{"id":2842,"date":"2024-03-15T16:49:08","date_gmt":"2024-03-15T16:49:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/handbook.scot\/sds-handbook\/?post_type=article&#038;p=2842"},"modified":"2026-05-21T10:30:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T10:30:42","slug":"what-is-self-directed-support","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/handbook.scot\/sds-handbook\/article\/what-is-self-directed-support\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Self-directed Support?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-mode=\"normal\" data-oembed=\"1\" data-provider=\"youtube\" id=\"arve-youtube--0vnu1wenhk\" style=\"max-width:900px;\" class=\"arve\">\n<div class=\"arve-inner\">\n<div style=\"aspect-ratio:500\/281\" class=\"arve-embed arve-embed--has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"arve-ar\" style=\"padding-top:56.200000%\"><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<iframe allow=\"accelerometer &apos;none&apos;;autoplay &apos;none&apos;;bluetooth &apos;none&apos;;browsing-topics &apos;none&apos;;camera &apos;none&apos;;clipboard-read &apos;none&apos;;clipboard-write;display-capture &apos;none&apos;;encrypted-media &apos;none&apos;;gamepad &apos;none&apos;;geolocation &apos;none&apos;;gyroscope &apos;none&apos;;hid &apos;none&apos;;identity-credentials-get &apos;none&apos;;idle-detection &apos;none&apos;;keyboard-map &apos;none&apos;;local-fonts;magnetometer &apos;none&apos;;microphone &apos;none&apos;;midi &apos;none&apos;;otp-credentials &apos;none&apos;;payment &apos;none&apos;;picture-in-picture;publickey-credentials-create &apos;none&apos;;publickey-credentials-get &apos;none&apos;;screen-wake-lock &apos;none&apos;;serial &apos;none&apos;;summarizer &apos;none&apos;;sync-xhr;usb &apos;none&apos;;web-share;window-management &apos;none&apos;;xr-spatial-tracking &apos;none&apos;;\" allowfullscreen=\"\" class=\"arve-iframe fitvidsignore\" credentialless data-arve=\"arve-youtube--0vnu1wenhk\" data-lenis-prevent=\"\" data-src-no-ap=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/-0Vnu1wenHk?feature=oembed&amp;iv_load_policy=3&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;autohide=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;autoplay=0\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"505.8\" loading=\"lazy\" name=\"\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-presentation allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/-0Vnu1wenHk?feature=oembed&#038;iv_load_policy=3&#038;modestbranding=1&#038;rel=0&#038;autohide=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autoplay=0\" title=\"\" width=\"900\"><\/iframe><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"http:\\\/\\\/schema.org\\\/\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/handbook.scot\\\/sds-handbook\\\/article\\\/what-is-self-directed-support\\\/#arve-youtube--0vnu1wenhk\",\"@type\":\"VideoObject\",\"embedURL\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\\\/embed\\\/-0Vnu1wenHk?feature=oembed&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&autohide=1&playsinline=0&autoplay=0\"}<\/script><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Self-directed Support is the name for how people get care and support in Scotland. It is often called SDS for short.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><strong>All<\/strong> types of care and support should be arranged following the rules of Self-directed Support. This is the same for everyone:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">SDS is for people of all ages, including children and older people.<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">SDS is for all people, whatever type of support they need.<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">SDS is for everyone in Scotland, wherever you live.<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">SDS is also for unpaid carers who get support in their own right.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legislation.gov.uk\/asp\/2013\/1\/contents\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social Care (Self Directed Support) (Scotland) Act<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Why was Self-directed Support introduced?<\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Self-directed Support was introduced to give people who need care and support more choice, control and flexibility.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Is Self-directed Support something different from social care support?<\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Next steps<\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Find out more about how Self-directed Support came about in the next article: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/handbook.scot\/sds-handbook\/article\/how-self-directed-support-came-about\/\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">How Self-directed Support came about<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Self-directed Support is the way people get care and support in Scotland. Find out more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2842","article","type-article","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/handbook.scot\/sds-handbook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/2842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/handbook.scot\/sds-handbook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/handbook.scot\/sds-handbook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/handbook.scot\/sds-handbook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/2842\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3547,"href":"https:\/\/handbook.scot\/sds-handbook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/2842\/revisions\/3547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/handbook.scot\/sds-handbook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}