North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership

Self-directed support (SDS) gives you more flexibility, choice, and control over the care and support you need. It means you can decide where, when and in what way you get your support. You can also have as little, or as much help as you want to arrange your support.

How do I get self-directed support?

You need to take part in an assessment to determine if you are eligible for self-directed support. A professional will help you complete this assessment and identify your estimated budget. You may need to contribute financially towards your support. Most people come to health and social care through a referral.

You can either self-refer through Service Access at your local Health & Social Care Office or have a referral completed on your behalf by:

• Relatives or carers
• Health and social care staff
• GP or acute hospital staff
• Voluntary organisations
• Education professionals or teachers
• Justice system officers

What are my self-directed support options?

There are four options that you can choose from to help you plan, pay for and manage your support. A professional will help you choose a support plan and agree your individual budget. You will be financially assessed and may need to contribute towards your support. Self-directed Support will not affect any benefits that you receive.

The support plan options are:

• Direct payment – you can use the budget provided to arrange and manage your own support through a personal assistant or support agency
• Individual service fund – we will arrange your preferred method of support and you and your chosen provider will work together to agree how to deliver your care
• Arranged service – we will choose, arrange and manage the support that is best for you
• Mixture of all three options – a combination of the above three options can be chosen, for example, a personal assistant to help with washing and dressing (direct payment) and attend day care for social interaction and being part of your community (arranged services)

Who can help me with SDS queries?

A North Ayrshire HSCP Independent Living Adviser can provide advice and guidance on all SDS options, as well as employment law. 

Ayrshire Independent Living Network (AILN)

AILN provides free advice and support about SDS, working with partner organisations to provide solutions for people who want to explore self-directed support.

You can visit AILN’s accessible offices or an experienced SDS advisor will visit you in your own home.

Useful SDS Resources

• SDS Scotland
  Self-Directed Support Scotland (SDSS) helps people get information about the support they may need. The team represents local independent support organisations who provide advice and support on SDS. SDSS work to ensure SDS is implemented successfully so that people have flexibility, choice and control over their lives.
• SDS Act 2013
  The Scottish Government made a new law in 2014 about Self-directed Support (SDS). SDS allows people more flexibility, choice and control to arrange the social care support they may need to help them live as independently as possible.
• SDS Statutory Guidance
  This document helps guide people and the Health & Social Care Partnership on how to provide social care support.
• SDS Statutory Guidance – Easy Read
  This document helps guide people and the Health & Social Care Partnership on how to provide social care support.
• Direct Payment Regulations 2014
  A Direct Payment is one of the four options of SDS that allows the Health & Social Care Partnership to provide a cash payment to someone to meet their social care needs identified through an assessment.
• Personal Assistant Employers’ Handbook
  A guide for people employing or thinking of employing their own staff through the social care support they receive. This is for people who choose Self-directed Support (SDS) option 1 – Direct Payments.