Personal Assistants at Home FAQs

PAs who apply to join the Personal Assistants at Home accreditation scheme receive training through an online platform run by an award-winning eLearning provider in the social care sector, Grey Matter Learning. They are a recognised Skills for Care ‘Centre of Excellence’.

Appropriate background checks are carried out which include an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and two references.

The accreditation scheme has a weekly fee of £3.50 or monthly fee of £15.12 and is open to all existing and prospective PAs who want to work in Nottinghamshire and Nottingham City.

Members of the Personal Assistants at Home network receive many benefits included in the fee:

• a digital ID card for iOS or Google Wallet
• access to 130+ fully accredited courses
• access to downloadable policies and forms
• a support line available Monday to Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm
• lone working support
• thousands of perks through Discount for Carers.

When a PA has successfully completed the Personal Assistants at Home accreditation, their details are added to the Notts Help Yourself Personal Assistant Directory with the Personal Assistants at Home network logo. This is a directory of PAs that are available for roles in the community. Anyone looking to employ a PA for support will be able to make contact directly. PAs who are at capacity will be on the directory but not viewable until they are available to provide support.

Employing a PA to help with care and support needs can give someone more choice and control over who cares for them and what tasks they do, to help them live more independently.

It is important to make sure a PA has had the necessary training and background checks to provide PA support at home. 

In order to complete the Personal Assistants at Home accreditation scheme, PAs must undertake training and have an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and two reference checks. They are also given an electronic ID card to keep on their phone which contains a unique QR code that can be scanned on a smartphone to verify their accreditation, including information on their background checks, DBS check, insurance and training.

Employing a PA who is a member of the Personal Assistants at Home network provides assurance that they are fully trained and independent background checks have been completed.

There is a fee to join the Personal Assistant at Home Network of £3.50 per week or £15.12 per month, paid directly by the PA.

Benefits included in the fee for a PA are:

• a digital ID card for iOS or Google Wallet
• comprehensive background checks including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
• access to 130+ fully accredited courses
• access to downloadable policies and forms
• a support line available Monday to Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm
• lone working support
• thousands of member perks through Discount for Carers.

Registering on Notts Help Yourself to find a PA is free of charge and you do not need to pay to advertise for a PA.

Registering on the Notts Help Yourself Personal Assistant Directory is free for Personal Assistants at Home Network members. 

We would expect that your application to join Support with Confidence is completed within three months of the application date. You have up to two months to compete the training although you could complete the training and process in a shorter amount of time.

When you fill in the online Personal Assistants at Home Network application form, you will be asked to supply two references from people you support or people who know you as part of the background check procedures.

If you are already working as a PA, ideally these references will be from people you currently support.

If you are not already working as a PA, the references can be from people that know you well but not a relative, such as a neighbour or someone who oversees a club or group that you attend. 

If you are a PA who has been employed by a care agency in the last 12 months, then one of the references should be from the employer.

You should tell your referees that you are applying to become a Network Member of Personal Assistants at Home, which is a support network for PAs.

You do not need any formal qualifications or experience to join the Personal Assistants at Home accreditation scheme or become a PA. You just need a desire to provide care and support to help people live independently. You will complete online training as part of the network membership.

We are looking for people to be as flexible as possible to provide a wide range of care and support. You might have specific skills, experience or training that you can use in your role as a PA.

Being registered on Notts Help Yourself allows you to indicate the tasks and support you can provide as well as other information about yourself, so anyone looking to employ a PA will know how you can help them. You can update your details if you complete further training or gain experience that enables you to offer more support.

You will be paid directly by the person who employs you, usually into your bank account.

If you are directly employed, your employer will be responsible for your employee liabilities such as payments to HM Revenue & Customs including Income Tax and National Insurance. Your employer might use a Direct Payment Support service to support them with this. You cannot be paid cash in hand.

Self-employed PA’s must invoice for their services and can only be paid for the support they provide, into their own bank account. Self-employed PA’s are liable for their own HMRC contributions and insurance liability costs.

Working as Personal Assistant can be flexible and you might choose to work around other commitments you have. You can work for more than one employer however you may be paid different rates by different employers. Being registered on Nottinghamshire Help Yourself lets potential employers know which days or parts of days you are available to work.

Note: Once you are no longer available for work because you are working at the hours you want, you can inform Nottinghamshire Help Yourself and your details will no longer be live for people to view. Once your circumstances change if you let us know your details will go live once more.