In 2024, we concluded our review of the Self-directed Support framework of standards, which can be accessed in the Self-directed Support Library, along with a suite of practice resources, including the Self-directed Support Practitioner Toolkit, and five Reflections on Practice describing good Self-directed Support practice across Scotland
- Read the SDS Framework of Standards here: https://hub.careinspectorate.com/resources/self-directed-support-library/self-directed-support-framework-of-standards-2024/
- Find all the SDS resources in the SDS Library here: https://hub.careinspectorate.com/resources/self-directed-support-library/
The Self-directed Support Standards were developed to ensure social workers are empowered to practice in ways that allow people to have greater choice and control in their own lives, in line with their human rights. The Self-directed Support Standards support social workers to explore ‘what matters’ to a person, not ‘what’s the matter’, and together find the right way forward.
We believe Self-directed Support is not new or something to learn, it is not about resource allocation frameworks, and it is not only about an offer of four options. Crucially, Self-directed Support is about the implementation of core social work values of human rights and relationships in practice, and it empowers social workers to be autonomous in exercising their professional judgement, and using their own knowledge, skills and abilities, in partnership with supported people and carers.
In the future, we want to see social workers feeling more confident and enabled to use Self-directed Support to work alongside supported people and carers, and to co-design personalised support for people and their families uninhibited by structural barriers and inflexible systems.
In 2024-2025, Social Work Scotland’s Self-directed Support team has been funded by the Scottish Government to take forward improvement workstreams focusing on priorities set by the Self-directed Support Community of Practice (social workers, managers, leaders and other people working in local government interested and engaged in SDS implementation and improvement) and embedded in the national SDS Improvement Plan which was launched in June 2023.
Our Approach
We are supporting local partnerships to implement the national Self-directed Support standards in three ways:
Involving local innovators and national stakeholders in improvement workstreams focused on specific priorities set by the Community of Practice.
Supporting a dynamic Community of Practice providing a place for all local partnerships to learn together about what works, and to work together on finding solutions to the challenges of transformational change.
Joining our voice with others in the National Collaboration space, where all national Self-directed Support stakeholders can collaborate on their work to develop best practice across Scotland, and contribute to the development of the national Self-directed Support framework.
What we’re currently working on
With our partners in the National Collaboration and Community of Practice, we’re supporting these workstreams:
Workstream 1 – Review of SDS standards
This is about making the standards relevant to all populations, and linking to practice resources.
Supported people, carers, children, families and parents, regardless of the reason they require support in their life, should feel the SDS Standards speak for them. The revised Standards and related practice guidance will help the different professionals in the system better understand their part in implementing good SDS, and more able to fulfil this.
In 2024-2025, we are bringing the SDS standards to local roadshows, working directly with local areas to explore how social work practitioners can use the standards in their day to day work, and how implementers and leaders can embed the standards in their local improvement plans.
Workstream 2 – SDS Practice resources
This is about the tools we need to practice good SDS.
We have launched the SDS Toolkit for practitioners, co-produced with stakeholders, and have good feedback on its usefulness. We are working with the Community of Practice on other pieces of guidance and support for practitioners.
Workstream 3 – Self-evaluation and improvement
This is about learning how to do SDS better.
A self-evaluation framework and practice framework has been refined following early testing in 2023, and we will be trialling it with a further group of local authorities in Autmn 2024. We are setting up a dedicated community of practice to support its use.
Workstream 4.1 – Direct Payment standard
This is about fair and equitable provision for Personal Assistant (PA) employers.
A national Direct Payment standard will ensure direct payments enable employers to exercise self-determination in their own care, and to have greater flexibility and control of their arrangements including being good employers of Personal Assistants. The new standard, standard 13, has being coproduced by SDS stakeholders including employers of PAs, Disabled Peoples Organisations, independent support organisations and local authorities, and will build on the twelve existing foundational standards. Standard 13 will be launched for early testing by three local authorities in 2024.
Workstream 4.2 – Personal Assistant wellbeing
This is about supporting Personal Assistant employers and Personal Assistant’s wellbeing
PAs and PA employers will have access to wellbeing resources which are available to the wider social care and support workforce. Resources have been secured from IMPACT to research, ‘What works in PA Wellbeing’ and develop wellbeing content for the PA Employers Handbook and identify wellbeing tools.
Workstream 5 – Relationship-based practice
This is about moving from care management to relationship-based practice that focuses on what matters to the supported person, and plans for good person-centred outcomes.
Our workstream focussing on relationship-based practice in Self-directed Support started its work in June 2024. Initially, this workstream will explore what we mean by relationship-based practice in the context of Self-directed Support, and work towards a definition and description of what good looks like.
Workstream 6 – Budget approval processes
This is about redesigning processes so that approval for personal budgets is straightforward, and delays are designed out.
This workstream starts its exploration of budget approval processes in summer 2024. Centering on relationship-based practice, the workstream will initially explore the place of budget approval processes in the SDS journey, and work towards a description of what good looks like.
Workstream 7 – Training and practice development
This is about developing supportive approaches to skills-based training, reflective supervision and practice development that nurture confidence in our workers.
Research commissioned by Social Work Scotland to explore the SDS training and practice development that is available to social workers in Scotland will report in summer 2024.
What our partners say
About the project team
“The SDS Project Team has offered substantial clarity and guidance… It offers a vehicle for a national conversation about what works and where there are challenges… Local decision making will inevitably lead to variance in practice but the SDS Project Team offers an opportunity to learn from others so that differences can be minimised.”
“Working with the SDS team has made a huge difference to the work we have been able to do… as we have benefitted from their knowledge and expertise… They have a passion to improve SDS for people who need it and that comes over well”.
“The team has been great and nothing has been a bother. The benefits of working with them has been their focus, knowledge, experience, drive and energy. The team has been supportive and positive. There has been learning for all of us and sharing of wider knowledge.”
“Absolutely, we have benefited and can’t stress enough that if the team hadn’t been in place then we wouldn’t have made the progress that we have. Having the authority of the project team, which is supported by Scottish Government, has given the work we are doing locally great credibility – we wouldn’t be here without them.”
About the work we do
“We owe ourselves the time to do this kind of work [revising the SDS Standards]. We often say ‘why has this not moved on after so many years?’, and what we need is the time to pause and think and talk about what we need to do, and to aspire to, to make it better.”
“I’ve found the toolkit a really good resource that pulls information relating to SDS together, in an easy to read/accessible way. I also found particularly useful the ‘making SDS accessible for all’ section, along with links to enable further information to be accessed as required. Feedback I’ve had from social workers, when sharing the document is that this is a really helpful resource with a lot of good information.”
“It’s been a really positive process, it’s been aspirational, it hasn’t felt rushed, there’s been an opportunity to explore the themes, not process driven. The depth and honesty and level of sharing has been really good, because a lot of sessions don’t allow more than a couple of quick fire observations, whereas this has been a proper exploration of things. Everybody has been thoughtful and sharing. It’s been really good and really effective.”
“It’s been good to look at SDS from a Children & Families perspective since it’s always been viewed as an add-on, and hopefully that will continue in future with Children & Families being more central.”
Contact the Project Team
sds.team@socialworkscotland.org
