Self-Directed Support

Once your needs have been assessed, the person carrying out your assessment should talk to you about the services you require to meet your needs. These services can be provided by the local authority, or by another organisation on behalf of the local authority, and these other organisations can be private companies, voluntary organisations or charities.

In Scotland, you should be offered different options for Self-Directed Support (SDS). These options include:

• Asking for a Direct Payment to purchase your own services directly,
• Asking for an Individual Budget that the local authority holds for you, even though the local authority still make all the arrangements for you,
• Asking the local authority to arrange and provide services with you that you agree meet your needs, and 
• A mix of the options above.

Whatever option you choose for having your services delivered, the charging rules apply in exactly the same way – this means that you will still be assessed to establish whether you should be charged and how much that charge should be. Some local authorities refer to this as a Care and Support Charge and some talk about people making a contribution, but the rules are the same.