Join the micro-provider network
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Join the micro-provider network *
Connect with other independent micro-providers in Wells and nearby communities.
Whether you already offer paid help and support or are thinking about becoming a micro-provider, Wells Community Network can help you access information and connect with others.
Already working as a micro-provider?
Running an independent business can be rewarding, but it can also help to have people to talk to.
Through the WCN micro-provider network, you can:
Attend local meet-ups and build connections with other providers.
Share experiences and discuss general questions about running your business.
Hear about relevant training and development opportunities.
Access information and signposting to Somerset’s Micro-Enterprise Programme.
Enquire about having information about your service shared with local people seeking support.
Access information about Somerset Council’s Doing it Right Quality Standard and the boundaries of unregulated personal care.
Each provider remains independent and responsible for their own business and services.
Interested in joining or coming to a meeting?
Email micro-providers@wellscommunity.network. We will explain the participation requirements and next steps.
Thinking about becoming a micro-provider?
A micro-provider is a small, independent business offering paid help or support to local people. Services vary and may include companionship, shopping, household tasks or, where appropriate, personal care.
WCN can provide information about the role and signpost you to support for starting your business through Somerset’s Micro-Enterprise Programme.
This may include guidance about business arrangements, training, insurance, safeguarding and the requirements relevant to the services you intend to offer.
You remain responsible for understanding and meeting the legal, regulatory and business requirements that apply to your work.
To find out more, email micro-providers@wellscommunity.network.
What participation in the network means
WCN provides information, connections and opportunities for peer support.
We do not deliver, arrange or manage care. We do not employ providers, select, match or shortlist providers for individuals, allocate work, set prices, organise care rotas, arrange cover, manage care packages or supervise providers.
People seeking support, or their lawful representatives, choose their provider, check their suitability and agree and manage any arrangement directly with them.
Providers are responsible for their own services, agreements, charges and availability.
Registration or participation does not mean that WCN approves, recommends, endorses, vets, guarantees or quality assures a provider. It does not guarantee quality, enquiries, work, referrals or income.
Micro-providers remain independent businesses. Joining the network does not make you employed by WCN or Somerset Council.
Somerset Council retains ownership of the Doing it Right Quality Standard, Quality Assurance Process and safeguarding arrangements. WCN supports providers to understand these standards and routes.
Membership fees
There is no membership fee before September 2027. A membership fee may apply from September 2027. We will explain any proposed fee, what it covers and when it would start before asking providers to decide whether to continue their membership.
Payment of a membership fee would not mean WCN approves or endorses a provider, or guarantee work, referrals or priority access.
Important information about personal care
Personal care includes help with activities such as washing, dressing and using the toilet.
Providing personal care may require registration with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Some individual micro-providers operate under an exemption where they are contracted directly by the person receiving support, or their lawful representative, and work wholly under that person’s direction and control.
This is different from providing a CQC-registered care service. The person or their lawful representative must be willing and able to direct, manage and review the arrangement.
Providers operating under this exemption cannot take on the management of the person’s care, coordinate the work of other providers or organise a care rota on the person’s behalf. WCN cannot take on these responsibilities either.
Membership of the WCN network does not establish that a provider qualifies for an exemption or meets any regulatory requirement.
If you are unsure about the requirements for your service, seek advice from the CQC or Somerset’s Micro-Enterprise Programme.
Sharing information about your service
If you would like WCN to share information about your service with people seeking local support, please contact us.
We will explain the participation requirements, what information is needed and how it may be shared. We will obtain your permission before sharing your provider information.
You are responsible for keeping information about your services, contact details and availability accurate and up to date.
Where WCN circulates a support request, it does so with the consent of the person or their lawful representative, to a broad local provider group, as a neutral information-sharing step.
Providers respond directly to the person or their lawful representative. WCN does not filter or select providers for them. Any agreement is made directly between the person or their lawful representative and the provider.
Inclusion in information shared by WCN is not an endorsement, recommendation or guarantee of work.
To find out more, email micro-providers@wellscommunity.network.
Important responsibility and safeguarding notice
In this notice, “the Network” means Wells Community Network.
The Network provides information only. With your consent, it may circulate a request to a broad local provider group as a neutral information-sharing step. Information about available providers will be presented to you without filtering or selection. Providers respond directly to you or your lawful representative. The Network does not act as a care broker, employment agency, employment business or matching service. It does not select, match, shortlist, allocate, place, recommend, endorse, supervise, inspect, regulate or guarantee any provider, or assess whether a provider is suitable for your individual needs. Any agreement is made directly between you and the provider. You are responsible for deciding whether to proceed, making any checks you consider necessary, and agreeing the terms of support. Serious safeguarding, unsafe practice or suspected illegal care concerns should be reported through Somerset Council routes. A network may separately consider whether a provider remains on its local list, in line with its agreed membership process, but it should not investigate or resolve serious concerns itself.
Further information and reporting concerns
Looking for help at home?
Read our Find help at home page for information about micro-provider options and your responsibilities when choosing support.
Concerned about abuse or neglect?
Contact Somerset Council’s Adult Social Care Team on 0300 123 2224 or email adults@somerset.gov.uk.
Outside office hours, call 0300 123 2327. If someone is in immediate danger, call 999.
Find out how to report an adult safeguarding concern.
Concerned about a micro-provider’s quality or practice?
For concerns about service quality, unsafe practice or possible breaches of Somerset’s Doing it Right Quality Standard, visit the Micro-provider feedback and concerns page. This includes a link to Somerset’s Service Quality Feedback Form.
You can also contact Somerset’s Micro-Enterprise Programme at communityenterprise@somerset.gov.uk.
Safeguarding concerns should be reported through the safeguarding route above.
WCN does not investigate or resolve serious concerns itself.
This work is supported with an Accelerated Reform Fund grant - delivered through Somerset Community Foundation
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) is a grant-making charity that helps build strong communities where everyone can thrive. They do this by funding local charities and facilitating local giving.
