Self Directed Support
What is Self Directed Support?
Self Directed Support (SDS) is about putting people in control of the support they need to live the life they choose. It is how health and social care support in Scotland has been delivered since April 2014.
SDS is underpinned by legislation which gives you and the person you care for the right to choose your own care and support. This legislation is called Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013.
Local authorities must offer one of the following options to those in need of care and support:
OPTION 1: the local authority makes a direct payment to the supported person for them to arrange and purchase their own support
OPTION 2: the supported person chooses their support and the local authority makes arrangements for the provision of that support
OPTION 3: the local authority selects and arranges support
OPTION 4: a mix of the above is used to meet the needs of the person.
SDS for carers
If you are a carer and meet the local eligibility criteria for support, then your local authority have a duty to support you and offer you a choice of the 4 options of SDS. To find out more, you can download our factsheet about What to expect when accessing SDS as a carer.
SDS Statutory Guidance (updated November 2022)
The Statutory Guidance has been updated, making it clearer that Self-directed Support (SDS) is for everyone in Scotland who needs social care services or support. This includes children, adults and unpaid carers.
The Guidance explains what authorities should do to make sure that people are able to get the support that is right for them. It is based on the Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013. This is the law that tells local authorities what they must do to give access to SDS in a way that supports people’s rights to choice, dignity and being able to take part in the life of their communities.
You can download the SDS Statutory Guidance from here.
An easy read version of the SDS Statutory Guidance can be downloaded from here.
SDS Framework of Standards
The SDS Standards were developed in partnership by Social Work Scotland and Scottish Government. Currently there are 12 Standards that aim to ensure consistency of outcomes and approaches in SDS practice across Scotland:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You can read more about the SDS Framework of Standards from here.
Carers’ experience of SDS during the pandemic
In June 2020, we carried out a short online survey to find out the extent to which the SDS Covid-19 guidance was being adopted and implemented across the different local authorities across Scotland, and to hear about the experiences of unpaid carers. 60 percent of carers were unaware that they could use SDS in a more flexible way during the pandemic. You can download and read the full report here.
SDS during the pandemic: Experiences of unpaid carers in 2021
In August 2021, we undertook a short survey with carers and supported people to find out whether people were being able to use their SDS budgets in a more flexible way during the pandemic. Only 1 in 3 of those who responded to our survey had been able to use their care budgets in a more flexible way. You can download and read the report in full here.