• Exposure to job opportunities and direct contact with Direct Payment Holders
• Exclusive newsletter keeping you up to date
• Access to training to develop your PA skill set 
• Access to the Care Professional Standards Academy to receive rewards and benefits for being a PA
• Access to peer support group sessions to meet other PA’s facilitated by the Purple Match team

Anyone can be a PA. If you are compassionate, helpful and interested in enabling people to live their best life, then becoming a PA could be the path for you…

Whether you have been a Personal Assistant for a long time or are just starting out, the goal of Purple Match Hertfordshire is to find you work, so please do enroll. If you do not reach the eligibility criteria, or have any hesitations, we will support you to achieve this.

In a nutshell, what we check includes:

1. Your DBS status
2. Right to work
3. Values
4. Skills
5. Availability

Check out our FAQs for the most popular questions we get asked.

A Personal Assistant is not the same as a traditional Care Assistant. It is someone employed directly by a person aged 18+ who receives Direct Payments to meet their wellbeing outcomes. Those who need care and/or support are known as Direct Payment Holders. Sometimes the ’employer’ is a family member or representative of the person requiring support.

A Direct Payment (DP) Holder could need this support for a variety of reasons, for example, they could have a learning disability, be living with dementia or have a dual diagnosis. Whatever the condition or reason, that person is requesting support with something to help them with their social, physical or emotional needs. The support provided by a PA will improve the DP Holder’s wellbeing and help them to live as independently as possible.

What this person may need support with really varies, for one person it could be personal care within the DP Holder’s own home, for another it could be to take them shopping or go to a football match! Your role as a PA could entail many different tasks and activities or just one or two key things that a DP Holder needs specific support with. 

Here is a list of what you could do as a Personal Assistant: 

1. Going out in the local area e.g., shopping; bowling; other activities 
2. Exercise e.g., at home; going to the gym; sports 
3. Medication  
4. Housekeeping 
5. Attending appointments 
6. Finances and paperwork    
7. Socialising  
8. Support at work or in education  
9. Personal Care 
10. Food preparation 
11. Holidays 

There are many different hours available. Some PA’s may work between school hours, or just evenings. Other PA’s are only available to do sleep ins or waking night shifts. The flexibility depends on you and the needs of the Direct Payment Holder. 

There are a number of benefits of being a PA… Here are just some – from the voices of PAs themselves!

• Autonomy
• Able to be part of planning activities
• Able to think outside the box, everything is possible
• Knowing that you make a difference and there is a daily positive outcome
• Able to get to know the person more and be more involved in supporting them
• More flexibility
• Support from family
• Supporting the person to achieve their chosen lifestyle and not the Company ethos
• Able to talk directly to the person or family about problems on the day so quickly resolved
• Having training and support that is directly about the person you support so you can implement directly from training.

Also, click here to hear from Glynnis on her experiences as a PA.

The enrollment process is as follows:

1. Register your interest here
2. Complete an application form
3. Complete a self-disclosure form
4. Attend a telephone call with the Purple Match team
5. Attend a video call to check relevant documents
6. Enrollment complete!