News - Self Directed Support Scotland | Self Directed Support Scotland

Funding announced for independent support

New funding has been announced that will enable people in Scotland who use social care, and their carers, to access independent support, information, advice and advocacy. The Support in the Right Direction (SiRD) funding has been granted to 33 organisations across Scotland, and will see them share £9.2 million of funding from Scottish Government across […]

Applications open for Community Brokerage Award 2024-25

Applications are now open for the next delivery of the Community Brokerage Award, running from September 2024 to June 2025. The award is a certified course, worth 30 credits at SCQF level 7. It is relevant to anyone who wants to provide Community Brokerage to build the capacity of people who need support to live full […]

Defining and developing Community Brokerage in Scotland

A new framework has been launched which sets out a national approach to Community Brokerage services in Scotland. Developed as part of the SDS Improvement plan 2023-2027, A Brokerage Framework for Scotland has been co-produced over the past 18 months with Independent Support Organisations and others across the sector. It sets out the values and […]

National plan sets out roadmap to improve training for Personal Assistant Employers and PAs

A new national plan has set out what needs to happen in Scotland to improve access to training for people who employ Personal Assistants. The plan is about the training employers want to give to their PAs as well as the training they might want to access themselves, to support them to be a […]

A new home for Personal Assistant vacancies in Scotland

My Job Scotland is Scotland’s job website for the public and third sector, and one of the most visited recruitment sites in Scotland. And now, it’s also home to a dedicated page for Personal Assistant vacancies. The page has been developed as part of the work of the Personal Assistant Programme Board, which aims to […]

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 […]

Latest Personal Assistant workforce survey findings published

The findings of the second Personal Assistant workforce survey have been published, giving an insight into the PA workforce in Scotland, what motivates and challenges them. Almost 800 PAs responded to the survey, which was carried out in April 2023 following a first survey conducted in 2022. This second set of results allows, for […]

PA Workforce Survey

A key element of the PA Programme Board’s work is the PA Workforce Survey The results of the PA workforce survey inform and influence the work of the Personal Assistants (PA) Programme Board and increase understanding of the PA workforce in Scotland. Self Directed Support Scotland has undertaken two PA workforce surveys and published their […]

Programme announced for SDS National Voice 2024 conference

We are pleased to announce the programme for this year’s SDS National Voice conference, taking place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on Thursday 28 March. SDS National Voice is Scotland’s only national conference dedicated to Self-Directed Support. In 2024 our theme is “A decade of learning”, reflecting the ten years that have passed since […]

SDSS response to post-legislative scrutiny of SDS Act

The Scottish Parliament’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee is currently undertaking an inquiry into how well the Self-directed Support legislation has worked since it came into force in April 2014. The post-legislative scrutiny process, as it is known, aims to see whether the law is working as intended, to contribute to better regulation, […]