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Self-directed support – podcast transcript 
I’m here with Douglas Sinclair, chair of the Accounts Commission to talk about a new report on Self-Directed Support
Douglas, can you tell me what this report is about…
Yes, from April this year there is a legal duty on councils to offer what is called self-directed support to people assessed as needing social care. It gives people the right to choose and tailor the support they receive. That’s a big change and it’s part of a wider strategy which will transform social care over a period of ten years.
What have you found?

Well, firstly some   context, every year Scotland's councils spend almost £3 b billion on social care services. What we are talking about here is a major shift both in culture and in the practical provision of social care.

It is going to have  a significant impact in the way councils manage budgets. They will have to work more closely with service users and the private and voluntary sectors to develop new services to meet the choices people make for their support.

So far progress has been mixed. To be fair, it is still early days of the new duty. Some councils have been on the case for some time and others have only recently addressed it.

Councils are using different approaches to determine how much they spend on each person's support. Each approach carries different benefits and risks which will need to be managed carefully.

What does this mean for the public?

It means giving people more control over the services they need. And that has been welcomed both by staff and users’ groups – the folk receiving care and the folk who deliver it.  

What do you want to see happen next?

Well today’s report makes a number of practical recommendations. These are there to help councils in their work to roll out and fully implement the policy over the next months, and indeed, years.
Some councils need to up their game to ensure self-directed support is successfully delivered on the ground. The public after all will rightly expect no less

Douglas, thank you.