Personal Assistants

Individual employers will have their own Employer’s Liability Insurance which includes protection if their employees sustain injuries or illness whilst at work. Self-employed PA’s would need to have their own Personal Care Assistant policy.

Formally the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. If you are going to be working with a child, it is a legal requirement to have a DBS check, but we do recommend that all employers should get a DBS check for potential employees. All checks will be funded via the Direct Payment. It is an advantage to have a DBS on the Update Service, as this allows for an instant check and speeds up the recruitment process. Subscriptions to the Update Service are not funded through the Direct Payment or PHB.

Yes, all employees should be issued with a Contract of Employment from their employer on or before their first day of work. People First may support your employer by providing a template, but if you are not happy with your Contract, or have not received one, you should speak to your employer in the first instance.

It will state in your Contract of Employment how many hours annual leave you are entitled to. Legally, the entitlement is 5.6 weeks a year (including bank holidays) and will be calculated on a pro-rata basis if part time.

For leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024, people who work irregular hours or for part of the year will build up (‘accrue’) leave differently. This means their entitlement will be 12.07% of the hours they work in a pay period, up to a maximum of 5.6 weeks. For more information on holiday entitlement, please visit: Holiday entitlement: Entitlement - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

All employers must provide a workplace pension scheme if their employees are eligible for automatic enrolment or choose to opt in. The payroll team will manage this on the employer’s behalf as part of the service.

Employees who meet the following criteria must be automatically enrolled in a pension scheme.

· Aged between 22 and State Pension age

· Earn at least £10,000 per year

(Employees can opt out if they wish to, however they must be automatically enrolled first)

If an employee doesn’t meet the criteria for automatic enrolment, they can still choose to opt in. Your employer will give you information on what they will pay into the scheme and what you need to pay.

Check the job description of the post you are applying for to see if this is a requirement. It’s often beneficial, but not always essential.

In the first instance, it is best to talk to your employer and discuss your concerns. It may be that they didn’t realise you weren’t happy and will rectify the problem straight away. If you think you are being treated unfairly and your employer doesn’t agree or won’t fix the problem, visit the ACAS website (www.acas.org.uk) for information. You can also speak to someone at ACAS if you need further support. Support is also available through Personal Assistant membership platforms.