Category: News
SDSS reflections on International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2025
Today, on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we join the global call to create societies that are truly inclusive, equitable, and sustainable for disabled people. This year’s theme,…
Highlights from SDS Scotland AGM 2025
Our Annual General Meeting this year brought together over 50 members and colleagues from across the Self-directed Support (SDS) sector for a day of learning, discussion, and collaboration. Held online, the event provided an opportunity…
Our latest Annual Report 2025
Today we published our most recent Annual Report, sharing highlights from our work over the past year. Covering the period April 2024 – March 2025, the report includes details of…
Scottish PA Workforce Survey 2025 results report published
Self Directed Support Scotland is pleased to publish the findings of the third Personal Assistant Workforce Survey! The 2025 PA Workforce Survey, conducted between 1st April and 5th May 2025,…
Reports exploring SDS implementation published
Self Directed Support Scotland (SDSS) have published three reports, exploring the following topics: Exploring barriers to Self-Directed Support for People Living with Dementia (here) Self-directed Support in the Alcohol and…
Care Reform (Scotland) Bill passed by Scottish Parliament
The Care Reform (Scotland) Bill has now been passed by Scottish Parliament. The Bill has been passed following it’s original iteration of the National Care Service Bill. The Bill will…
Reflecting on the 2025 Open Meeting of the PA Programme Board
The annual open meeting of the PA Programme Board was held online on Thursday 26th June. The Open Meeting was the chance for PAs to find out what the Programme Board…
New SDS Standard for Social Workers Published
Social Work Scotland have now published SDS Standard 13: Direct Payments for employing Personal Assistants. The Standard aims to ensure that Personal Assistant employers are consistently supported by social workers…
Invitation to learn about work that supports PAs in Scotland
The Personal Assistant Programme Board is a group of people including Scottish Government who are working to improve things across Scotland for PAs and Employers. Once a year the…
Reflecting on SDS National Voice 2025
In March we were delighted to welcome more than 160 people to our annual conference, SDS National Voice. Held in person at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, and online for…
Scottish Personal Assistant Workforce Survey 2025
Calling all Personal Assistants! We need your help to understand more about the Personal Assistant workforce in Scotland. The Scottish Personal Assistant Workforce Survey 2025 is now live, and we…
PA Recruitment toolkit published
A new toolkit has been published which it is hoped will help Personal Assistant Employers, and the organisations which support them, with recruiting PAs. The toolkit, which has been developed…
Increase in the minimum hourly rate for PAs from April 2025
The Scottish Government has announced that the minimum rate of pay for Personal Assistants will increase to £12.60 an hour from April 2025. The increase is part of funding agreed…
Workshops announced for SDS National Voice conference 2025
With just a month to go until the SDS National Voice conference on 19 March 2025, we’re pleased to announce details of the workshops that will be taking place on…
Independent Living Fund Broadens their Eligibility Criteria to Account for Unpaid Care
As of the 27th of January 2025, the Independent Living Fund Scotland has announced that applications can now be submitted where the budget is less than £800 but more than…