Personal assistants

If you are disabled or live with an impairment or health condition, you might consider using a personal assistant (PA) to help you with your day to day living. 

PAs can do things like accompany you on your daily activities, whether that's shopping, going to work or college, to social activities or clubs. They can work with children or adults.

They can also support you around your home by helping you get up and ready for the day, with your personal care or helping prepare your meals. 

Not everyone who employs a personal assistant needs support with personal care.

People who have had a social care assessment or are eligible for a personal health budget through Continuing Healthcare Funding may choose to have a Direct Payment and arrange their own care. They often employ PA's as it can be a way of receiving support or care which you are in control of, so you can organise it to suit your lifestyle whilst meeting your social care needs.

A Personal Assistant (PA) is someone who is employed to help people do a variety of day-to-day activities, including:

• cooking and preparing food
• meeting people, socialising, and leisure activities
• shopping
• medication support
• banking, paying bills, collecting pensions or benefits
• getting to and using the toilet
• personal care, washing and bathing

To find out more about a personal assistant role and what an employer looks for visit the Skills for Care website.

Key benefits of employing a Personal Assistant include:

• Receiving support in different aspects of your life
• Having a Personal Assistant with the same interests as you and who you have a good connection with
• The opportunity to build a longer-term professional relationship with the person supporting you meet your care needs
• Create your own tailor-made package of care
• Employ people who work directly for you, rather than agency staff who may change regularly

Personal Assistants who work in care are not employed by a care agency but are employed directly by the person they support. 

They may be employed by: 

• A Personal budget holder or direct payment recipient - someone who is eligible for support and funding from social care or health services.
• A Self funder - someone who uses their own money to fund their care.
• A family member or representative - when the person who requires support does not have the mental capacity to be the employer.

If you employ a personal assistant using direct payments, you become their employer with the same legal responsibilities as any employer.

Information, support and advice is always available to guide you through the different stages of becoming an employer and then help you to be a good employer.

If you employ a personal assistant using direct payments, you become their employer, with all the same responsibilities as any employer.

The Health and Safety Executive has some useful guidance to follow. See: HSE: General guidance for all workplaces.

You are in control of where you place your advert.

Most people place an advert on our website as there are no costs involved. Advertise a Job is the job page run by Job Centres and is also free.

Other popular places to advertise include Disability North, job advertisings agencies such as Indeed or university websites. There may be a charge to advertise on these sites.

Wherever you advertise, you will need to provide information for the advert. Some sites have their own approach, or you could use Skills for Care as they have information and templates as a starting point.

You may be able to get support from your Social Worker or a member of the Self Directed Support team who help people with their Direct Payments. Applications are usually sent to the Self-Directed Support Team and are emailed or posted to the person advertising.

It doesn't matter whether you are receiving a direct payment or funding your own care - all these options are available to you. If you have been assessed with care and support needs, the Self-Directed Support team can offer advice and information to support you.

If you see a role you would like to apply for, download the application form on the vacancies page and send to Self.DirectedSupportTeam@southtyneside.gov.uk. They will then pass on the person recruiting.

If you would like information and advice on becoming or recruiting a Personal Assistant, please contact the Self-Directed Support team at Self.DirectedSupportTeam@southtyneside.gov.uk and they will be able to answer your queries. You can also call 0191 427 1717, Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm.