ABSTRACT
People with care and support needs were often badly affected by Covid-19, although the impact on people employing Personal Assistants (PAs) has not been addressed. We aimed to explore the experiences of people employing PAs during the pandemic to inform care systems and social work practice. Remote qualitative interviews were conducted with seventy PA employers across England in 2021–2022. Data were analysed thematically to explore salient themes. The Covid-19 pandemic elucidated role tensions of PA employers: Navigating care arrangements during a time of unprecedented uncertainty reinforced participants' role as an employer, but exposed some aspects of employment responsibilities and legal obligations that participants felt ill-equipped to manage. Reports of contact with or by social workers were few and not perceived as helpful. The often-informal nature of PA arrangements and its blurred relational boundaries affected participants' expectations of their PAs. PA employers would welcome support from social workers in their employment role and flexibility with care plans, albeit with greater autonomy over their Direct Payment (DP) budget to enhance the potential of this arrangement. In the context of declining DP uptake in England, our study offers some potential explanations for this, with suggestions for systemic change and social work practice.
ABSTRACT
The article discusses the significance of telework for workers with disabilities. Topics discussed include increased open-mindedness about granting part-time or full-time telework as a reasonable accommodation, reasonable accommodations under the Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and work environment or hiring process to create equality for someone with a disability.
ABSTRACT
The healthcare community is pushing back against OSHA adopting a more flexible final COVID-19 rule that could change with public health guidelines. The agency is finalizing its Emergency Temporary Standard to protect healthcare workers from COVID-19.