Managing your personal assistant

Arranging backup cover

When you use direct payments you are responsible for arranging your own support. It is likely that at some point your usual personal assistant won’t be able to work for you. For example, they may be ill or take holiday leave. You should plan for what you will do when this happens so that your care support arrangements don’t break down.

There are a number of people who you could consider for providing backup cover:

  • you can use friends and family, as long as they do not live in the same house as you
  • you can arrange for your personal assistants to cover for each other if you employ more than one
  • you can use a care agency to provide cover until your personal assistant returns.

You should keep your back-up arrangements up to date. It is a good idea to check regularly that the people or organisations you plan to use are still able to provide you with cover.

The council can provide advice on making your back-up arrangements but the council does not employ any personal assistants and cannot organise your care for you.