Shropshire Council

What is a personal assistant (PA)?

A personal assistant (PA) is someone who supports an individual to live more independently, usually in their own home. They can help with all sorts of daily tasks, including domestic tasks, personal care, shopping and sorting out paperwork. They can also support you to get out and about. Employing a PA yourself means you're the employer, and in control of who supports you and how you wish to be supported.

If you're paying for your own care, you're able to choose this option to meet your care needs. If you're eligible to receive a personal budget in the form of a direct payment you may consider having a PA, which you can discuss with your support worker.

If you currently have a personal assistant or are considering having it, you could benefit from Skills for Care's Individual Employer Fund.

The fund can be used for training to develop you as an employer and to develop the skills of your PA. The fund can cover the direct costs of training and qualifications, travel and the cost of hiring replacement support while your usual PA is attending training.

You can find a free online training course offered through the University of East Anglia called The Role of Personal Assistants in Disability Support. It’s aimed at individual employers using a direct payment or personal health budget and Personal Assistants to improve working relationships.