VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS

We are dedicated to neurodivergent Entrepreneurs, Leaders and Small Business Owners

HOW DOES OUR VA SERVICE WORK?

A Virtual Assistant is there to accompany you with your administrative tasks as a neurodivergent leader. Many of our clients pay privately but some pay using funding such as Access to Work grants.

Where people claim ATW, the purpose of the grant is for the recipient to be present with their Assistant while they are supported in performing tasks that they might otherwise find hard owing to Executive Function and Emotional Regulation difficulties and challenges with Communication. ATW expect around 2/3 of the work to be done with your Assistant and the rest are tasks the VA completes independently to lighten the load.

Being a neurodivergent owned and created company ourselves, we understand the importance of getting support. There is no shame in getting help, but many of our clients have not had an Assistant before. So we are here to help you meet, train up and work sustainably with your chosen supporter. Please note that we are not an agency however and as with taking on any new team member, you will need to allow some time for your VA to get used to you and how you do things. 

Please note we also have a GDPR expert on our team and so clients working for companies that are hesitant about providing shared access for company emails and calendars etc, can speak to them regarding how we work with Data. Please ask our Coordinator Julie for details on this.

VIRTUAL ASSISTANT SERVICES (VA)

KEY INFORMATION

Our hourly rate for the VA service is £32 + VAT as of January 2024

Wired Differently holds full Professional Indemnity Insurance with Policy Bee (Hiscox).

Clients must commit to a minimum of 4 hours of VA work a week. For the Support Service there is no minimum number of hours as long as you keep us updated in advance.

If you need to put things on pause then please give us a minimum of 14 days notice by email or via our web form.

A few points to note based on our experience as a VA provider:

We support neurodivergent people with their admin tasks at admin assistant level.

The client is ultimately responsible for the correct spending of their Access to Work Grant and the payment of their invoices, although we do accept direct payment from the DWP. 

We accept payment by bank transfer, Stripe/ bank card, Go Cardless Direct Debit mandate and PayPal. 

We all have our ups and downs...

The VA service is insured for admin and not holistic work although we know, more than most, that offloading a bit can really help ND people with our emotional regulation. 

We can also liaise with advocates and holistic support workers where a client has other support organised / accessibility needs.

We have had the odd instance where clients have harassed our team, shouted at us, sworn at us, withheld payment (including publicly funded grants) or acted inappropriately for the context of a professional relationship. RSD and emotional dysregulation affect all of us but this is not an excuse to treat our team without the respect they deserveWhere we deem we are not a good fit for a client, or vice versa, we will take action to terminate the relationship. Psychological safety is a priority in all we do and for everyone concerned.

Wired Differently is a registered Data Handler with the Information Commissioner's Office and our Virtual Assistants are Data Processors.

Please note that all VA clients must be over 18 with an active trading business or the intention of creating one iminently.

If more than 20% of your needs are non-work related then please ask about our new Support & Advocacy service. 

DBS CHECKS Our Virtual Assistant and Support & Advocacy Workers are not legally classed as being in a DBS role, unless a specific client is legally defined as Vulnerable under the Care Act 2014 (UK). (This would normally be a client with an Intellectual Impairment). Please note that it is a criminal offence to attempt to DBS check someone who is not both in a DBS appropriate role and working with someone coming under this definition. For more information, please visit the GOV UK website

PAYING FOR OUR SERVICES  

Someof our clients claim Access to Work grants or Social Services direct payments

A Virtual Assistant is referred to by the DWP as a 'Specialist Support Worker (neurodiversity) - admin support across all business functions'.

If you would like a quote to put in with your Access to Work application then please download our free quotation template.

Once you have your grant we can set up a meet and greet. We will then arrange a second meeting to introduce you to the most appropriate VA/VAs for your needs.

Direct paying clients can claim our services back as a 'reasonable expense for a disability' through their Accountant. Please speak to them for details.

We are unable to claim more than the hours you have used on your grant each month. eg. If you award is for 10 hours a week but you have used 4, we can only claim for 4.

We are not able to process grants and to pay subcontractors on your behalf to maximise your grant spend.

NON PAYMENT OF INVOICES

If an Access to Work claimant does not actively process the necessary paperwork in a timely fashion, therefore obstructing the payment of their invoice with a public sector funded grant, then Wired Differently has no choice but to report the claimant to the DWP and to take the client, who is ultimately responsible for paying the invoice, to the small claims court.

We agree to the DWP paying us directly under the assumption that every hour worked will be paid for. Thank you.

Handover and induction time needs to be paid for as it would be for anyone in a paid professional role.

Overseas clients may be required to pay a month in advance. This is because the cost of chasing unpaid invoices when clients are based overseas is prohibitive but we do want to provide services where they are needed.