Option 4
When it comes to arranging and managing your social care support, you can decide how much control and responsibility you want to have.
There are four options, designed to give you different levels of control and responsibility. You choose which option is best for you.
This article is about Option 4.
You can find out more about the other options here:
Option 4
This is the option where you can take control and responsibility for some parts of your support, but you leave the council to sort out the rest for you.
It is a mixture of Options 1, 2 and 3.
It is an Option designed around you that means you can take responsibility for the parts you want to and feel able to control. This gives you lots of flexibility.
This option might be a good fit for you if you want to use a Direct Payment for some parts of your support, but not for all of it.
How does it work?
After your assessment, your social worker will create a support plan with you, to agree what you need support to help you achieve.
You then choose which parts of your support you want to have responsibility for, and which parts you are happy to leave to the council to sort out.
If you choose to use a Direct Payment for some parts of your support, this will mean you will handle money directly.
Find out more about this in the article: Option 1
Who can use this option?
Everyone who is eligible for formal social care support through their council should be able to choose Option 4. This includes adults, children and young people, and people with any type of impairment or support need.
Option 4 must also be offered to unpaid carers who are eligible for support in their own right.
The only exceptions are that you cannot use a Direct Payment for part of your support if your council thinks:
- your safety would be put at risk by being given money directly
- you need long term residential care or nursing care
- you have had Option 1 in the past and it had to be stopped for some reason.
Where can I get help if I choose this Option?
Independent Support Organisations and Carers’ Centres (if you are an unpaid carer) can help you learn more about this option and think about which parts of your support you might want to take responsibility for.
Next steps
Find your local Independent Support Organisation using the Find Help search tool.
Find your local Carers’ Centre here.
Lots of people are given the information they need if they want to use Option 4.
But we know that some common issues come up for people.
Here is what do to if any of these things happen to you.
My social worker said they did not know about Option 4 and how to set it up
This Option is not very widely used, so some social workers are not experienced in how it works. They may need to get help to set it up.
This should not prevent you from using this Option if you want to.
Getting help from a local Independent Support Organisation or Carer’s Centre (if you are an unpaid carer) is a good idea.
These organisations can help you think about what parts of your support you might want to take responsibility for, and help you work with your social worker to set this up.
You can find your local Independent Support Organisation using the Find Help search tool.
You can find your local Carers’ Centre here.
The law about social care support is called the Social Care (Self Directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013.
It says:
- If you are eligible for formal social care support, the council has to tell you about the four Options, including Option 4.
- Councils, by law, have to explain what each of the Options mean and how they work.
- Councils also have to tell you about other people who can help you decide which Option you want to use.
- If you need help to make a decision about which option is best for you, and you don’t have another adult who is legally allowed to make decisions for you, the council has to take reasonable steps to help you make a decision.
- The council has to allow you to make a choice about which Option you prefer, even if making a choice is difficult for you.
You can find a link to the law 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:
- Councils and social workers should not consider any of the four Options is better or preferable to the others.
- You should be empowered to choose the Option that works best for you.
- Your wishes and needs are the most important, even if you cannot make or understand decisions.
You can find the link to the part of the Guidance that talks about this here.