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, improve the focus on implementation of the law, and to identify good practice around implementation.

SDS Scotland has produced a response in consultation with our members, to share our views on the current implementation of the law, and how it can be improved.

In our response, we reflect on:

• the positive changes that SDS legislation has brought about
• some of the main challenges in implementation
• the role that Independent SDS Support services have played in enabling people to achieve their legal rights around SDS
• our recommendations for further action.

Our response also draws on the My Support My Choice research, conducted in partnership with the Alliance in 2020, which remains the most extensive research into individuals’ experiences of SDS in Scotland since the legislation came into force.

Next steps

The public call for views to inform the post-legislative scrutiny process closes today, but the committee will be entering a second phase of taking evidence in the coming months before producing their final report. We will post updates on our website and other communication channels as the review progresses.

Read our full response: Post-legislative scrutiny of the Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 – SDSS response Jan 2024