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 PAs to develop as professionals.
In particular, they are interested in whether it is helping develop:
• Skills
• Confidence
• The quality of PAs in the workforce
What is the Care Workforce Pathway?
The Care Workforce Pathway is a new career structure for adult social care which has been developed by the Department for Health and Social Care and Skills for Care, alongside representatives from the adult social care sector and people who have care and support needs.
At the moment, the pathway includes eight role categories in social care.
The pathway details the knowledge, skills, values, and behaviours essential for delivering high-quality, personalised care and support. It aims to provide clear guidance for career development and progression in care. It also aims to help with attracting people to join and remain in care roles, and to support long term growth of the social care workforce.
The ‘Personal Assistant category’ applies to people who are employed directly by a disabled person (or someone acting for them) to live independently within their own home and the community.
How to take part
Follow the links to the survey Care Workforce Pathway Survey – Disability Positive. There are two separate surveys for Individual Employers (IEs) and for Personal Assistants (PAs). The survey is also available in alternative formats.
The deadline is 13th August 2025.
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 we are researching and what questions we will ask the focus groups and what we 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.
Participants will be paid for their help, time, and expertise.
