Interim National Care Service Advisory Board: Advice to Scottish Ministers and Council Leaders - Self-Directed Support

Advice to Scottish Ministers

To support the increased adoption by local areas of a flexible approach to spend for direct payments – option one – the interim Board recommends that Scottish Ministers undertake the following actions:

• During Year 4 of the Self-directed Support Improvement Plan 2023-2027, direct available budget to support further work on flexibility of spend. This should include building and supporting transformational leadership of integration authorities, community health, health and social care partnerships and local government. This should include developing educational resources, qualifications and/or training on flexibility of spend and brokerage for social workers, local government finance teams and local government leadership to further embed the principles of choice and control
• Build on existing networks for local areas to share good practice on flexibility and social care assessments, in support of a consistent approach across the country. This may involve networks such as the National SDS Collaboration, or the developing Improvement Collaborative
• Through the Social Care Data and Intelligence Programme Board work on Source Data modernisation, identify the numbers of people being assessed and reassessed in each local authority each month – with a view to establishing the costs and resource requirements of providing independent support for all those undergoing (re)assessments
• Through the Social Care Data and Intelligence Programme Board, work with local authorities and health and social care partnerships to develop a proportionate approach to monitoring the implementation of these recommendations.