Category: News
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…
New e-learning modules launched for Personal Assistants
Two brand new e-learning modules aimed at Personal Assistants and their Employers have been launched by Self Directed Support Scotland. The modules were developed following the publication of the Personal…
Applications now open for Community Brokerage course 2025/26
Applications are now open for the next delivery of the Community Brokerage Award, running from September 2025 to June 2026. The Award is a certified course that will help you…
Programme announced for SDS National Voice conference 2025
The programme for this year’s SDS National Voice conference, Scotland’s only national conference dedicated to Self-directed Support, has been announced. Organised by Self Directed Support Scotland and now in its…
Scottish Government Outlines Future of National Care Service Bill
Following an extension to the National Care Service Stage 2 Bill Process in November, the Scottish Government has announced it will drop part one of the Bill, which had intended…
SDSS AGM 2024: round up
Our Annual General Meeting this year saw more than 80 people from our member organisations and across the sector get together to learn about the work we’ve been doing over…
Scottish Government Confirms Extension to National Care Service Stage 2 Bill Process
Maree Todd, Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, has written to stakeholders on the 14th of November to confirm that the Stage 2 consideration of the National Care…
Research shows value of independent SDS support
New research published by Self Directed Support Scotland has demonstrated the value people place on having independent help to access social care support. The By My Side research, conducted over…
Our latest Annual Report
Today we published our most recent Annual Report, sharing highlights from our work over the past year. Covering the period April 2023 – March 2024, the report includes details of…
Recruiting user testers for online search tools
Can you help us make it easier for people to find support with SDS, and training for Personal Assistants? We are currently working on two online search tools: Redeveloping the…