Help, Support & Advice
Cost of living information and support
Information about Personal Budgets, Direct Payments and Personal Assistants (PAs)
Personal Budgets and Direct Payments
Short Breaks Personal Budget
Wheelchair Personal Budget
Education Personal Budget
- Personal Budgets Policy
- Personal Budgets Summary for Parents and Young People
- Personal Budgets Easy Read Guide
What is a Personal Assistant (PA)?
A personal assistant works directly with one or more individuals, to support them with various aspects of their daily life so that they can live it in a way they choose. They’re usually employed directly by a person who needs care and support, and who manages and pays for this through a personal budget or with their own money. This person is their employer (and are often referred to as an ‘individual employer’). They can also be employed by a family member or representative, when the person they’re supporting doesn’t have the physical or mental capacity to be the employer. However, a personal assistant always works directly with the individual they’re supporting. It’s most likely that this should be through an employed arrangement, rather than being self-employed.
As a personal assistant you’re likely to be involved in many aspects of your employer’s life, and may be asked to provide support in the home, at leisure or at work. The opportunity to focus directly on the needs of an individual, and the diversity of the role, is what often attracts people to this type of work.
More information about Personal Budgets can be found on the Education, Health and Care Plan section
Positive Future Consultancy (PFC)
Positive Future Consultancy (PFC) is an organisation with many years experience working with children and adults with learning difficulties, disabilities and barriers to life and learning.
How can we help you to recruit a PA?
PFC will endeavour to support families through the sometimes very difficult process of recruiting and appointing the right PA for each family. Together with Halton Borough Council, the Disabled Children’s Service and the Direct Payments Team we aim to make the process as seamless as possible.
PFC will recruit, pre-interview, acquire DBS checks and train PA’s to a standard of readiness to be introduced to families who are looking for the right PA for them. We will have a bank of PA’s to choose from, enabling families to make a decision based on their needs and requirements. PFC will strive to enable PA’s to reach a set standard providing them with the tools they need to carry out the role of a PA.
PFC will provide the PA’s with access to:
- training and support including:
- Health and Safety
- Manual Handling
- Equal Ops
- First Aid
- information, advice and guidance
- help in matching them to the right family.
PFC will assist families to establish a chosen family member as a PA with all the checks, training and support as an independent PA.
PA Advert-Recruitment flyer
Information and Advice
Halton Carers Centre
Halton Carers’ Centre help to support unpaid young and adult carers across the borough, see their website for details of services and support available
If you would like to register with the Carers’ Centre, complete the online form using the following links:
- Halton Adult Carers Self Referral for carers aged aged 18+
- Halton Young Carers Self Referral for carers aged under 18 years
Halton Carers’ Centre Facebook page
Scope Navigate phone-based support service
Navigate is a phone-based support service for parents whose children have either been diagnosed with a disability within the past twelve months or who are on a pathway to a diagnosis. We offer up to six support sessions for parents with their own parent adviser who will provide a combination of practical advice and emotional support.
More details about what we offer, as well as our online referral form, can be found here Scope’s Navigate
Family, caring and housing support
- Sibs for brothers and sisters of disabled children and adults
- RelationKit – no relationship is perfect – resources for families/parents, and see RelationKit information poster
- Citizen Advice Bureau wide range of support
- Foodbank – Runcorn and Foodbank – Widnes
- Food Parcels/Gifts – Winter Warmth
- Family Information Service Tel: 0151 511 7375
- Halton Borough Council Tel: 0303 333 4300 (Mon-Fri 8am to 6pm)
- Halton Carers’ Centre
- Halton Carer’s Centre Newsletters
- Housing and Adaptations
- Housing and Homeless Advice
Disability support - families, children and young people with SEND
- Halton SEND Parent Carers Forum (HSPCF)
- Halton Speak Out – meet the team
- Halton Carers’ Centre
- Contact
- Halton Disability Partnership
- Sibs for brothers and sisters of disabled children and adults
- The Communication Trust
- Working Families
- Blue Badge applications/requests
Money Matters
When you are 18, you will be responsible for paying your own bills, how much you pay depends on whether you are in education, employment or looking for work. These are some organisations that can help advice you:
- Citizens Advice Halton
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claim form/information for children under 16
- DLA for adults
- Ultimate Disability Living Allowance Guide
- DWP Disability Living Allowance video’s
- Disability Service Centre – benefits helpline
- Carer’s Allowance
- Benefits and financial support for families
- Attendance Allowance
- Contact for families with disabled children
- DWP Benefit Checker
- Benefit Calculator
- Understanding Universal Credit – making a new claim
- Universal Credit
- Access To Work Fund
- Benefits and Welfare Advice
- Council Tax and Benefits
- Household Support Fund
- GOV.uk
- Family Fund
- Family Fund – are you eligible to apply for a grant?
- Entitled To
- From Child to Adult
- Citizens Advice Bureau
- Christians Against Poverty
- Money Advice Service
- (PIP) Personal Independence Payment
Moving from Benefits to Work
Provides help and advice on moving from benefits to work, work experience/volunteering, starting your own business and support available when you start working.
- NEW DWP Benefit Checker provides a quick idea of what you may be able to claim
- Benefit Calculator gives a more detailed picture of what you may be entitled to
- Understanding Universal Credit – making a new claim is another way to access the Benefit Checker
Halton SENDIASS
- Halton SENDIASS – free confidential/impartial information, advice and support for children, parents, carers and young people
- Tel 0151 511 7733, email SENDpartnership@halton.gov.uk
- Easy Read Guides
Keeping safe
- Halton Borough Council – Adult Social Care Tel: 0151 907 8306 or 0345 050 0148 (out of hours/weekends)
- Halton Borough Council – Children Social Care Tel: 0151 907 8305 or 0345 050 0148 (out of hours/weekends)
- Got Your Back Halton self-referral by you or your friends aged 18 or under if you have been a victim of crime. If a referral is made by a Professional/Agency, parental or guardian permission is required to pass the young person’s details on to the service. Tel: 0800 6406466, text GYBMentor 82228 or email halton@gyb.org.uk
Hate Crime, Childline & Prejudiced Incidents
Hate Crime
- What is Hate Crime
- Different types of Hate Crime explained
- How to report Hate Crime
- Finding support in the local area
Childline
- Childline is a private and confidential service for children and young people up to the age of 19
Prejudiced Incidents
Got Your Back Halton
- Self-Referral can be made by you or your friends aged 18 or under if you have been a victim of crime
- Referral by a Professionals/Agency – parental or guardian permission is required to pass the young person’s details on to the service
- Got Your Back Halton Tel: 0800 6406466, Text GYBMentor to 82228, Email halton@gyb.org.uk
Using the internet safely
- CEOP Reporting Centre for staying safe
- Child Exploitation and Online Protection
- Digital Parenting Guide
- Get Safe Online
- Guide to Keeping Safe Online
- Grooming – Knowing the signs of child sexual exploitation – signs to spot it happening
- Internet Matters
- Internet Safety for Teens
- Keeping Kids Safe Online – O2/NSPCC
- Online Safety Resource Guide
- PACE – Parents Against Child Sexual Exploitation
- Sexting
- Thinkuknow – CEOP’s
- Underwear Rule
Dealing with scams and cold callers
- Halton Trading Standards
- iCAN is a free email alert service by Trading Standards
- No cold callers window card and Letterbox sticker are available to collect at Halton Direct Links
- Telephone and mail prompt card for dealing with scam phone calls and doorstop callers
Advocacy support
- Halton Healthwatch Advocacy Hub Tel: 0151 347 8183
- Advocacy First support adults living in the community
- NYAS Advocacy Care Leavers Leaflet
- NYAS – National Youth Advocacy Service for children and young people
- Always Heard and AdvoCat – Coram Voice
- Halton Carers’ Centre
Help with debt and money worries
The cost of living crisis is affecting more and more people. If you need help or advice about money, debt and other issues, there are organisations in Halton who can help.
- Citizens Advice Halton can help with a range of issues, not just around debt and finances but also housing, legal issues and much more Tel: 08082 787 956
- Energy Projects Plus (EPP) provide a Save Energy Advice Line for free and impartial advice on reducing your energy bills and keeping warm at home Tel: 0800 043 0151
- Mental Health Info Point can also provide more details of help and support for money worries
Halton Family Hubs
We’re working with partners in Halton to develop Family Hubs across the borough by March 2025.
This work is being funded by the Department for Education from the government’s Family Hubs Transformation Fund.
Family Hubs 0-5 years Guide one page