What support I can get
Employing your own Personal Assistant
If you choose to employ your own PA you will have additional responsibilities including recruiting, training and paying your staff and meeting your legal obligations as an employer.
Slough Borough Council’s Purchasing and Personal Budget
Team are able to provide support to help you recruit and employ a PA.
The Purchasing and Personal Budget Team will:
- Provide guidance and support to help you find and employ your own PA; including advertising on Slough Borough Council’s webpage and with the job centre
- Help you to organise other employment support services such as Payroll who will work out how much National Insurance and tax you have to pay each month. There is usually a charge for this service, but you can pay for that using part of your direct payment
- Give you information about how to arrange employer’s liability insurance, and provide details of companies that offer it to people who use direct payments to employ staff
- Help to arrange DBS Checks (formally known as CRB checks) for you
- Provide guidance and support to help you arrange any relevant training for your PA
- Provide you with ongoing support to assist you with employment obligations and best practice.
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Checks
Anyone you want to employ as a PA should have a DBS check to make sure there is nothing in their past that would suggest they are unsafe to work with you. The Purchasing and Personal Budget Team can arrange these checks for you, and you will need to see a copy of the DBS to confirm clearance for employment.
Using a Care Agency
If you choose to use a care agency, Slough Borough Council’s Purchasing and Personal Budget Team are able to guide you on how to search for an appropriate provider, and how to refer to the Care Quality Commission website for provider compliance with quality assurance.