation.
Free, no obligation, personal. A specialist will get back to you within one working day.
