News

NEWS 10/09/25

Disability Positive is working with Skills for Care on research about Personal Assistants (PAs). They want to find out whether having PAs as a formal ‘Role Category’ in the Care Workforce Pathway is helping PA to develop as professionals.

In particular, they are interested in whether it is helping develop:

Skills
Confidence
The quality of PAs in the workforce

Taking part in the research

There are two separate surveys for Individual Employers (IEs) and for Personal Assistants (PAs). Please fill in the survey that is appropriate to you. Here is the link to the site:

Care Workforce Pathway Survey – Disability Positive

As part of the research project, they will also be looking for people to take part in the following:

Co-production group that will help define the areas that they are researching, what questions they will ask the focus groups and what they will talk about in interviews with IEs and PAs

Focus groups to look at people’s experiences of the PA role category
Interviews with both IEs and PAs to create case studies of what it is like to use the PA role category

If you are interested in being part of one or all of these groups, let them know when you complete this survey.

They will pay all participants for their help, time, and expertise as part of these groups.

TRAINING

Skills for Care offer funding to pay towards PAs training costs and cover while doing the training. Now available both for employed and self-employed PAs as long as you evidence your self-employed status.

This is the link for employers to apply for the funding on behalf of personal assistants for their training. If any support is needed with the application contact [email protected]

Fire Training

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service invites you to attend our free fire safety in the home awareness training, available to those who visit/support/care for people in the community. For example: carers, volunteer groups, partner agency professionals. Please share this email with any team members or partners, you feel would benefit from this training.

This is an interactive session led by our Prevention Officers helping care professionals to identify fire risks within the homes you visit.

We cover:

What are the main causes of accidental house fires.

What makes someone more at risk of having a house fire.

Home escape plans.

Services provided by Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Online Home Fire safety check tool for partners.

Below are dates and times for the upcoming look and refer session in your area. To book, please click on the preferred link below and it will take you to Eventbrite. Places on the courses are free.

Ellesmere Fire Station – Friday 19th September 2025 – 10:00AM-11.30PMhttps://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/look-and-refer-shropshire-fire-and-rescue-service-tickets-1447185614129?aff=oddtdtcreator

Ellesmere Fire Station – Friday 19th September 2025 – 14:00PM-3.30PM

Look and Refer – Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service PM Tickets, Fri, Sep 19, 2025 at 2:00 PM | Eventbrite

Other online training

Kcil (Kingston Centre for Independent Living) have links to a lot of relevant training for PAs.

Please see below link for upcoming online training Online Courses – Kcil

See our Shropshire Direct Payment website for more information on training.

Drop Ins

The Direct payment team currently offer quarterly virtual drops in for Council staff and direct payment users. If you want to join please get in touch at [email protected]

We are aware that PAs may also appreciate the opportunity to meet with other PAs and the direct payment team to share good practice, any current employment info etc.

If this is something that you may want to be part of or help develop for PAs in Shropshire get in touch at [email protected] so we know whether there is a demand.

For more news please see Newsroom | Shropshire Council