Personal Assistants (PA for short) are a type of support funded by social services to people who they believe to have a need for a support worker. PA’s are not carers and do not help with “personal care needs” which is physical support with things such as support using the toilet or bathing.

 

 
Some of things PA’s can support you with is:

 

 
  • Planning and managing travel
  • Domestic tasks (supporting with, not doing them for you)
  • Managing medication
  • Taking part in the community
There are many different ways you can use a PA to support you, please see the next tab.

If you feel you need support from a PA you will need to talk to your local social services about getting a “care and support assessment”.

Details on how to contact your local social services can be found here

This assessment is completed by a social worker, where they will ask you questions about day to day activities to determine if you need support. If they believe you do need support they will calculate a budget based on your personal needs.

If you feel you need support in accessing social services and getting your needs across effectively you can contact our Advocacy Team who can support you with this.

Please note that PA’s are either self-funded or funded through social services, we cannot offer PA’s for free.

We have a small amount of PA’s who currently work for us, these people are either Autistic themselves or have personal/professional experience with Autistic people who do not have learning disabilities.

We fund accredited training for our PA’s in subjects such as Autism Studies, first aid, support and guidance.etc where appropriate.

Our PA’s are also fully supported through regular team meetings and internal training. This is to ensure that they are being looked after as our staff but also to make sure they are supporting you in the best possivle way

We are a Charity that is founded and run by Autistic people who do not have learning disabilities.

We fully understand and have first-hand experience, of services claiming to understand and be able to support Autistic people, only to find the services is tailored more towards learning disabilities.

Our PA’s are able to offer a structured and collaborative approach to your support needs. They truly understand Autism Spectrum Conditions and how varied people on the Spectrum can be and are ready to work with you in a none patronising manner to ensure your support needs are appropriately met

If you choose us as your provider for support we can offer:

  • Management of your budget
  • Assurance that your PA is appropriately trained and insured
  • Guarantee that you are involved in all stages of your support planning
  • Communication methods to suit you (phone, email, skype .etc)
  • Choice of who your PA is, and if our current staff are not meeting your needs we will support you in interviewing and hiring someone who will

If you wish to have your support provided through us you will need to speak to your social worker or the team that manages your budget through social services to discuss moving your provision.

You are welcome to contact us at any time to discuss this with us or ask any questions you may have, please see out Contact page.

You can see our service leaflet here: PA Leaflet