We will consider applications to fund, via a grant, the cost of learning that meets the needs of individual employers and PAs, for example:
- assisting and moving
- first aid
- food safety
- disability equality training
- understanding the role of an employer or employer responsibilities
- managing staff
- boundaries and expectations of the employer and employee relationship
- training to support specific conditions (e.g. autism, dementia etc)
- knowledge elements of the Care Certificate standards and where appropriate assessment that leads to the award of the Care Certificate
- prospective PAs (pre-employment training) – this should be part of a structured programme which includes subjects such as awareness of the PA role, PA/IE working relationship and boundaries, disability and equality awareness, working in a person-centred way, rights and entitlements, finding PA roles and preparing for recruitment, plus any other training.
- people who are thinking about becoming an individual employer (pre-employer training) who have already been pre-approved for a personal budget by their local commissioner (LA/CCG) – this should be part of a structured programme which includes subjects such as awareness of their legal and other responsibilities of being an employer (e.g. employment law, contracts of employment, pay, tax, pensions etc.), using values based recruitment, PA/IE working relationship and boundaries, undertaking induction and supervision, developing their PA etc.
The above list is not exhaustive.
Applications can include the direct costs of training, travel for the learner and the cost of hiring replacement support whilst the employer’s usual PA is attending training during their normal working hours.
Because the grant is to pay for learning and development, funding cannot be awarded to pay for the normal running costs of office facilities nor the purchase of IT equipment.
A small portion of the grant can support project management, but the majority of the funding should be used to pay for training.