Information for social care customers about employing a personal assistant

This section of the Putting People First website is for people who have been assessed as needing a social care service. You will be thinking about the support you need and may already be working on a support plan. A personal assistant (PA) may be one of your options.

The results of your assessment will determine what your support plan requirements are. With the help of one of our Support Planners, you will be able to decide how you want to receive the support you need.

One way of receiving your support might be through having your own personal assistant (PA). This is someone who will help you on a regular basis with the things you want to do. They can be a member of your family, a friend, or an independent person who you employ or we find for you from one of our agencies.

What are the sorts of things a PA can do for you?

A PA can do many things for you; it's not just about providing traditional care in your home. You might need help getting to the shops, or keeping your garden tidy. You might want to get involved in community activities or events but need help getting there and home again. Or you might simply need help getting out the house and being mobile. A PA can help you with all of these things and more. It all depends on what we find out from listening to your needs when we do an assessment with you.

How do you get a PA?

First we need to find out if a PA would be right for you. We will visit you and complete an assessment of your needs. One of our Support Planners will help you with this assessment if you wish, and then work with you to agree how best to meet your needs. If you decide you would like a PA to help deliver your outcomes, we will advise you on the next steps.

There are a number of ways you can employ your own PA. Your Support Planner will help make the best choice.

You can:

• ask us to help you find a PA through an agency; or
• find and employ one yourself.

Employing a PA yourself

If you choose to employ a PA directly yourself, you will need to understand the responsibilities which go with employing someone. Your Support Planner will support and guide you through the process.

There are a number of important things you have to do at the start of their employment, but once these are done the process afterwards is quite simple.

To help you understand what these responsibilities are and who can help you with them, you can read our webpages about employing a PA yourself.