Self directed support

Choice and control over your care

The way social care support is delivered across Scotland is changing, to give you more choice and control over how you live your life. 

Choose your own support

Self Directed Support lets you take more control over the money available to meet your agreed care and support needs. It allows you to make choices about your support based on the things that are important

  • to you, and to goals you want to achieve
  • to help you stay safe and well.

You can also choose how you want your agreed support to be organised and managed. There are four options to choose from

  1. We provide you with a Direct payment which you use to arrange your support.
  2. You choose your support and ask us or another organisation to arrange and manage it for you.
  3. You ask us to choose and arrange your support.
  4. You choose a combination of Options 1, 2 or 3. 

Any child, adult or carer, who meets the agreed criteria, can ask to manage their own support.

What to do next

If you already get support from us, you can contact your social worker or care manager, or contact Social Care Direct.

You can also contact us if you do not get support from us but you think you may be eligible.

You can search for care and support services in Edinburgh below.

Personalisation 

The Scottish Government published its national Self-directed Support Strategy in 2010. The Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 becomes law on 1 April, 2014.

In Edinburgh, we think Self Direct Support is part of a bigger programme of change called Personalisation. This is about supporting you to live as independently as you can for as long as you can.