Scotland call for PA background checks to be compulsory

More rigorous standards for carrying out background checks on personal assistants are needed, BASW Scotland has said, after a major new study revealed a significant minority of PA employers failing to investigate the histories of new recruits.

The study into the use of personal assistants in Scotland revealed that many did not request criminal records checks through Disclosure Scotland. Ruth Stark, country manager for BASW Scotland, said: “Service users should be looking for qualifications and Disclosure Scotland checks. They may not know how to access the checks and keep themselves safe.” Ms Stark added: “I think Disclosure Scotland checks should be compulsory for PAs. Some people say that it’s too much like the nanny state, but some individuals are very good at grooming vulnerable people and then they get abused.”

The study, Workforce and Employment Issues Surrounding Self-Directed Support, recommended more training, better support and adequate pay and conditions for personal assistants working with service users in Scotland. The report found that just over half of personal assistants (PAs) received training and under 40% had a qualification in a relevant discipline, according to research commissioned by the Scottish government.

It found that two-thirds of service user employers experienced difficulties recruiting PAs, blaming labour shortages, recruitment processes and the nature of the work. A significant minority of PAs did not have employment contracts and some expressed concern about a lack of holidays and the level of pay, which averaged £8.45 per hour.

Ms Stark said the same training standards should apply to self-directed support as applied to agency workers. “Care agencies are required to make sure the workers they send out are properly qualified, so in self-directed support they should be doing SVQs to get the qualifications for the job,” Ms Stark said.

She said that support for service user employers was patchy and many did not know what to look out for when recruiting PAs.

The survey found that PAs worked an average of 18 hours a week and were predominantly female, white and with a mean age of just over 40.  Personal and domestic care were the most common tasks undertaken, but two-thirds also supported employers to participate in leisure and social activities, employment, education and training.   

Some employers thought the role was daunting, with concerns about employment law, insurance, paperwork and management of their PAs.  Support services should identify ways of meeting the needs of groups of employers, the study found.