Self-Directed Support (SDS)

1. Self-Directed Support (SDS) Grace MacDonald, SDS Project Manager, Fife Council Scottish Head Injury Forum : Money Matters 7th September 2012, Perth.

2. Outline • What is SDS? • Brief Overview • Dispelling Myths • Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Bill • Overview • Timescales • Opportunities and Challenges • Questions/Discussion Session

3. What is SDS? • Process through which individuals eligible for social care offered more choice and control over care and support they receive. • Principles: • Starts with the individual as a person considering their strengths, needs and goals. • Recognises that individual is best placed to know what they need and how those needs can be best met. • With support and advice, individuals can make their own decisions about what they require to meet their needs and to achieve their goals. • Available to all , imposed on none”

4. The Bigger Picture • SDS principles and Bill links to: • Wider social care and health policies including e.g. Reshaping Care, Health and Social Care Integration, Christie Commission, Carers and Young Carers Strategies, NHS Quality Strategy. • Development of Direct Payments, National SDS Strategy (2010), Local authority and health SDS test sites.

5. What SDS is Not • Privatisation • A way of removing professional input • A new welfare benefit • Guaranteed savings for local authorities

6. Social Care (Self-directed Support) Scotland Bill – Timescales • Draft Bill introduced to Scottish Parliament on 29.2.12. • Stage 1 Consultation Report Published Summer 2012 • Bill likely to be passed in 2013. • Timescales for Implementation- late 2013/early 2014? • Sets out 4 options for individuals eligible for social care.

7. SDS Framework • The local authority has to assess an individual’s care needs. This will not change. • Must involve person and focus on outcomes for individuals. • If eligible, the Local Authority must give individuals : • accessible information and support so they are able to choose the best option for them. • different choices to meet their care and support needs : 4 options.

8. Option 1 – Direct Payment • The local authority will decide how much money can be spent on individual’s support. • Individual take money and arranges own support e.g. employs care staff, buys a service from a care organisation. • Most choice and control but also most responsibility.

9. Option 2 – Individual Decides and the Local Authority Arranges Support • The local authority will decide how much money can be spent on individual’s support. • Individual chooses a care organisation to provide support and the local authority will arrange it. • Individual has choice and control but less responsibility for arranging things.

10. Option 3 – After talking to Individual, the Local Authority Decides and Arranges Support • The local authority will decide how much money can be spent on individual’s support. • Local authority arranges support for individual. • Least responsibility but less choice and control.

11. Option 4 –Individual Uses Mix of Options to Arrange Care and Support. • Some people will want to control some parts of their care and support but not other parts. • Option 4 lets individual pick the parts they want to decide about and what parts they want to leave to the local authority. • Can be mix of Options 1, 2 and 3.

12. Cross Cutting Themes of SDS Bill • Collaborative working • Review • Access to information, advice and support • SDS for all ages and for carers.

13. SDS Bill and Health • New duties at present primarily for local authorities. • In exceptions where social care functions delegated to health authority, SDS duties to be transferred to health. • Strong encouragement for health and local authorities to work in partnership in line with SDS principles. • Encourage greater uptake of Direct Payments for health and social care. • Integration agenda and feedback from NHS test sites.

14. Challenges • Changing cultures e.g. move away from professional needs assessment to person centred outcomes focussed assessment and support. • Staff time. • New systems and procedures e.g. financial, legal – avoiding bureaucracy. • Information provision – need for accessible, independent and consistent information. • Being responsive to changing circumstances with individuals. • Meeting increasing need with declining resources……

20. Opportunities • More choice and control for individuals. • Stronger and more holistic partnership working around individuals with health and social care needs. • Mechanism to assist other agendas e.g. personalisation, quality management. • More responsive, timely and person focussed support. • Greater creativity: new ways of doing things better. • Last but not least …. A better quality of life for individuals receiving care.

21. Useful Sources of Information on SDS • www.selfdirectedsupportscotland.org.uk This is the Scottish Government’s one-stop-shop for information about Self-Directed Support for people who use social care services and health and social care professionals. • https://knowledgehub.local.gov.uk/web/khubIf you work in the health and social care sector, join the SDS Group on the Knowledge Hub and share practice and learning with your colleagues across Scotland. • http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/Bills/48001.aspx For copies of the Bill, associated consultation reports information and timescales/stages for implementation. • Grace MacDonald, SDS Project Manager, Fife Council, Social Work Service:  • Tel: 08451 555555 Ext 460708 • Mob: 07515 289991 • Email: grace.macdonald@fife.gov.uk