SDS Standard 13 – Direct payments for employing Personal Assistants

This is a new addition to the Social Work Scotland Self-Directed Support Standards and focuses on the employer experience of employing Personal Assistants and how direct payments supports disabled people’s rights to independent living.

Self-Directed Support is when people choose how their support is organised. The payment called a direct payment comes from the local council directly to the employer. following an assessment by a social worker This money is then used to pay for the support they want including paying the wages of personal assistants

Standard 13 says that:

• People who employ Personal Assistants should get clear information, and support to be a good employer including information about the organisations that can help.
• The Direct payment from the council gives the employer control over their support needs to meet their outcomes (what they want to happen) and can be used flexibly.
• The council gives the employer enough money to recruit and employ their own Personal Assistants and to be a good employer and to understand their responsibilities
• The employers responsibilities include explaining what they want the PA to do, arranging training and ensuring that pay, holidays and sick pay are attended to.
• The employer can get help to be an employer from Disabled Peoples Organisations and independent support organisations and can sign post their Personal Assistants to the Personal Assistant Network

In short, the new Standard 13 which is supported by Scottish Government hopes to ensure a more consistent approach to a person getting their right to live as independently as possible using direct payments. The right to live independently is in the United Nations Convention on the rights of people with disabilities and makes sure that they are treated fairly and with dignity.

For more information you can visit this link: Standard 13

or contact us here at pans@wea.ac.uk