DIVERSIFYING YOUR BUSINESS TO SUPPORT PERSONALISED CARE JULIE EDWARDS HEAD OF LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT ADULT CARE SERVICES HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

The Department of Health is preparing a strategy to support the employment of ‘Personal Assistants’ to provide care due for publication in November The number of people in Hertfordshire who choose to employ their own carer will increase.115,000 adults in England (including 29,000 carers) already use a Direct Payment to do this. Others employ from other resources. At the moment, ‘P.A.s’ are an unregulated and unregistered workforce. They are not required to train to minimum standards, or to undertake CRB checks.

What is different about the care provided by a ‘Directly Employed Personal Assistant’ ? P.A.s usually work with one, or very few people, so can be isolated The job description can be very broad and most service users want that: ‘their role is to add value to everything that the employer wants to do’. so it is important that the expectations of both parties match exactly. The relationship needs very careful management: there may be no intermediary to resolve any difficulties that arise.

Direct Employers may: - not have employed anybody before - not have been fully informed about employment-related law. - not understand their responsibilities as employers - prefer to deal with a brokerage for support instead of a number of professionals

What is happening in other areas? Local Authorities were asked to inform how Personal Assistants were being employed and how Direct Employers were supported. 55 authorities have reported a surprising variation in the arrangements for personal care assistance in their local areas, many involving partnerships, social enterprise services and brokerage services.

Examples ‘Support with Confidence’ : Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Derbyshire: Partnerships led by the L.A. through Trading Standards Agencies recruiting, employing and ‘matching’ self-employed P.A.s : Plymouth, Portsmouth. ‘P.A. led ‘micro businesses’: Plymouth, Stockport, Doncaster, Dudley Some concern about solo businesses from RBK & C Networking agencies for employers and P.A.s: many L.A.s and external organisations Employer consortia/ extended families jointly employing P.A.s: Hackney, Kensington and Chelsea, Newcastle Development of domiciliary care services to provide P.As: Hampshire, Wolverhampton

Examples Training and safeguarding services: offering a list/register of approved P.A.s and matching service for employers: Norfolk, Merton Business support agencies: Penderels Trust/ Barnsley, Poole ULO, Sefton, Westminster, A4E, Luton ULO, Leicestershire, Solihull/Shaw Trust Social enterprise on-line services: Havering/Redbridge/Waltham Forest/Barking and Dagenham ‘People for People’ ‘travel/dating agency’ model & ‘e Bay’ ratings! P.A Apprenticeships: Hertfordshire…..

Where is the role for HCPA? HCPA has always worked together : To enhance the quality of care provided in Hertfordshire To develop and maintain a Social Care network. To jointly promote work force planning and development To jointly develop best practice models for specialist needs, for example dementia care. To jointly promote practice that minimises the risk of adult abuse in the social care setting. To achieve compliance with national standards and good practice in social and health care.

Care provided by Personal Assistants Brokerage Employer Support PA Supply PA Support Business opportunities Employment Support

P.A development and supply Recruit potential P.A.s Run CRB checks and references, Provide induction training, Provide a network for support, Create a register of approved carers or ‘passport’ Offer ongoing training Create a bank of hours for P.A work Support apprenticeships

Employer and employment support Employ P.A. staff for service user Offer payroll/NI/ tax/insurance/banking support to service user Offer recruitment & retention support to service user: job descriptions, advertising, CRB, references, interviews, terms and conditions, contracts, appraisals and closures Run a brokerage/matching service to source and supply different forms of specialist support required: LD, Dementia Offer legal advice and support with employment problems: disciplinary situations, maternity Help with DP financial returns Management training Financial training

HCPA Could stimulate and regulate the P.A. market in Hertfordshire Thank you