Recruiting PAs/Carers — Scope | Disability forum
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Recruiting PAs/Carers

JustPete
JustPete Community Volunteer Adviser, Scope Member Posts: 303 Pioneering
edited February 2022 in Coffee lounge
Are you having difficulty recruiting new PAs/Carers?
Are you finding it difficult to find PAs/Carers that are double vaxed?
Have you been abused by potential applicants questioning your choice to only consider 'fully vaxed' people?
Where are you advertising?
I am a Scope Community Volunteer Adviser with knowledge of "life"!  Lived experience including employing personal assistants, being gay, sport & leisure inclusion & participation, mental health issues.  

What is the bravest thing you've ever said? asked the boy. 'Help,' said the horse.  'Asking for help isn't giving up,' said the horse. 'It's refusing to give up.”

Comments

  • Ross_Alumni
    Ross_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,652 Disability Gamechanger
    Thank you for asking this question @JustPete, hopefully other members will be willing to share their experience. 
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  • JustPete
    JustPete Community Volunteer Adviser, Scope Member Posts: 303 Pioneering
    Hope so..........the situation is ridiculous at the moment.  But look forward to people chipping in here.
    I am a Scope Community Volunteer Adviser with knowledge of "life"!  Lived experience including employing personal assistants, being gay, sport & leisure inclusion & participation, mental health issues.  

    What is the bravest thing you've ever said? asked the boy. 'Help,' said the horse.  'Asking for help isn't giving up,' said the horse. 'It's refusing to give up.”
  • JustPete
    JustPete Community Volunteer Adviser, Scope Member Posts: 303 Pioneering
    @rednax You make an absolutely coherent 'case' here for non-mandatory vaccinations.  Whether I agree with your view is not important.  If I end up without PAs then that is indeed a consequence of my insistence.

    For the purpose of debate, where I disagree with you lies in the 'job-description' of PA/Carers.  PA/Carers provide an intimate up-close-and-personal service that can not be done 'from home'.  I  cannot mandate what they do in their own time.  Therefore, I truly believe that if you wish to advertise your PA services then 'fully vaxed' should be mandated.

    I believe I am right that Nurses must get the Hep B vaccine......................not 100% sure though.

     
    I am a Scope Community Volunteer Adviser with knowledge of "life"!  Lived experience including employing personal assistants, being gay, sport & leisure inclusion & participation, mental health issues.  

    What is the bravest thing you've ever said? asked the boy. 'Help,' said the horse.  'Asking for help isn't giving up,' said the horse. 'It's refusing to give up.”
  • JustPete
    JustPete Community Volunteer Adviser, Scope Member Posts: 303 Pioneering
    Hello again @rednax :) You response is not proportionate to my comments and agreement with you on certain points.  It is also a personal lecture to me at times.  Disagreement is fine, attack on personal matters (which you have no knowledge about) is not.

    You have left no room for a discussion on this subject with members of this community which is a real shame.

    It's Christmas - be kind :wink:
    I am a Scope Community Volunteer Adviser with knowledge of "life"!  Lived experience including employing personal assistants, being gay, sport & leisure inclusion & participation, mental health issues.  

    What is the bravest thing you've ever said? asked the boy. 'Help,' said the horse.  'Asking for help isn't giving up,' said the horse. 'It's refusing to give up.”
  • freespirit
    freespirit Community member Posts: 5 Listener
    JustPete said:
    Are you having difficulty recruiting new PAs/Carers?
    Are you finding it difficult to find PAs/Carers that are double vaxed?
    Have you been abused by potential applicants questioning your choice to only consider 'fully vaxed' people?
    Where are you advertising?
    Hello all, I am new here! I am in the process of trying to recruit a Personal Assistant and finding it difficult to locate places to advertise for free? Or any database sites for PA/carers as such?

    It seems there are very limited options and resources available and left to sort all this out. (Unfortunately local authorities haven't been very supportive unfortunately, which is why we are trying alternative methods. )

    Here are some sites I have found during my research (though not utilised so cannot recommend.)

    carepair.co.uk
    curamcare.com
    https://www.find-a-pa.co.uk/ (Covers Hammersmith and surrounding areas.)

    https://papool.co.uk/   (Charges a fee approx. up to £20 per month.)
    https://ukcil.com/  (Charges a fee:  Website states £96.)


    Other links that may be useful:

    https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/home.aspx
    https://a4u.org.uk/
    http://www.s4il.co.uk/services/direct-payments-support-services/



    Thank you,

    Kind regards
  • Lisatho11987777
    Lisatho11987777 Scope Member Posts: 5,911 Disability Gamechanger

    Hi I have four PA"s for my mum I havent asked because it's personal choice and as we have seen now people who have had all their vacinations still get it

    Me and mum have had covid mum twice and I was getting it every 90 days but haven't had it for over three months so hopefuly covid is done with me I havent had my vacinations but my mum had them all she is 85 bur she still had it twice its on the rise again here


    As long as the carers do a test before they come here I am happy 😊

  • Jules_H
    Jules_H Scope Member Posts: 61 Courageous
    edited March 2022
    JustPete said:
    Are you having difficulty recruiting new PAs/Carers?
    Are you finding it difficult to find PAs/Carers that are double vaxed?
    Have you been abused by potential applicants questioning your choice to only consider 'fully vaxed' people?
    Where are you advertising?
    In answer to your first question ;- 
    I was told in no uncertain terms by the Carmarthenshire (Wales) social services that if I wanted help doing the minimal cleaning in my house that i'd need a carer. (I can't bend more than three times a day, three mins max before my spine goes into spasm leaving me unable to sit, stand or walk). For dignity purposes, I asked if i5 was possible I had a female over the age of thirty and was told 
    [quote] "you'll be lucky if you get an eighteen year old male with less than one year experience”.

    I did join a website called Care.com where there was a male in his early twenties, no experience, stating he can do housework, heavy lifting, grass cutting and gardening at £20. an hour. (As I'm unable to move heavy objects ready for house clearance, and my grass does/did need cutting I contacted him, only to then be told he charge £30. for grass cutting and became quite rude when I queried the change in fee he'd advertised.

    A previous social worker arranged carers to come in twice a day, so this was the first time I'd checked out the qualifications, experience and vaccinations on a site myself.
    Needless to say it was not a great experience. Many charged £20. - £40. per hour with next to no experience, no references and had either wriiten they'd been vaxxed once or completely left off their bio whether they'd even been vaxxed at all.

    As with many, we can't afford to take risks with our health, and while I do understand why some are so set against being vaxxed at all, I can't put my own health at risk.

    (Sorry too ramble, I'm not used to talking to people, but hope I answered some of your questions).

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