As an employer, there are legal obligations that you are required to fulfil in respect of the staff you employ. These include the terms and conditions of employing your personal assistants, and your legal obligation to pay PAYE Tax and National Insurance Contributions, if applicable.

CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT

It is a requirement that every employee is provided with a Written Statement within two months of beginning work. We strongly recommend that a written contract of employment is jointly signed by yourself as employer and by each of your employees. This contract will define both terms and conditions of employment and your employer duties and responsibilities. If a disciplnary or grievance issue arises, reference to the contract can help to resolve some employment disputes.

The Contract should ideally include (examples):

• Employer & Employee names
• Place of Work & Hours of Work
• Conditions of work, including basic pay rate (which must be at least the national minimum wage), weekend rate, unsocial hours rate, and definitions of these
• Holiday entitlement
• Business mileage travel expense rate
• How and when wages are paid
• Lay-off clause
• Job Description
• Confidentiality statement
• Disciplinary, Dismissal and Grievance Procedures
• Notice of Termination
• Other various or optional terms and conditions

The Rowan Organisation has created a sample contract of employment which can be customised to suit your own particular requirements. The samples have been through legal and independent scrutiny. You can discuss these requirements with your local Independent Living Adviser.

Version 4.0

Version Date: November 2009

The Rowan Organisation - Supporting Independence Through Choice