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.