As reported by BBC News, Audit Scotland issued a new report on the implementation of Self Directed Support in Scotland.
Self Directed Support (SDS) has been available since 2014. It was introduced to offer people more choice on how their support is delivered and managed.
There are four options available:
- You receive the money to spend on support how you choose;
- You tell the council how to spend the money;
- You let the council decide how to spend the money; or
- A mix of options 1, 2 and 3.
If you choose to receive the money yourself you will require to keep records of how the money is spent and provide regular evidence of your record keeping to the council.
Detailed information on SDS is available from the Self Directed Support website.
The Report highlights that although many people have benefitted from SDS this is not yet available for everyone. Some people may not be deemed to have the capacity to make decisions on how their care is delivered; this could be a younger person with learning difficulties or an older person with dementia. In these cases, someone can apply to the Court (usually, but not always, a family member) to be appointed as Guardian to give them authority to deal with SDS on behalf of the person requiring care and support.
The Report also says not everyone is getting to choose and control their social care. The reasons for this are reported as:
- Social workers are not quite sure what they are allowed to do
- Increasing demand - there are more people who need support
- Insufficient number of people working as support staff
- Some support staff not wishing to work at evenings or weekends
If you need help or advice relating to applying for guardianship to allow you to apply for Self Directed Support in Scotland for someone without capacity or in implementing an SDS package please contact a member of our experienced team for more information.
