As an individual employer you can apply for individual employer funding to train yourself and your personal assistants (PAs).
This funding is now open for 2024/25 applications and it can be used to cover training costs to develop your skills as an employer, direct costs of completing training/qualifications, hiring replacement support whilst your usual PA is attending training courses and travel.
You can apply for up to five training courses per person and once completed you can apply for more.
The training has helped my PAs to be more confident and knowledgeable about my specific care needs.
Ella McCance
Individual employer
Who can apply
This funding is applicable for:
Individual employers (IEs) living in England, aged 18 and over who employ their own PAs or contract* with self-employed PAs, using:
- their own money, or
- adult social care direct payments or
- NHS Personal Health Budgets.
Personal assistants employed or contracted* as above.
People can check whether they are self-employed with HMRC:
We will ask for evidence to ensure that self-employed PAs accessing the training are genuinely self-employed. This fund can’t be used to pay for PAs who are employed by an organisation.
*Contract means those with true self-employed status.
How to apply
To apply for funding you'll need to complete the application form and send it to funding@skillsforcare.org.uk.
Deadline for applications
Deadline for all applications is midday Friday 14 March 2025 and all funded training courses must be started before Monday 31 March 2025.
Q&A sessions
If you are thinking about applying and want to know more you can join one of our Q&A sessions where we'll be running through how to apply, exploring the benefits to developing yourself/your PAs and answering any questions.
- Wedneday 11 December 2024 | 10:00 - 11:30
- Monday 13 January 2025 | 13:00 - 14:30
- Wednesday 5 February 2025 | 10:00 - 11:30
- Wednesday 12 March 2025 | 10:00 - 11:30
Please email funding@skillsforcare.org.uk for the joining details.
Further calls will be arranged for the rest of the year.
Approved funding
Already applied for funding? You will be contacted within four weeks if your application is successful, payment will be arranged directly into your bank account.
Terms and conditions/Privacy policy
Contact us
If you have a question about the funding or need support completing the application process please contact funding@skillsforcare.org.uk or call 0113 241 1275.
Case studies
Learn how have others used the funding to make improvements in their care.
Perveen Ahmad applied for funding to pay for a tailored package of training for her PAs, including nutrition and hydration, moving and handling and mental health awareness. She said: "None of this would have been achievable without Skills for Care funding."
Ella McCance applied for funding to pay for her team of PAs to do the Care Certificate and other training including equality and diversity, Mental Capacity Act and person centred care planning. She told us: "The training has helped my PAs to be more confident and knowledgeable about my specific care needs."
Pauline Drury applied for funding on behalf of her daughter Natalie, to train her PAs to deliver rebound therapy sessions. Natalie and her PAs have benefit from the training. Her Mum, Pauline says: "It allows us to feel that Natalie is in safe and knowledgable hands when we're not with her."
Sharon Taylor-Brown applied for funding to pay for her PAs to attend training as part of the Care Certificate. She told us: "The funding enabled to training to be delivered in my own home so it was personalised to my needs."
User led organisation funded training
Find out about funded training available through User Led Organisations (ULOs).
Access our information for individual employers and personal assistants
Our individual employers and personal assistants area bring together useful information from lots of different places to help with employing your own support.
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