What is Self-directed Support?
Self-directed Support is the name for how people get care and support in Scotland. It is often called SDS for short.
All types of care and support should be arranged following the rules of Self-directed Support. This is the same for everyone:
- SDS is for people of all ages, including children and older people.
- SDS is for all people, whatever type of support they need.
- SDS is for everyone in Scotland, wherever you live.
- SDS is also for unpaid carers who get support in their own right.
The name Self-directed Support comes from the law that says how people should get care and support in Scotland. The law came into effect in 2014 and is called the Social Care (Self Directed Support) (Scotland) Act.
Why was Self-directed Support introduced?
Self-directed Support was introduced to give people who need care and support more choice, control and flexibility.
Before Self-directed Support, if someone needed care and support, usually their local council would arrange this for them. They did not have much say about how their support was provided.
The law was changed to say that all care and support should be arranged following the rules of Self-directed Support. This enables people to have more say about their support.
Is Self-directed Support something different from social care support?
People sometimes think Self-directed Support is something separate from social care, but it is not. When the law is followed, all care and support should be arranged according to the rules of SDS.
Although Self-directed Support has been around for a long time, and is the law now, it is not always known about or understood by people involved in organising care and support.
This Handbook has been created to help explain Self-directed Support. It will help people who need care and support, and unpaid carers, understand their rights.
Next steps
Find out more about how Self-directed Support came about in the next article: How Self-directed Support came about