There are a number of ways our care brokers can help you recruit a personal assistant to help with your care needs.

They can:

• help you advertise in the Jobcentre Plus or local paper
• book a venue for interviews if you do not want to interview people at home
• help you interview candidates
• help you write letters
• take up references
• carry out a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check on a successful applicant
• advise on different payroll options.

What should I know before recruiting a personal assistant?

If you employ a personal assistant using your Direct Payment then it is your responsibility to make sure that person is legally entitled to work in the United Kingdom. To make sure of this, you must ask to see one of the following documents:

• a pay slip from previous employment in the UK
• a P60 or a P45 - these are income tax pay as you earn (PAYE) forms
• a National Insurance card
• a British or European passport
• a birth certificate confirming that the person was born in the UK or the Republic of Ireland
• a letter from the Home Office confirming that the person has a legal right to work in the UK.

You must retain a copy of your personal assistant's passport and entitlement to work in the UK in order to comply with Border and Immigration Agency guidance.

Is there anyone I cannot employ?

You cannot use your Direct Payment to employ:

• your partner - including your husband, wife, heterosexual or same-sex partner - except in exceptional circumstances
• anyone living in the same household as you or your partner, except in exceptional circumstances
• anyone who does not have a legal right to work in the United Kingdom