When I first started as an Apprentice, in January 2010, I decided I would benefit from having a PA to help me with personal care and to fulfil my job role properly. I started getting on the case to do this; I thought it would be easy but I didn’t realise what barriers I had to overcome first. I didn’t realise that access to work would have such a big impact in this because I am on supported permitted earnings and wanted help from access to work at the same time.
I cannot have help from access to work for more than 52 weeks, so I had this stress of access to work saying,
“No you’re not allowed a PA because you are on supported permitted earnings. However, you can come off your Benefits, if you would like to and you would be entitled to have a PA for a bit longer or they said that I could come off the supported permitted earnings and work longer hours.”
The manager of Herts Pass said that none of these options were really feasible because if I came off my benefits I wouldn’t get my money and the organisation didn’t have the money to pay me any more money, if I came off my supported permitted earnings so I carried on fighting with access to work who eventually agreed to giving me the funding for 52 weeks and when the 52 weeks is up. I will know what to do next time I want to appoint a PA. I have learnt a lot through making mistakes and I won’t make the same mistakes next time. I will get a PA that has care experience. I think, I was in a hurry because I’d needed to wait a long time to see if I was allowed the funding I didn’t necessarily think about the practical side, but I didn’t realise the hoist training would take this long to set up with my new PA.
Three months later, I’ve found out my job role is growing and I will do something around Self Directed Support so I think my battle for getting a PA has made me a stronger person and Herts Pass believe that I can do this job role as much as I believe it. I have had a roller coaster of experiences but now I am really settled and happy in my job.
HertsPASS Apprentice
