Elderly home care funding support in Scotland

If you are living in Scotland, you may be eligible for additional funding for home care through ‘Self-Directed Support' (SDS).

If you are assessed by a council as needing support, you are automatically entitled to use SDS as a way of receiving that support.

What is Self-Directed Support?

People who are eligible for support for social care or health and social care, can direct their own support. SDS lets you choose how your support is provided, giving you as much control as you want over your individual budget.

What can you use Self-Directed Support for?

Self-Directed Support can be used in many ways. You can use your SDS budget to get support to remain living in your own home, such as help having a bath, preparing meals or getting washed and dressed. SDS allows for you to arrange for someone to come in at times that suit you rather than the local authority.

For example, instead of someone from the council coming in at 7.30am to help you get out of bed, SDS allows you to choose a provider such as Home Instead Senior Care to come at a time that suits you. These small changes can make a huge impact on an individual’s life but many people do not realise it is an option. 

Am I eligible for Self-Directed Support?

If you feel that you have a need for care or support in daily living, then you should contact your local Social Work office to discuss this with a social worker and arrange for an assessment to be carried out. Social Work have a duty to support people in need and they must be sure that any resources they allocate are sufficient to meet those needs.

Each Council may have slightly different processes but it is most likely that in your area there will be a central contact telephone number. You can either call yourself, or have a friend, neighbour, doctor, family member, nurse, or another make contact on your behalf.

Four steps for accessing SDS

1. Make Contact 

First, make contact with your local Social Work office – if you’re unsure how to do this, contact your local Home Instead office in Scotland. If you are in hospital, a social worker will visit you before discharge to assess your needs when you get home. 

2. Arrange an Assessment

A social worker will visit you and make an assessment of your needs to see if you are eligible for support. The assessment focuses on what you can do well and areas where you may need support. At each part of the assessment, points are allocated to produce an indicative SDS budget.

3. Build a Support Plan

Social workers have the responsibility of agreeing a support plan which meets your agreed desirable outcomes.

Some of the essential criteria that should be discussed in your support plan are:

  • What is important to you
  • What are your specific desirable outcomes
  • How will you be supported
  • How will you use your individual budget
  • How will your support be managed
  • How will you stay in control
  • What is the action plan

4. Finalise a Support Plan

Once everything is agreed, you should receive a copy of your care plan. This will identify how your agreed outcomes will be met and how your individual budget should be used. This typically includes a stated number of hours of care and support. At this point, you should be given FOUR options of how you receive the support and spend the budget.

Four ways to use your SDS Budget

Option 1 - Direct Payments

You can choose to receive a direct payment from the local council based on the agreed budget and manage your own support plan.

Home Instead Senior Care can deliver your support plan via this direct payment method.

Option 2 - Individual Service Fund

You choose who will deliver your support plan and the local council pays them directly. The care provider manages the service on your behalf.

In this case, Home Instead Senior Care can deliver and manage your support plan, get paid directly by the council and you don’t have to do a thing.

Option 3 - Social Work deliver your Support Plan

Social Work arrange and manage your support plan and care needs, with their own local council employees or through a third party approved provider. 

Option 4 - A combination of the above

A mix of the first 3 options may be used if you feel this is best for you.


Find out more about Self-Directed Support here. 

Get in touch with us – we’d be happy to help.