News
Independent Lives aims to keep you up to date on all the latest disability news, events and stories. If you would like to share some news with us or discuss anything you read in the articles below then please email comms@independentlives.org.
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Lived experiences of Direct Payment Customers
Healthwatch West Sussex, Independent Lives and West Sussex County Council Adults Services would like to hear from individuals who receive Direct Payments including those who employ their own care and support staff. We’re keen to learn...
Changes to how you complete your training quizzes
We're changing how our training quizzes work. From Monday 12 October, all our training quizzes will be on MS Forms. What you need to do If you have an existing quiz on SurveyMonkey, please complete it...
Help improve care for people with learning disabilities
Independent Lives is pleased to be supporting charity Sue Ryder to help them in a piece of research they are doing. They would like to hear from people with lived experience about how to they can...
Free advice and support drop-in event for East Sussex care businesses, Personal Assistants and unpaid carers
Tickets can now be booked for the latest Care and Support Drop-in event in October. The event is for care and support businesses, personal assistants and unpaid carers in East Sussex. The FREE event will give...
Free training for Individual Employers and their PAs
If you're an Individual Employer in England, there's a great opportunity to get free training for your Personal Assistants (PAs). Independent Lives has secured funding from the Department of Health and Social Care to offer free...
New DBS service for self-employed East Sussex PAs has launched
If you're a self-employed PA, there's a new way to get your Enhanced DBS check sorted. East Sussex County Council now has a DBS umbrella service up and running. Here's what you need to know: What...
Why won’t anyone fund clinical training for PAs? Katy’s Story
Katy employs her own PA, Gemma, through a Direct Payment. Gemma needs clinical training to manage Katy's suprapubic catheter safely, something most PAs are never trained for, because no funding route covers it. Without it, Katy...
Important update regarding DBS checks for self-employed Personal Assistants
Please be aware that DBS checks for self-employed Personal Assistants are no longer funded by the local authorities we work with. Self-employed PAs are now responsible for arranging and paying for their own DBS checks. We...
Have your say: Government consults on employment rights for unpaid carers
The Government has launched a consultation seeking views on employment rights for unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children. Published on 9 June 2026 as part of the Make Work Pay plan, it looks at...