Have you had help to sort out your social care support? 

Complete the By My Side survey now: qrco.de/bymysidesurvey

We are doing a research project called By My Side, all about the support people get when they need help to navigate and organise social care. 

There are organisations across Scotland which are independent from the council and can give you help and advice about social care (this is sometimes called Self-directed Support, or SDS).  

They include organisations like: 

• Independent SDS support services 
• Carers’ centre 
• Advocacy services 
• Brokerage services 
• Peer Support groups 

If you have had help from an organisation like this over the past year, we want to find out about your experience. 

If you have tried to get help from an organisation like this in the past year, and have not been able to get the help you were looking for, we want to understand why. 

There is a short survey we would like you to fill in to tell us about your experience. 

We will use the results from the survey to find out if there are any gaps in where help is available, and find out what works best for people when they need help to sort out their social care support. 

The survey takes 10 minutes to complete and is anonymous. 

You can take part in the survey until Monday 1 April 2024.

Fill in the survey now: qrco.de/bymysidesurvey

Please note, this survey is not asking you about your experience of dealing with your council, or any care agency or support provider you use. It is just about the help you may have had from an organisation that helps you sort out your social care support. 

FAQs 

Who is the survey for?  

This survey is for anyone who has had help from an organisation to sort out their social care support in the past year. You could be: 

• Someone who got help from an Independent SDS Support service 
• An unpaid carer or family carer who got help from a carers’ centre  
• Someone who got help with social care support issues from an advocacy service. 

We also want you to complete the survey if you tried to get this kind of help in the past year, but were not able to – we want to find out why you could not get the help you needed. 

Can I get a paper copy of the survey? 

Yes, if you’d prefer to fill in the survey on paper, please call us free on 0800 841 1222 and we will post a copy to you. Phone lines are open Monday to Friday, 9.30am – 4.30pm. 

Can I get an Easy Read version of the survey? 

Yes. Please call us free on 0800 841 1222 and we will post a copy to you. Phone lines are open Monday to Friday, 9.30am – 4.30pm. 

Can I get help to fill in the survey? 

Yes, if you prefer you can call us to complete the survey over the phone. Call us free on 0800 841 1222 to do this. Phone lines are open Monday to Friday, 9.30am – 4.30pm. 

Can I speak to someone about my experience rather than fill in a survey? 

Yes, if you prefer, you can take part in an online focus group to share your experience rather than filling in a survey.

There are focus groups taking place throughout February and March. You can find details on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/by-my-side-research-on-using-independent-support-for-sds-in-scotland-tickets-825409139957?aff=oddtdtcreator 

How will the answers be used? 

We want to find out more about your experience so we can improve the support people get when they need help to sort out their social care. Your answers will help us understand: 

• what kind of help works well for people 
• when and how often people need help to sort out social care support 
• how people prefer to get this kind of help – for example in person, or on the phone 
• if there are any gaps in what help is available – for example in different parts of Scotland 
• what can be done to improve the help that is available to people to sort out their social care support. 

Who is running the survey? 

This survey is being run by Self-Directed Support Scotland. We are a membership organisation, run by and for disabled people. Our members support thousands of people across Scotland with their social care choices. Together we work to ensure that Self-directed Support is implemented successfully so that people have full choice and control over their lives.