User led organisation funding
Each year, we disburse funding to user led organisations to deliver training for individual employers and personal assistants (PAs).
This year, we’ve funded 16 organisations to deliver a range of training courses.
We want as many people as possible to access this training. If you’d like to attend please contact the organisation or visit their website to book a place, using the contact details below.
You can also download a list of the organisations and their contact details here.
If you’re a user led organisation that wants to apply for funding next year, sign up to our quarterly newsletter for updates and announcements.
London and South East
DASL - Disability Advice Service Lambeth in partnership with People Plus Independent Living Services
Independent Lives in partnership with Disabled People’s Voices
Surrey Independent Living Council (SILC) in partnership with Ruils (Richmond), LB of Croydon, Dudley CIL, Ealing CIL, Suffolk Independent Living and Your Support Matters CIC (Bury)
Find out more about the training and courses that these organisations offer here.
Eastern
Disability Resource Centre in partnership with Luton Council
Find out more about the training and courses that these organisations offer here.
South West
Compass Disability Services in partnership with Bath and North East Somerset Council
disAbility Cornwall and Isles of Scilly in partnership with Cornwall Council
Inclusion Gloucestershire in partnership with Gloucestershire County Council
Wiltshire CIL in partnership with Carers Support Wiltshire
Find out more about the training and courses that these organisations offer here.
Midlands
Disability Direct: Blue Sky Brokers in partnership with Community Action Derby
Find out more about the training and courses that these organisations offer here.
North West
Cheshire CIL in partnership with Age UK Cheshire
Embrace Wigan and Leigh in partnership with Wigan Council
Kaleidoscope Brokerage in partnership with Bury2gether
Warrington Disability Partnership
Find out more about the training and courses that these organisations offer here.
Yorkshire and Humber and North East
Darlington Association on Disability in partnership with Café JJ
Disability Sheffield Centre for Independent Living in partnership, Sheffield City Council and NHS Sheffield CCG
Leeds CIL in partnership with Pay and Employment Rights Service
Find out more about the training and courses that these organisations offer here.
What impact has the funding had?
Last year, we awarded funding to 14 user led organisations, and it supported:
These organisations reported lots of positive outcomes of the training, including:
- individual employers improving their leadership and management skills
- PAs increasing their skills and knowledge
- delegates achieving a recognised qualification
- improved working relationships
- lower PA turnover
- the ability to share experiences and knowledge through training.
Read how other user led organisations have used the funding
Organisations that have previously accessed the funding have used it to deliver a range of training courses and qualifications. Here are some examples from 2018/19 funding recipients. You can use these case studies to get ideas about the types of training individual employers and PAs find useful, and tips to help you arrange, advertise and deliver training.
Leeds Centre for Independent Living (CIL)
Leeds CIL used funding from Skills for Care to work with Shulmans Solicitors to develop a ‘Getting the best from your PA’ workshop for individual employers. The workshop covered some of the key aspects of being an employer, including employment contracts, managing PAs and grievance and disciplinary processes.
Download their case study here.
Embrace Wigan and Leigh
Embrace Wigan and Leigh used funding from Skills for Care to develop three training sessions for PAs around supporting people with neurodevelopmental conditions who display, or are at risk of displaying, behaviours which challenge.
Download their case study here.
Surrey Independent Living Council (ILC)
Surrey ILC used funding from Skills for Care to design and deliver ‘Good boss’ training for individual employers. The training covers some of the key aspects of being an employer, including recruiting and managing PAs.
They’ve delivered the training for eight years, and review and update it regularly to ensure it continues to meet the needs of individual employers.
Download their case study here.