Self-Directed Support

If you are entitled to care and support paid for by your council, you now have more options about what that support looks like. This is called Self-directed Support (SDS for short). SDS is the way social care works in Scotland.

It means that when you are assessed by the social work department for social care, you must be given a choice about how your care and support is organised and how much control you have over it.

There are 4 options in SDS.

• Option 1 means the council pays the money for your care directly to you (or a person who can manage your money for you). You can employ your own staff, or ask a care provider like Ark to provide your care. You then use the money the council gave you to pay for it all.
• Option 2 means you choose the care provider you want – like Ark. The council pays the money for your care to Ark, but you agree directly with Ark what you want your support to look like.
• Option 3 is traditional service provision – the council arranges your support and what it looks like directly with the care provider they have decided will provide care and support in your community.
• Option 4 is a mix of the other options. For example, that the council organises your day centre and pays for it directly, and you are paid the rest of the money to pay for staff you’ve employed.

The money for your care and support is called your budget. It can only be used to meet the needs you have that the council will pay for, but that doesn’t have to just be time with a support worker.

We currently provide services to people using Option 2, Option 3 and Option 4. If you would like to make a choice about SDS, or change your current SDS choice – speak to your care manager (social worker). If you would like more information about our care and support, to decide whether we are right for you – please contact the Ark Operations Manager for where you live.

For further information on self directed support, you can download our easy read booklet.