Get a personal assistant

Getting a PA through an agency - how it works

Your care social worker will talk with you about the kind of support you need. They will contact various agencies on your behalf and arrange for you to meet a representative from the agency.

If you prefer, you can contact agencies direct yourself.

When you have found an agency that can meet your needs, and that you feel comfortable with, your social care worker will arrange for them to start working for you.

If you don't want to manage the payments yourself, your social care worker will discuss other options with you.

Employing a PA yourself - how it works

Employing your own PA gives you more control and flexibility about who provides your support.

You will have all the responsibilities that go with being an employer - however you are not on your own. We can signpost you to help and support with this.

Some of the things you will be responsible for are:

• recruiting the right person for you
• making sure they have a contract of employment
• signing timesheets
• paying them and giving them wageslips
• meeting employment responsibilities
• making sure your house is safe for them to work in
• making sure you have cover for when your normal PA is on holiday or off sick.

You will pay your PA and meet any other employment costs through a separate bank account - your direct payment account. We pay your personal budget money directly into this account. You pay in any contribution that you have been asked to make towards the cost of your support. In this way, we can all keep track of how the money is being spent.