Pathfinders Neuromuscular Alliance is launching a new training programme, thanks to financial support from Skills for Care.
This free course will teach individuals with muscle-weakening conditions of all ages from across the UK the skills and knowledge to be more effective Independent Employers, using Direct Payments to hire Personal Assistants (PAs) who will support them in their independence.
In a UK first, this training has been developed, designed and will be delivered by people with lived experience of being an employer of Personal Assistants, as well as those with relevant professional experience around employment and social care law.
Becoming an adult always comes with new responsibilities, but when you have a muscle-weakening condition there are many more: self-advocating as an expert in your own health condition, problem-solving and negotiating just to access the same opportunities as your peers, and the option to become an employer to take charge of your own care.
The new course runs alongside the Pathfinders UpLift project, which is for 18-30 year olds with muscle-weakening conditions. It provides training to ensure young people have the essential information, self-advocacy skills and awareness of health needs to enable them to live independent lives.
The UK is in the midst of a care crisis. Demands on social care providers and staff shortages mean that many people with disabilities are often deprived of the care that they need in order to be integrated and independent. For many, without the support they need they cannot work or take their place in society. It is a vicious circle which puts them in the position of being disadvantaged and dependent.
Many of the most physically disabled people are very capable of taking charge of their own care management. By doing so, they improve their own choice and freedom, but they also take pressure off large care agencies and healthcare providers – and by extension could be a key part of solving the social care crisis we are currently experiencing in the UK.
It’s a daunting prospect though. Ruth Everard, who has spinal muscular atrophy and presents the video modules for the six-part course says “I’ve been an employer since my eighteenth birthday. When I started out, I was younger than all my employees. I hadn’t even left school, let alone been anybody’s boss. Having access to targeted training from people like me, with experiences which would be like mine, would have boosted my confidence at such an impressionable time in my life.”
The course will run twice as live online conferences on 21st & 24th March 2023 and again on 3rd & 6th April 2023.
The course will cover essential elements of being an employer and managing your own care as someone with a muscle-weakening condition. Examples of what will be covered are: Taking Charge of your Care, Advertising & Hiring with High Support Needs, Managing & Structuring a Team for 24 hour Care, Maintaining Your Autonomy & Independence, Safe Conflict & Difficult Conversations, and Preparing for Change.
Limited places can be reserved at:
https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/how-to-be-an-independent-employer-of-your-own-pas-1786239
