Join us for our Annual General Meeting to hear about our work over the past year, our current projects, and keynote presentations from across the sector.

SDSS members will also hear about our annual accounts and have the chance to vote on our Board members.

And we’ll have a range of interactive workshops to explore the latest developments in Self-directed Support.

Programme for the day

11.00 am – Self Directed Support Scotland’s AGM 

SDSS Members are invited to join us to hear about our work over the past year, our financial accounts, and vote on the election of Board members.

AGM agenda:

1. Welcome and apologies
2. Previous Minutes
3. Chair’s report
4. Appointment of Trustees
5. Treasurer’s report
6. Approve Independent Inspection of Accounts by Alan Grieg for 23/24
7. Any other competent business
8. Close

11.25 am – Break 

11.30 am – Presentations 

SDSS members and others attendees are welcome to join us for the rest of the programme.

11.35 am – SDS and social care transformation

Rachael McGruer, Deputy Director, Adult Social Care Local Improvement and Transformation Division, Scottish Government 

Rachael McGruer joins us to discuss the latest developments in Scottish Government’s social care policy, including the National Care Service, SDS Improvement Plan and Carers’ Strategy. 

12.00 noon – SDSS’ key achievements, current work and future focus

Donald Macleod, CEO, SDSS

Hear about our achievements over the past year, our current projects and priorities. 

12.15 pm – PA Employer & PA Training Framework

Emmanuelle Le Coz and Johanne McBean

Find out more about the work to develop a national framework to improve access to training for PA Employers and their PAs. Emmanuelle Le Coz and Johanne McBean share their work so far in understanding employers’ and PAs’ needs around training, and a proposal for how the framework will take shape. 

12.35pm – National Brokerage Framework

Anne-Marie Monaghan

Brokerage, independent support and Disabled Peoples’ Organisations have worked together to co-produce a National Brokerage Framework that defines the Community Brokerage approach in Scotland. Anne-Marie Monaghan shares how the Framework has been developed and what it means for Community Brokerage and Independent Support in Scotland. 

1.00 pm – Lunch break

1.45 pm – Workshops

Attendees can choose to attend one of a selection of workshops on the latest work around Self-directed Support:

1. Improving Self-directed Support in our local authority area

The West Lothian Self-directed Support Forum is a group of individuals in the community who believe in the principles of Self-directed Support (SDS). Our aim is to empower individuals in West Lothian with support needs to have greater choice and control over their own lives. 

Come along to hear who we are, how we got together, what we are doing now and what we plan to do in the future!

2. Researching the quality of Independent Support for SDS in Scotland

SDS Scotland are undertaking a major piece of research to look at people’s experience of accessing Independent Support across Scotland. This will include people receiving SDS and carers. We want to understand the quality of people’s experience when using Independent SDS Information and Support services, advocacy and brokerage services. 

Come along to this workshop, facilitated by SDSS’ Mark Han-Johnston, if you’d like to find out more about the research, how you can get involved, or learn how you can support this locally. 

3. Developing an online SDS Handbook 

SDS Scotland is currently developing an online SDS Handbook, building on the format of the existing PA & Employer Handbook, but covering all aspects of SDS. 

Join SDSS’ Kayleigh Hirst for this workshop to learn more about the Handbook, its scope and aims, and contribute your ideas for what should be included and how it should be promoted.  

4. PA Employer and PA training framework

Join SDSS’ Emmanuelle Le Coz and Johanne McBean for this workshop, where you’ll have the chance to discuss in further detail the development of the PA Employer and PA Training Framework. Share your thoughts on the topics proposed, the tools and ideas, to help them shape and evaluate the final product. 

5. A Time to be Bold – Scotland-wide learning from the GDA Future Visions projects

Throughout 2021-22 and ongoing, Glasgow Disability Alliance and the Centre for Disability Research, University of Glasgow have been collaborating on the latest iteration of ‘Future Visions for Social Care’. The project combines support for disabled people in the Glasgow region to find pathways to independent living, alongside a Social Care Expert Group that seeks to influence social care and National Care Service policy at local and national levels.

At this workshop GDA will share collaborative research and practice findings which aim to support thinking about future directions for social care in Scotland. Be Bold argues that in order to fulfil the ambition of collaborative reform of social care and to achieve consistency and equality in social care in every area of Scotland, a disabled-people led organisation needs to be sustained in every local authority area, to lead a Future Visions-style programme.

3.00 pm – Close

Accessibility

The meeting will be held online via Microsoft Teams. Subtitles and chat function will be available.

If you require BSL interpretation please let us know by Monday 23 October at the latest.

If you have any other accessibility requirements, please let us know when you book your ticket, or contact us at info@sdsscotland.org.uk