Self-directed Support (SDS) empowers people to be equal partners in their care and support decisions and to participate fully in all aspects of independent living. It incorporates core social work and wider human rights values and should lead to greater choice and control, improved experiences, assessed needs being met and agreed outcomes being fulfilled.
The Social Care (Self-directed Support)(Scotland) Act 2013 sets out key principles which should underpin the implementation of SDS, these include:
- A person must have as much involvement as they wish in relation to, the assessment of their needs and the provision of support or services
- A person must be provided with any assistance that is reasonably required to enable them to, express views about the options for self-directed support and make an informed choice about choosing an option
- A local authority must collaborate with a person in relation to the assessment of their needs and the provision of support or services to them
- A local authority must take reasonable steps so that the right to dignity of the person and their right to participate in the life of the community are both respected
Self-directed Support is about understanding what matters to a person and working in partnership with them to put in place the social care arrangements that best fit their assessed needs, current circumstances and preferred outcomes.
We hope you find the information contained in these pages to be interesting and useful. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any queries about their content or about the implementation of SDS in Aberdeen more generally.
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