Self Directed Support is commonly called SDS and has been around for a wee while now in various pilot projects. It is the new way in which all social care is going to be provided in Scotland. From April 1st 2014 the Social Care (Self Directed Support) (Scotland Act) 2013 has been law and is now being implemented. There is detailed information on the Scottish Government’s SDS Website.
This means that every local authority in Scotland has a duty to offer anyone assessed as needing social care to chose how their care/support will be delivered from 4 options. The person chooses what option or combination of options they want.
The 4 options are:
-The local authority makes a direct payment to the supported person in order that the person can then use that payment to arrange their support
-The supported person chooses their support and the local authority makes VIP arrangements for the support on behalf of the supported person
-The local authority selects the appropriate support and makes arrangements NV for its provision by the local authority
-A mix of options 1, 2 and 3 for specific aspects of a person’s support
Self Directed Support is about people themselves being in control of the support they need to live their lives. It is built on the premise that people who need support are best placed to know what support they need to make their life better and that they can have control over identifying their needs as well as designing and purchasing the support to meet their needs.
Some people may need more help with this than others but this should never prevent them from directing their own support. Fair Deal fully supports the promotion of Self Directed Support and will help everyone they currently support to move in this direction.
The reason we support it is that it is consistent with citizenship and recognising everyone has the right to make their own decisions, have their own money to spend and be an active contributor to their community. This is a picture of an information booklet available from Glasgow City Council which tells you more about self-directed support. There is more detailed information on Glasgow City Council’s SDS Website.
