If you employ Personal Assistants using a Direct Payment, make sure you’re aware of upcoming changes under the Employment Rights Act 2025.
These updates could affect contracts, leave, and dismissal processes, so it’s important to stay informed and compliant.
For more information, head to PA Pages or contact our Information, Advice & Guidance team.
03/03/2026
Over 1900 people received our e-newsletters in 2025.
Don’t miss out! Our quarterly Independent Lives newsletter is packed with:
✨ Direct Payment updates
✨ Social care news
✨ Independent Lives updates
✨ Training & support events
Comment or message us to sign up today and stay connected!
01/03/2026
International Wheelchair Day is about visibility, respect, and independence.
At Independent Lives, we believe everyone should have the choice and control to live the life they want — with the right support and an accessible world around them.
26/02/2026
We sent out 300 training workbooks in 2025!
Our training covers everything from mental capacity and safeguarding to medication, infection control, food hygiene, and health & safety.
✨ The best part?
Until 31 March 2026, Skills for Care funding means Personal Assistants and their employers can access our workbooks and training sessions for FREE.
Don’t miss out, message us to find out more, or head to PA Pages 👇
🌟 Can you help us celebrate 25 years of Independent Lives? 🌟
This spring, we’re marking a huge milestone, 25 years as a user-led charity supporting disabled people, people with support needs and carers.
To celebrate, we’re hosting our THRIVE Spring Conference on 16 April 2025 at Worthing Football Club, bringing together our supporters to reflect on our achievements and look ahead to the future alongside our Patron, George Dowell MBE.
We’re currently looking for local businesses and organisations who may be able to support the event through:
Any support would help us deliver a meaningful and impactful conference and support our vision of an accessible society where disabled people experience autonomy, choice and control in their lives.
If you’re able to help or would like more information, please comment below or send us a message, we’d love to hear from you.
24/02/2026
Excellence shows up in the way we care, the way we listen and the way we act.
With integrity at our core and accountability in our actions, we provide high-quality support that puts people first and helps change lives for the better.
Meet the pets of Independent Lives! 🐾 Each one has a unique personality, just like the people we support. They bring smiles, comfort, and a little extra joy to our community every day.
19/02/2026
We processed 815 DBS checks in 2025, allowing Direct Payment employers to safely employ Personal Assistants.
What are DBS checks and why are they important?
🔷 A DBS check is a record of a person's criminal convictions and cautions. DBS checks are essential for safe recruitment, and ensuring that unsuitable people are not working with vulnerable adults or children.
🔷 Each Direct Payment funder will have different requirements regarding DBS checks, please contact Independent Lives to find out more.
At Independent Lives, being person-centred has always been at the heart of what we do, and it still guides everything we do today.
To us, it means treating people with dignity, compassion, kindness and respect.
It means truly valuing people’s lived experiences and recognising that everyone’s circumstances are unique.
By valuing people's lived experiences and recognising their unique circumstances, we can be an organisation that really makes a difference. 💙
12/02/2026
Digital exclusion is more common than you might think 📱💻
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Independent Lives is a user-led charity working with disabled people, people with support needs, and carers
We work directly with disabled people, and parents and carers of disabled children
Providing a Direct Payments support service to help people arrange and manage their own personalised care and support. We offer banking, payroll, and recruitment services so people can manage their own budgets and personal assistants. Our Care Service provides personalised home-based care and support. We engage with disabled people living in the local community through user-led support and action groups and our volunteer programme, and campaign on the rights of disabled people.
We also work with health and social care professionals
Providing training and training materials, consultancy, and recruitment support. We work closely with local authority social care teams and Clinical Commissioning Groups on support planning, personalisation and co-production, and health and social care integration.