Self-directed Support Implementation Study 2018: report 3

Conclusion

Whilst the four self-directed support options are a gateway to choice and control, the case studies provide evidence that what is potentially more important than the available options in an area is:

• the quality of the social care assessment, including a genuinely ‘good conversation’;
• the degree to which there is a focus on outcomes;
• the budgets available to meet these outcomes and the availability of local providers able to deliver the support required; and
• the enabled creativity and authority of supported people, social workers and the care market to find solutions to meet those outcomes.

Any future evaluation will need to focus on these elements, along with the cost-effectiveness, in order to understand whether and why self-directed approaches to social care in Scotland are being realised, whether the principles are being upheld, and whether the intended policy outcomes are being achieved.