"I can employ people to support Craig to do some of the things that he likes." - Martha, Craig's mother

How can it benefit me?

The Scottish Government recently commissioned and published research on the experience of people directing their own support.

The benefits of Self-Directed Support

The research provided qualitative evidence of the experience of clients in receipt of Self-Directed Support. From this, the report authors drew four conclusions about the benefits of Self-Directed Support.

Flexibility, control, choice and independence

Flexibility, control, choice and independence were the most widely reported benefits of Self-Directed Support.

Choice was most commonly referred to in the context of the very personal support that they required. Clients and family carers emphasised the importance of feeling comfortable in the company of their PAs and ensuring that they had the best possible mix of skills and experience.

The related benefits of flexibility and independence those clients experienced were most commonly reflected in comments about maintaining friendships and continuing to pursue interests and social pursuits.

Many clients commented upon the positive impact of their continued independence through helping them to stay positive and to see the potential in things rather than focusing on the barriers and limitations in their situation.

High quality care

Clients reported the sustained delivery of personalised, quality, hands-on care with Self-Directed Support as a significant gain relative to their experience of other forms of service. This underpinned the ability of Self-Directed Support to deliver some of the wider benefits commented upon by clients, such as choice and independence.

Making your own lifestyle choices

It was also commented that Self-Directed Support had a beneficial impact on the clients’ lifestyle, enabling them to continue to live their lives largely as they wished, making decisions about what they did on an hour by hour, day by day basis, without having to follow other people’s timetables or fixed routines.

Keeping families together

Finally, the report authors found that Self-Directed Support enabled families to stay together and family carers to be able to continue in their supporting role. Being confident about the quality of delivered care and being able to retain, but share, their caring role left most feeling valued and supported.

Read the full research document.

For videos of first-hand accounts of the service see our case studies page.