The aim of the Service is to provide quality personal assistants to provide assistance to disabled participants at conferences,
meetings, consultations, etc.
Independent Living Alternatives is established and controlled by disabled people
using personal assistance. ILA is informed by the social model of disability and independent living movement. It is not a
traditional agency and does not provide "care".
PA Services provides
Personal Assistants (PAs), they are not qualified nurses or carers. A PA is a person who is willing to be directed by a disabled person
and therefore follow their lead. They
are people who are committed to the ethos of working directly for a PA User as opposed to a traditional domiciliary care agency.
The skills that ILA looks for in a PA are an ability to follow the direction and instruction of the PA User as opposed to
someone who can go in and take over. In our experience someone who is open-minded and flexible is preferable to someone with
a wealth of previous "care" orientated experience.
Therefore the
PAs provided to a conference will work only to the instruction of the disabled person; the PAs will not be “responsible”
for an individual for the day. If someone is required to fulfill this role, ILA must be advised prior to the event as this
is a very different task. ILA PAs will wait for instruction and not continually ask people if they need any support.
PA Services aims to match services directly to individual need and therefore each
individual PA will be contracted to work specifically for a conference.
PA Services PAs will work with disabled people at a conference to provide any reasonable support on request. This
can include:
· Intimate personal support (helping people go to the toilet, changing clothing and
so on)
·
Assisting people
with food and drink
- Assisting people in and
out of their vehicles
- General assistance and guidance around the
venue
- Assisting people to sit down and or stand up
- Assisting with getting food and drink
- Reading papers
- Opening doors
- Giving
out information and holding/passing paperwork
Please note that
this list is not exhaustive but hopefully it will provide the right idea of what is provided by a conference PA.
ILA PAs are not provided as “an extra pair of hands” to assist with any task that may
be required, the PA’s role is quite specific and the boundaries must not be blurred.
The Service:
- PA
Services requires a booking form to be completed for any event
- On receipt
of a booking form the fee for the event will be confirmed and agreed
- On
receipt of written confirmation of the fees PA Services will place PAs for the event
- Each PA will carry a PA Services ID card for the event
- The PA/s
will be provided with written confirmation of the booking giving the name of the organisation and contact person, venue and
location map, time to start and finish the booking and a time sheet to be signed at the end of the placement
- PA Services will provide the booking organisation with the names and contact number
of each PA
- There is a mobile number provided for events outside of office
hours (10am–5pm Monday-Friday)
Fees for a conference PA are on application.
