Two important pieces of research are taking place and asking for your support:-
Dr Jenni Brooks Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychology, Sociology and Politics at Sheffield Hallam University is looking for people to take part in an interview and would like to talk to you if you:
• Have a physical or sensory impairment, AND work in a paid job (involving some work outside of your home), AND employ a PA/support worker to support you at work
• Are a PA/support worker who supports someone with a physical or sensory impairment in their workplace
• Are an organisation/employer who employs people who use PAs/support workers at work
This research is funded by the School for Social Care Research (part of the National Institute for Health Research). View Information Sheet for further details.
Please contact Dr Brooks on (0114) 225 5991 if you can take part or email j.brooks@SHU.AC.UK .
In the second piece of research at the Social Care Research Unit at King’s College, London, John Woolham is leading a study that aims to describe the characteristics of the PA workforce – the backgrounds and motivations of PAs, what their role involves, the terms and conditions of their employment, their perceptions and experiences of their job and the links they may have (or not have) with the wider social care, or health, workforce.
John wants to interview 100 PAs across England – ‘taking part’ involves a single informal, confidential interview by telephone that might last up to an hour and would be at a mutually convenient time with a High St. gift voucher for £20 as a small ‘thank you’ to anyone who takes part.
John says “Personal Assistants are a small but growing part of the social care workforce in England but we know little about them. Why do people decide to work as PAs? What are the rewards and frustrations of the job? What backgrounds do PAs have? Do they see their work as a stop-gap between other forms of employment, an interesting job, or a stepping stone to a career in social care? – our research will help us to identify this”
If you employ a Personal Assistant, please pass this information on to them so they can get in touch with John if they’d like to take part. Alternatively, if you work as a Personal Assistant and think this study is worth doing and might be interested in taking part, please preferably email john.woolham@kcl.ac.uk or phone 0207 848 8599.
