Personal assistants
What is a personal assistant (PA)?
If you need help with supporting an autistic family member, hiring a personal assistant (PA) may be a good solution. A PA (also known as support worker or paid carer) works directly with one or more individuals to support them with aspects of daily life. Personal assistants can offer support in a range of areas, such as personal and health care, transport, social activities, work or education.
How to find and recruit a personal assistant
When looking for a personal assistant, it’s important to find someone with the right values and skills. This could be someone you already know, like a relative (who does not live with you) or a family friend . You could also ask other families, who already work with personal assistants, for recommendations.
If you are looking for someone outside your personal network, you could write your own job advert for the role and share this through channels such as recruitment websites or via social media. Your local council may also be able to provide further advice on finding personal assistants in your local area.
Who pays for personal assistants?
If you qualify for social care funding, you may receive a personal budget that you can use to employ a personal assistant. You can request a needs assessment from your local council to find out if you are eligible. Some people also apply for grants to a pay for a personal assistant or cover the cost themselves, if they can.
Workshops on employing a PA
If you would like to learn more about personal budgets and hiring a personal assistant, sign up for one of our workshops for parents and carers. These sessions are run by peer educators in your local area.
