Personal Assistant

Overview

Do you want Action on Disability to include you in Action on Disability's newly-created database of Personal Assistants? The benefits of being successfully included:

• You will be informed of the latest job vacancies provided by Action on Disability's clients.
• You will be assisted with job matching; your needs, skills, and abilities will be matched with the needs of Action on Disability's clients, allowing for rapid placements.
• You will be informed of the latest free training opportunities to support your vocational development.
• You will be able to access peer-support.

The above service is free of charge.

At Action on Disability, Action on Disability support individuals to employ their own care and support staff (Action on Disability is not a recruitment agency; Action on Disability is a support service). This means you will not be employed by Action on Disability, but directly by the individual themselves or by a representative who is acting on their behalf.

Job Description

Personal assistants (PA) usually support individuals in their own home or to go out into the community. You will be employed directly by an individual who is a client or the representative of a client of the Direct Payments Support Service (DPSS) of the charity Action on Disability (AoD).

Action on Disability's clients receive direct payments from the local authority. They use these direct payments to commission their own care and support. Employing personal assistants is a way disabled people can have choice and control over care and support arrangements.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of a PA may include some or all of the following:

• Being a companion to the individual, maintaining social interactions.
• Supporting individuals to manage bookings and appointments.
• Organising paperwork for individuals.
• Accompanying or supporting individuals to access or engage in education, training, work, social, physical, or volunteering activities.
• Supporting individuals in using community services.
• Accompanying or supporting with shopping.
• Maintaining family and other personal relationships for individuals.
• Assisting individuals in their caring responsibilities for their children.
• Helping with household cleaning and other domestic tasks.
• Supporting individuals in maintaining their health, including monitoring or prompting medication intake.
• Assisting with dressing and meal preparation.
• Helping with personal care tasks to maintain hygiene.

Person Specification

The successful candidate should:

• Have the right to work in the UK (no sponsorship available).
• Be able to commute to the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.
• Be willing to have an Enhanced DBS check arranged by AoD or the employer.
• Possess good listening and communication skills.
• Have basic literacy and numeracy skills.
• Have some previous experience working with disabled or vulnerable people.
• Show respect and promote the dignity, privacy, and welfare of their employer.
• Be caring, responsible, and reliable, yet encouraging and enabling.
• Be willing to learn new skills and build local knowledge.
• Display flexibility and good time management.
• Be punctual.
• Receive training in assisting and moving people, basic life support, fire safety, food safety, health and safety awareness, infection prevention and control, medication management, and safeguarding.

Working Schedule

The working schedule of a PA depends on the care and support needs of the disabled client as assessed by the council. Action on Disability offer PA posts with working hours ranging from 3 hours to 40 hours per week. Some posts may only require work on specific weekdays or weekends.

Many PAs work for the same employers for years. The detailed working schedule is usually flexible and negotiable between the PA and the client or their representative.

Pay, Rights, and Benefits

£14.00 – £15.00 per hour (as of 11th October 2024) depending on the client's personal budget assessed by the council.

As PAs are employed by Action on Disability's clients or their representatives, you will enjoy all statutory employment rights and benefits. Payment will be handled by a payroll service engaged by your employer, typically on a 4-weekly or monthly basis.