There are things to consider when employing a personal assistant.
Please read our factsheet to help answer any questions you might have.
Employing a Personal Assistant
When we setup your direct payment you can also ask for advice.
Templates
If you have chosen to use a personal assistant, you need to ensure a contract of employment is in place before they start.
We recommend the example contract provided on the Skills for care website.
There are some other templates which might be helpful
- Risk assessment for multiple Personal Assistants
- Personal Assistant Timesheet
- Personal Assistant Sickness Absence Record
- Personal Assistant Advert
Eligibility to work in the UK
As an employer you must ensure that your personal assistant has the eligibility to work within the UK. Under the Asylum and Immigration Act it is a criminal offence to employ a person who does not have permission to work in the UK.
You could be fined up to £20,000 per illegally employed individual.
Please ensure, before a person starts work, that they provide evidence that they are legally entitled to work in the UK.
Arranging Insurance Providers
When you employ an assistant you must have insurance to protect you and your personal assistant. An amount is included in your personal budget to cover the costs of insurance.
View our recommended insurance providers
Free PA Flu Vaccine
If you provide care and support directly to people, the government recommends you receive a flu vaccine.
This includes all personal care assistants (PAs).
To get a free vaccination please go to www.gov.uk and download the letter of entitlement. Your PA can then visit their GP or local pharmacist to obtain the free vaccination.
This is to be completed by the employer to prove you employ a PA. Your PA can then visit their GP or local pharmacist to get the free vaccination.
We Find Any Learner
We Find Any Learner are offering online courses. These are government-funded and so are available at no cost to you. They will help you to develop yours and your Personal Assistants knowledge and skills at your own pace. You can do this in your own home within approximately 20 - 30 hours or around 4 to 12 weeks.
The top 10 course choice this month is:
- Mental Health
- Event Planning
- I.T User Skills
- Principles for Digital Skills
- Understanding Autism
- Allergy Awareness
- Bullying in Children and Young People
- Safe Handling of Medication
- Dementia Care
- Children and Young People’s Mental Health
To be eligible, you just need to be:
- Over 19 as of the 31st of August, 2021
- Living in Scotland or England
- Not on an Apprenticeship
For more information visit www.wefindanylearner.co.uk to enrol today or call 01226 958 888 to find out more.
Support to recruit a Personal Assistant
Are you looking to recruit a Personal Assistant to support you with your care needs? If so, the DP team can support with any advice and guidance you may need including job adverts and DBS checks. You may also find useful the recent information from Skills for Care services. These provide a guide to finding a Personal Assistant and getting started with recruitment.
Skills for Care has a PA toolkit created to support employers to recruit, manage and training for PAs.
Skills for Care also has a guide to recruiting a PA available and this helps guide you through creating a:
- job description
- advert
- interviewing
- completing references and DBS checks
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
The Government has recently changed its approach to providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and has issued new guidance on sourcing PPE.
There is now a government-provided online portal for ordering supplies of PPE. This is open to all Personal Assistants or anyone employing a Personal Assistant.
The person would need to register an account to access the free PPE or contact the PPE Portal enquiry line on 0800 876 6802.