Lancashire Independent Living Service

Our team of Independent Living Advisers (ILA’s) are on hand to provide Direct Payment information, support and advice.  We aim to provide a friendly and professional service that is independent and impartial.  Promoting through knowledge and support, service user empowerment and independence in the management of a Direct Payment.

We advise users on the options open to them and support them through to independence in the set up and ongoing management of their budget, to enable disabled people to use their budget to meet their assessed care needs.

Providing support and advice on issues relating to the engagement of personal assistants including:

• Recruitment advertising
• Job descriptions and person specifications
• Interviewing
• Contracts of employment
• Employer’s liability insurance
• Payroll

Lancashire Peer Support Group

We offer further support, as well as our ongoing LILS support.  We have a Peer Support Group which is a place where you can find information and advice from other people using direct payments.

There are:

• parents of disabled adults and children
• disabled people who employ their own personal assistants (PAs)
• and others who support family members or friends

Peer Support is available every Wednesday from 10am to 2pm.

This is an opportunity to talk to other people who use direct payments to pay for their and others’ support needs, including agency care, communication support and employing Personal Assistants.  It is your opportunity to share experiences, to ask questions, and to enhance your knowledge about the direct payments process, and how to access training and support.

To find out more:

• Ring the office 01772 558 863 option 1 and request peer support.
• or text the LILS mobile number 07713 307405
• or email me at lils@disability-equality.org.uk and title the subject line “PEER SUPPORT REQUEST”
• or join the Peer Support Teams Group chat:  https://teams.live.com/l/invite/FEAJ3IcL27J5KDIwQs

Disability Positive Learning Service

Get access to FREE learning and development opportunities with Disability Positive:

• If you employ a Personal Assistant (PA)
• If you are a PA and want to update your skills

The learning service offers free, independent and personalised learning and development and training to help you get the most from your care or support.

You can choose from face-to-face training workshops, online courses and training in your own home, to meet your needs.

Training is for you if you:

• Employ a Personal Assistant (PA)
• Are a Personal Assistant and want to update your skills
• Are interested in becoming a Personal Assistant
• Are informal carer supporting a disabled person

For more information:

• https://disabilitypositive.org/service/learning-service/
• Email learning@disabilitypositive.org to request a registration form.
• Telephone 01606 331 853

Individual Employer 2025 Funding

https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Funding/Individual-Employer-Funding/Individual-Employer-Funding.aspx

This funding is now open for 2025/26 applications. It can be used to cover training costs to develop your skills as an employer, direct costs of completing training/qualifications, hiring replacement support while your usual Personal Assistant (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 is bespoke and personalised to the Individual Employer (IE) and their needs.

Who can apply?

This funding is available for IEs living in England, aged 18 and over who employ their own PAs or contract* self-employed PAs, using either:

• their own money
• adult social care direct payments
• NHS Personal Health Budgets.

‘Contracted’ refers to PAs with true self-employed status. PAs can check whether they are self-employed online using the check employment status for tax tool.

We will ask for evidence from self-employed PAs accessing training.

Deadline for applications 

Deadline for all applications is midday Friday 13 March 2026 and all funded training courses must be started before Tuesday 31 March 2026.

Support to apply

Question and answer sessions

If you are thinking about applying and want to know more you can join one of our Q and A sessions where we’ll be running through how to apply, exploring the benefits of developing yourself and your PAs and answering any questions.

• Tues 6 May, 10am-11:30am

• Weds 11 June, 1pm-2:30pm

• Tues 15 July, 10am-11:30am

• Mon 18 August, 1pm-2:30pm

Please email funding@skillsforcare.org.uk for the joining details.

Further calls will be arranged for the rest of the year.

Payroll support

We provide a comprehensive payroll service to people throughout Lancashire taking a Direct Payment to employ their own support staff.

You will be allocated a named person (a Payroll Clerk) who will manage your payroll account. Your Payroll Clerk will process payslips on a monthly or four weekly basis and make sure that tax and national insurance is calculated correctly.

Payroll will also make sure that you are meeting your statutory employer responsibilities such as:

• Calculating sick pay
• Calculating maternity pay
• Calculating workplace pensions
• Providing P60s and P45s
• Sending all the necessary paperwork to HMRC