If you are unhappy with your support
There may be times when you are unhappy with your support.
You should not feel like you have to make do with what you have. There may be other options for you to get the support you need, in a way that suits you better.
Find out more about what to do if you want to change your support or explore other options.
If your council arranges and manages your support for you
If your council arranges and manages support for you, speak to your social worker to let them know you are not happy with your support.
Explain why you are not happy.
For example, is it a problem with the support workers? Is it a problem with the way the support is provided?
It is often best to try to resolve any issues informally first.
If you are still not happy, you can make a formal complaint to your council. Find out more in the article: How to challenge decisions
You may also want to consider taking more responsibility for arranging your support. Find out more about this in this section: Your options for controlling your support
If you use a support provider organisation or agency
You may get support from a support provider organisation or agency, rather than services from the council.
If you are not happy with their service, you can contact them to explain why.
It is often best to try to resolve any issues informally first.
If you are still not happy, you can make a formal complaint to organisation. Find out more in the article: How to challenge decisions
If you want to explore getting support from a different organisation or agency, try to find out what is available in your area.
You can search the Care Inspectorate website for support providers.
A local Independent Support Service may also be able to help you find out what else is available. You can find your local Independent Support Organisation using the Find Help search tool.
The Independent Support Organisation may also be able to support you to work with your current support provider or agency to try to sort out any issues.
You may also want to consider taking more direct control over your support by employing your own Personal Assistants. Find out more about this in this section: Your options for controlling your support
If you employ Personal Assistants
If you employ Personal Assistants (PAs) and there is anything you are not happy about, there is support available to help you manage this.
You may be able to get help from a local Independent Support Organisation. You can find their details using the Find Help search tool.
You may also be able to get help from your insurance provider. They can often give advice about managing difficulties with PAs.
You can also read the PA Employer Handbook, which has lots of information and advice about dealing with specific situations.
Next steps
It can be helpful to speak to an Independent Support Organisation for help and advice if you want to change your support. You can find details for organisations like these using the Find Help search tool.
You can also read the information in the article: How to challenge decisions
The SDS Standards give guidance to local councils to tell them what they should do when it comes to arranging social care support (Self-directed Support).
These SDS Standards are not laws, but all councils have signed up to them. Councils should work to these standards.
When it comes to changing your support if you are not happy, here is what the Standards say:
- You should be supported to question and challenge decisions throughout your assessment, support planning and review processes, including your personal outcomes (the things that are important to you) (5.4)
- Your council should have an easy and transparent process in place for making a complaint (5.8)
- You should be supported to challenge decisions which do not uphold your human rights, including escalating complaints to the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), the Care Inspectorate or the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) (5.10)
You can read the full SDS Standards here.
The SDS Statutory Guidance is legal guidance written for local councils to tell them how social care support (Self-directed Support) should work.
It says:
- If you get support from your council and you are not happy with it, your council should tell you how you can make a complaint using their complaints policy.
- You, your family and carers have the right to access a simple, timely and accessible formal complaints procedure if you feel you have been unfairly or unreasonably treated, or if you wish to challenge a decision that your council has made about your support.
You can read the part of the Guidance that says this here.