Personal assistant (PA) recruitment checklist
This checklist will help you find the right personal assistant.
Suitability
- Does the PA have a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check? This will tell you if they have any criminal convictions or cautions. If they do not have a DBS certificate, we strongly recommend they have this check before they start.
- Get contact details of their current or recent clients for references.
- Can they legally work in the UK?
- Are they a member of any accreditation schemes? To join a scheme, the PA must meet quality standards. Ask them for their membership details. You can check this on the scheme's website.
Availability and services
- What services does the PA offer?
- Do they offer support on the days and times you need it?
- What current availability do they have?
- If you need them to, will they work evenings, overnight, weekends and bank holidays?
- Do you want them to drive you to places, and are they insured to do so? Ask to see their insurance certificate, or separate confirmation from the insurance company. Check that they can use their car for business use by transporting clients to or from appointments.
Experience and skills
- Do they have the right experience to support your needs?
- What training have they completed? You can ask to see their certificates. Consider what training is important for the support you need, as well as delivering a safe service. The training can be in:
- safeguarding, protecting people from harm, abuse and neglect
- emergency first aid
- moving and handling
- food hygiene
- infection prevention and control
- administering medication
- equality and inclusion
- Do they need any specialist training to support you? This can include training in dementia, autism or mental health. You can ask to see their certificates.
- How do they keep their training up to date?
- Does the PA need to speak a different language?
Skills for Care has produced a guide to support individual employers and personal assistants to identify their training needs.
For more information, visit Training for PAs
Working arrangements
You should meet the PA before you agree to their support. Consider having someone else there when you first meet them.
- Would the PA be happy to work a trial period first?
- Can they start when you need them to?
- If they were off sick or on holiday, who would cover for them?
For PA services delivered on a self-employed basis:
- Will they issue you with a contract of their services?
- Do they have a cancellation and complaints procedure?
- Do they have public liability insurance?
- Are they registered with HMRC for tax purposes?
Charging
For PA services delivered on a self-employed basis:
- How much does the PA charge for their services? Find out their normal hourly rate, out-of-hours, weekend and bank holiday rates. Check if their costs vary for different services. Do they charge for expenses, such as fuel costs?
- How and when will the PA invoice you for their services?
Values and interests
- Why did they choose to become a PA?
- What do they enjoy about the work?
- What interests do they have? Do you have something in common?
- Think about what values are important to you and find out if they share these.
- Explain what is important to you and how you would like your support delivered.
Further information
East Sussex County Council is not responsible for the delivery of PA services. We do not:
- endorse or guarantee the quality of any PA services
- accept any liability for any PA services
We advise you to complete your own checks before using a PA service.
If you want advice or you cannot find a suitable PA, you can contact Independent Lives.
If you would like the checklist translated or in a different format, email: Micro market development team .
Concerns and complaints about personal assistants
To report concerns about abuse or neglect by a PA, contact Adult Social Care and Health.
If you want to raise a complaint about a PA service, you should contact the PA directly.
If you get direct payment funding, contact our Complaints team for advice and support. See Make a complaint.
If you think a PA has broken the law or acted unfairly, contact Citizens Advice Consumer Service. It provides consumer advice on behalf of Trading Standards.
