Self-directed support: improvement plan 2023 to 2027

Introduction

The Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 (the SDS Act[1]) sets out important principles governing Scotland’s approach to how social care and support should be delivered. The SDS Act recognises that adults, carers (including young carers), children, and families who need social care support, have the right to choose how that support is delivered in order to lead full lives and live as equal citizens.

Since the Act was introduced, there has been a range of related legislation, statutory guidance and action plans to shift social care and support towards this new model, and to ensure citizens can exercise their right to SDS. The most recent Implementation Plan to support the SDS strategy was in place from 2019 to 2021. This laid out 36 actions that were designed to move forward the implementation of SDS.

Since the previous Plan expired, local authorities, independent support organisations and others involved in delivering SDS have continued improvement activity for the provision of SDS. But there has not been a national plan that sets the strategic direction of this work. This new Plan has been developed to make sure that work taking place to improve SDS is more coherent and better coordinated, focuses on the right priorities, and can be delivered effectively by local authorities, third sector organisations, the Scottish Government and COSLA, working together.

Further change is coming to social care in Scotland in the shape of the proposed National Care Service. At the time of writing, the National Care Service Bill is making its way through Parliament, with an intended start date of 2027. There has been a commitment to ensure the values and principles of SDS underpin the National Care Service.

This Plan is therefore important in moving social care and support further towards delivering fully on the SDS principles of participation and dignity, involvement, informed choice and collaboration.[2] The overarching aim of this Plan, aligned with the intention and values underpinning the SDS Act 2013, is to support and enable people to achieve the outcomes that are important to them, to lead full and meaningful lives, and to participate in and contribute to the economy and society.