Self-Directed Support (SDS)
Scottish Government is committed to self-directed support (SDS) being the way that all social care must be delivered in Scotland, and to putting in place measures that strengthen the implementation of SDS, centred on human rights approaches and the voice of lived experience. As Scotland progresses towards the delivery of a National Care Service, the enhanced implementation of SDS must be comprehensive, consistent and fair, supporting people of all ages and improving co-ordination between different aspects of care and support.
The SDS Standards have been developed to ensure social workers are empowered to practice in creative, and innovative ways which allow people to have greater choice control in their own lives. The SDS Standards support social workers to explore ‘what matters’ to a person, not ‘what’s the matter’, and together find the right way forward.
Self-directed Support is not new or something to learn, it is not about resource allocation frameworks, and it is not only about an offer of 4 options. Crucially, Self-directed Support is about the implementation of core social work values of human rights and relationships in practice, and it empowers social workers to be autonomous in exercising their professional judgement, and using their own knowledge, skills and abilities, in partnership with supported people.
In the future, we want to see social workers feeling more confident and enabled to use Self-directed Support to work more collaboratively with supported people, and to co-design personalised support for people and their families uninhibited by structural barriers and inflexible systems.
Further information
The following links will provide a good oversight of the current developments around SDS in Scotland.
