The Scottish Government’s latest initiative to financially recompense any Personal Assistants (PA’s) who lost earnings due to having to shield during the pandemic has been “warmly welcomed” by SPAEN CEO, Colin Millar.

The commitment and dedication of Personal Assistants, not just during the pandemic but since the inception of Direct Payments, has been admirable.  They are and continue to be a key part of Scotland’s social care community.  Whilst the “furlough” scheme was made available, there was a lot of confusion and uncertainty around if and when it applied in such specific circumstances such as people employed directly to provide vital social care support.

The Scottish Government’s recognition that some people may have been financially affected by the uncertainty around these rules, coupled with many people having to shield because of underlying health conditions themselves is, without doubt, warmly welcomed by both SPAEN and the many PA employers who were distressed and upset at the prospect of their assistants loosing out financially.

You can read more about the Scheme and SPAEN’s response by following this link.