Employing a PA
Getting started
The first step towards getting the support you need is usually a health and social care assessment with the Council's Social Services department. At the assessment, a specialist will discuss your needs with you so that the right support can be provided.
Self-assessment and common (or single) assessment by health services or Social Care and Health is a first step. The assessment should be to the point with more emphasis on identifying the support and seeking its provision.
If the local authority agrees that care at home is appropriate, you can usually receive Direct Payments, so you can arrange and pay your own care services instead of having them provided by the Council. Once you know how much your Direct Payments will be, you can begin to work out how much to pay a Personal Assistant and how many hours a week and what hours you would like your Personal Assistant to work.
Writing a Job Description
It is important to think carefully about exactly what help and support you need before you employ someone or sign a contract with an agency. It may be helpful to think about a typical day for you and write a job description for your Personal Assistant. For example:
- A list of all the tasks you may need help with.
- Any particular skills, qualifications or attributes your Personal Assistant must have (for example, a nursing qualification, a full driving licence, or an interest in gardening.
- An estimate of the number of hours and days you will need your Personal Assistant to work.
Advertising the job
Whilst you can place job advertisements in your local Jobcentre or Jobcentre Plus for free, you can advertise on this site at an extremely competitive price and reach a wide and varied audience. You should clearly state:
- The type of work involved
- Working hours
- Rate of pay
- Your contact details
- The general area where you live
Job interviews
Once you have received job applications, the next step is to select the people you would like to interview. You can ask a friend or relative to attend the interview for moral support, especially if interviews are taking place in your own home.
Before the interviews take place, you are advised to prepare a list of questions that cover the key aspects of the job.
References and police checks
When you have decided who to offer the job to, you are responsible for checking that they are suitable. You should always ask for (and check out) at least two references, including one from someone they have cared for, or employed them previously.
As an individual employer, you do not have to request a police and criminal record check (CRB) for any potential employee, but it is a good idea to do this. You will need to ask the Council's Social Services department, or local voluntary organisation to make such a request for information to the Criminal Records Bureau on your behalf.
Your employer responsibilities
Along with the freedom and independence that employing your own Personal Assistant can offer, there are some responsibilities that you will need to take on as an employer:
- Registering as an employer with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs
- Knowledge of the tax system and dealing with correspondence from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs
- Calculating pay and making relevant deductions for tax and National Insurance
- Paying your employers' National Insurance quarterly to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs
- Filing your year end returns
- Knowledge of employment law and legislation
- Being aware of employee legislation so that your Personal Assistant is treated fairly according to the laws that protect them
- Obtaining Employer's Insurance
- Health & Safety regulations
It may sound daunting, but there's plenty of support available
Initially, it may sound daunting, but it need not be as there are many options available that can help you deal with this responsibility. Feedback from people that use Direct Payments or employ privately indicates that once everything is set up, the increased flexibility and the other advantages that employing their own personal assistant has brought to their lives is priceless.
Being independent does not mean that you must do everything on your own, as there is plenty of good guidance and support around to help you. You can usually receive help with all of the advertising and recruitment of your staff through a local support service. The Council's Social Services department will have details of what is available in your area.
Further information about employing a Personal Assistant and a wide range of issues can be found by clicking on the following links: