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Personal assistant for children

Having a personal assistant as a child is different from having one as an adult, mainly due to the child’s perspective. We work with a child-centered approach in all aspects of personal assistance for children.
Personal assistance should enable the child to live like other children of the same age without disabilities, with the support of a personal assistant. As a family, you can of course influence how the assistance is tailored to suit your family’s needs. Our child-centered perspective and methodology are based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The best interests of the child are always the top priority, and we also see and support you as a family. We plan the assistance exactly as you wish, together with the parents, and in the way you believe best supports the child. A child’s personal assistance affects the entire family – the child, parents, siblings, and grandparents. We are flexible and allow you to decide what you believe is best. You have the right to influence all aspects of the personal assistance, including which personal assistants work with you, training, and related matters.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Questions and answers about personal assistance

What is meant by a child’s perspective?
When working with personal assistance for children, it is always important to start from the child’s perspective. Having a child’s perspective means constantly being guided by the best interests of the child in all decisions and activities. This approach is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which guarantees the child’s right to safety, participation, and dignity. The child’s perspective encompasses the entire personal assistance process and ensures that support is adapted to the child’s individual needs, age, and development.
Clearly defining roles in a child’s life benefits not only the child but the whole family. The role of a personal assistant is never to raise the child – that is the parents’ responsibility. Sometimes it can be challenging to distinguish what belongs to the assistant’s role and what does not. The key question is: what can other children of the same age, without disabilities, do independently and take responsibility for? The personal assistant provides support and compensation for activities the child cannot perform due to their disability. As a parent, you are relieved from tasks that are not normally part of the parental role. Therefore, the tasks of the personal assistant vary depending on the child’s age and specific situation. For example, a teenager can usually do significantly more than a one-year-old child.
We always request a criminal record check for all assistants we employ. This is especially important when it comes to personal assistance for children – both for the child’s safety and because the law in Kosovo–Macedonia–Albania requires that all people working with children regularly provide a criminal record certificate.
An important part of personal assistance is that the child is involved in deciding how their support will look. The child’s age and individual circumstances are always taken into account, and over time the child’s influence increases. You, as parents, know your child best and are responsible for their best interests. Parents play a key role in designing personal assistance and decide how the child can be appropriately involved and have influence.

If you have a child who needs a personal assistant

Personal assistance from the child’s perspective

When it comes to personal assistance for children, we consider it obvious that your child should have the best possible everyday life. It should not matter whether you, as a parent, are an expert in everything related to personal assistance or not. We, as personal assistance providers, have prior experience and knowledge when it comes to providing a personal assistant for children. We are ready to quickly create safe and tailored support that suits both you and your child, regardless of the decisions made. This means you can decide how much responsibility you want to entrust to us. Together with you, we want to build assistance that fits your family. Because children’s needs can change quickly over time, we carefully monitor your family and your child’s personal assistants to ensure that your child always receives the right support in the right way.

What makes personal assistance for children different from adult assistance?

There is a clear difference between personal assistance for children and for adults. This is partly due to children’s rights and the fact that you, as a parent, are the expert on your child’s best interests. We work from a child’s perspective in all aspects of assistance, which means that information and child involvement are individually adapted according to the child’s age and maturity.

Full responsibility for personal assistance for children

In the relationship between the personal assistant and the child, we take full responsibility to ensure that your child has a safe and secure experience. We assist with recruiting and managing the staff of personal assistants who work with children. We make sure they receive proper orientation and training for the job. We ensure compliance with laws and regulations and provide a high quality of care for your child.

Flexible and adaptable assistance for children

Life with a personal assistant in your home, in addition to all adaptations related to your child’s disability, is very specific. Personal assistance affects the entire family – the child, parents, siblings, as well as grandparents.

What is important for personal assistance for children to function properly?

When you hire personal assistance for your child, you can be confident that our experience and knowledge mean we know what is important for functional and safe assistance:

  • Flexibility

  • Planning

  • Parental influence

For personal assistance to work best for your family, flexibility is needed from both the responsible manager and the personal assistants who work daily with your child. Assistants must be able to adjust their work according to the child’s current needs. We are flexible and allow you to decide what is best. You have the right to influence the overall personal assistance and the selection of assistants who will work with your child.

How we work with personal assistance for children

We have offices across Kosovo–Macedonia–Albania, which allows us to provide personal assistance for children and adults regardless of where you live. In many locations, we have experienced personal assistants who have been working in this field for a long time and are available for new engagements. In addition to many years of experience and high-quality service, our availability is one of our greatest advantages. This means we are here for you and your child 24/7, throughout the year. Together with you and based on your child’s needs, the responsible manager works with the personal assistant to ensure safe and appropriate assistance that your child is entitled to.