Direct payments - you are a personal assistant (PA)

As your employer they have certain responsibilities:

• They must provide you with a contract of employment. This will set out you hours of work, holidays, terms and conditions and your rates of pay.
• They must have insurance which protects you in case you are hurt or injured at work.
• They must pay your wages - this may be done through a payroll company.

Please note:

• Your employer may ask you to have a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check before they employ you.
• Due to working time directives you must have a 24 hour rest period within 7 days or a 48 hour rest period within 14 days.
• You must be paid minimum wage even for sleepovers. If your rate of pay for daytime support is more than the minimum wage you may be paid less for sleepovers. The average hourly rate for all hours worked (standard and sleepover) must be the minimum wage or above.

If you are unable to go to work due to sickness or because of a personal emergency it is really important that you let your employer know as soon as possible. This is so your employer can put other plans in place to meet their care needs.

If you have any queries relating to your employment, you should speak with your employer.

If you are unhappy with instructions that have been provided to you from your employer, we recommend you contact ACAS for legal advice.

Their helpline number is 0300 123 1100 or they also provide online help via their website ACAS.

Training for personal assistants

We offer training for PAs which covers important topics such as infection control, safeguarding, food hygiene and emergency first aid. Find out more on the Become a Personal Assistant (PA) page.