Personal Assistants

What Is A Personal Assistant?

Lots of families have heard the term Personal Assistant without ever being told plainly what it means. A PA is simply someone employed directly to support one person, in the way that person wants to be supported. Nothing about it needs to feel formal or intimidating.

• A PA is chosen by the person they support (or their family), rather than allocated by an agency rota.
• Agency staff usually follow a pre-set schedule; a PA is chosen by the family to provide specific, flexible support that fits your own routine.
• Support is built around real life — hobbies, college, work, friendships — not just personal care tasks.
• The focus is usually independence: doing things with someone rather than having things done for them.
• Hours can be a few a week or many; some people share a PA across two families or use one for holidays only.
• Example: a 17-year-old works with a PA on Saturdays to travel independently by bus and manage money at the shops.
• Example: an autistic adult has a PA two evenings a week for a gym session and a quiet coffee — the same person each time, which makes it possible.
• Example: a parent employs a PA after school so their child can attend a football club they could not otherwise get to.

How Can A Personal Assistant Help?

Support looks different for everyone, and there is no set list of what a PA must do. These are the areas families most often tell us make the biggest difference.

• Social activities: clubs, cinema, swimming, sport or simply getting out of the house with someone familiar.
• Community access: shops, libraries, places of worship, appointments and local groups.
• Travel training: learning bus routes, using a train, road safety and building confidence to travel alone.
• Daily living skills: cooking, laundry, shopping, budgeting and looking after a home.
• Communication support: helping someone be understood, using AAC, or speaking up in appointments.
• Independence development: gradually stepping back as skills and confidence grow.
• Companion support: reducing isolation, sharing interests and having someone to spend time with.
• Respite in practice: while the person is supported and enjoying themselves, families get a genuine break too.

Direct Payments Explained

Direct Payments sound technical, but the idea is simple: instead of the council arranging support for you, they give you the money so you can arrange it yourself. Many families employ a PA this way.

• A personal budget is the amount of money the local authority says is needed to meet assessed care and support needs.
• A Direct Payment is one way of receiving that personal budget — paid to you (or a nominated person) to buy support directly.
• The starting point is an assessment: a children's social care assessment, a carer's assessment, or a Care Act assessment for adults.
• Funding is usually spent on employing a PA, buying support from an agency, or activities agreed in the support plan.
• It cannot be spent on anything you like — spending must match the agreed support plan, and records are kept.
• Money is normally paid into a separate bank account, and the council reviews how it has been used.
• Many councils fund a local Direct Payments support service that helps with payroll, contracts and paperwork — ask for it.
• If you are refused or the amount looks too low, you can ask for a review and request a copy of the assessment in writing.

Employing A Personal Assistant

Becoming an employer sounds daunting, and it is the part families worry about most. In practice it is a series of small, manageable steps — and you do not have to do them alone.

• If you employ a PA directly, you are the employer: contract, pay, holiday, sick pay, pension duties and PAYE.
• Payroll services exist for exactly this, are inexpensive, and are often funded as part of a Direct Payment.
• Recruitment: write a short role description covering hours, tasks, interests and any training needed.
• References: ask for two, take them up yourself, and speak to referees rather than relying only on written ones.
• DBS: PAs working with children or adults at risk should normally have an enhanced DBS check. As an individual employer you can request one through an umbrella body.
• Insurance: employers' liability insurance is normally required when you employ someone; specialist policies for individual employers are widely available and low cost.
• Right to work checks must be completed before someone starts.
• Trial period, supervision and a regular catch-up help both sides — say what is working and what is not, early and kindly.
• Ongoing support: your council's Direct Payments service, Disability Rights UK and local carer organisations can all help.

Choosing The Right Personal Assistant

Qualifications matter less than people expect. The right PA is usually the person who gets on with your family, turns up reliably and understands how to support without taking over.

• Questions to ask: why this work, what would you do on a difficult day, and how would you support independence?
• Experience: relevant experience helps, but attitude and willingness to learn often matter more.
• Compatibility: shared interests, personality and humour are genuine predictors of whether support will last.
• Communication: check they can adapt — slower pace, visuals, AAC, or simply listening without rushing.
• Trust: take references seriously, meet more than once, and involve the person being supported in choosing.
• Reliability: agree what happens with cancellations, lateness, holidays and cover before the first shift.
• Boundaries: write down what is and is not part of the role so nobody has to guess later.
• Trust your instincts. If it does not feel right, it is completely reasonable to keep looking.

Understanding Discover Unique Verified™ PA

Verified™ PA does not mean recommended, endorsed or guaranteed. It means specific checks have been completed and are shown to you clearly, so you can decide what is enough for your situation.

• Identity verification: we confirm the person is who they say they are before the badge is shown.
• References: encouraged and shown as additional evidence when supplied.
• Safeguarding declaration: a signed declaration covering safeguarding responsibilities and disclosure.
• Optional DBS: where a PA has provided an enhanced DBS check, this is shown. Where they have not, that is stated plainly rather than hidden.
• Optional insurance: where insurance is held it is shown; PAs employed directly by a family may be covered by the family's own employer policy instead.
• Optional training and qualifications are displayed where evidence has been provided.
• Anything not provided appears as 'Not provided' — never as a gap you have to guess about.
• Verified™ status is reconfirmed annually, and evidence is checked by the Discover Unique team, not self-declared alone.
• Free listings are not verified. You can filter searches to Verified™ only if you prefer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to employ a PA myself?

No. Some families employ a PA directly, others use a payroll or managed account service so the admin is handled for them, and some prefer agency support. All are valid — choose whichever feels manageable.

Can I use Direct Payments to pay for a PA?

Usually yes. Direct Payments are one of the most common ways families fund a PA, provided the support matches the agreed support plan. Your local authority's Direct Payments team can confirm what your budget covers.

Should a PA have a DBS check?

For work with children or adults at risk, an enhanced DBS check is strongly recommended and often expected. As an individual employer you can arrange one through an umbrella body. On Discover Unique, DBS is shown when provided — and clearly marked as not provided when it is not.

Should a PA have insurance?

It depends on the arrangement. Self-employed PAs usually hold their own public liability insurance. If you employ a PA directly, employers' liability insurance is normally your responsibility as the employer. Ask early so there are no surprises.

What does Discover Unique Verified™ actually mean?

It means identity has been verified, a safeguarding declaration signed and a human review completed, with additional evidence such as references, DBS, insurance, first aid and training shown transparently when supplied. It is a record of what has been checked — not a recommendation or a guarantee.

Can adults use Personal Assistants?

Yes. PAs support adults of all ages with independence, work, study, social life, travel and daily living. Adult support is funded through a Care Act assessment and personal budget where eligibility criteria are met.

What if the PA is not the right fit?

That happens, and it is not a failure. A trial period, clear expectations and regular catch-ups make it easier to resolve things early — and if it still is not working, you can end the arrangement following the notice in the contract.

Discover Unique Recommended Technology

Technology does not replace a person, but the right tool can make support easier to plan and easier to share. These are included because families and professionals tell us they are genuinely useful — Discover Unique has no commercial or affiliate arrangement with any of them.

Find a Personal Assistant

When you feel ready, search Discover Unique for Personal Assistants near you. You can filter by location, availability, how support is delivered and Verified™ status — and take your time deciding who feels right.