When a Scottish council agrees that someone needs social care, it must then offer a choice about how that care is arranged. The choice is easy to miss, and families can end up accepting whatever the council proposes first.
What it is
Self-directed support is the framework in the Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013. It applies after you have been assessed as eligible for support. The council then has a duty to offer four options for how that support is organised.
The council still decides what you are eligible for and how much money is available. The options are about who chooses, who arranges and who handles the money.
Option 1: a direct payment
The council pays you the money and you arrange your own support. The Act lets you use the payment to buy support from any provider, including the council. That can mean employing a personal assistant, or choosing an agency yourself.
It gives the most control and the most responsibility. You become the one who manages the money, and if you employ someone, the employer.
Option 2: you choose, the council arranges
You decide what support you want and from whom. The council makes the arrangements and pays for it. The council still decides how much it will give towards your support, so the budget is its figure, not yours.
This suits people who want a say in who supports them but don't want the paperwork of employing someone.
Option 3: the council chooses
The council selects the support, makes the arrangements and pays for it. You have little say in the provider. It involves the least work for you and the least choice.
Option 4: a mixture
You can choose different options for different types of support. You might take a direct payment for personal assistants and leave the council to arrange a day centre place. The Act lets you pick Option 1, 2 or 3 separately for each type of support.
How to choose
Ask what the budget is before choosing, because it frames everything else. Ask what each option would mean in practice: who recruits, who pays, who deals with problems if a provider lets you down. And think about who will do the work. A direct payment is a good fit if you or a relative can manage the administration. If nobody can, Option 2 or 3 may serve you better.
If your needs or circumstances change, ask the council about reviewing your choice.
How it fits with other support
Free personal care sits alongside it. Our guide to free personal care in Scotland covers who qualifies and the weekly rates. Pension-age people with care needs may also be entitled to a disability payment, as explained in our guide to Pension Age Disability Payment.
When someone can't choose for themselves
If a person lacks capacity, someone else has to make the choice. A welfare attorney under a power of attorney can do that, and so can a guardian. Without either, the family may need a guardianship order.
Richard helps families put the legal and financial pieces in place before care is needed. See our Long-Term Care Planning page.