The implications of self-directed support for residential child care

Duffy, Simon (2015) The implications of self-directed support for residential child care. Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care, 14 (3). ISSN 1478-1840

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Abstract

The Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 promotes the individualisation of funding for support and, in theory, creates new opportunities for innovation; but there is also room for confusion, competing interpretations and unintended consequences. This article aims to provide some initial guidance for practitioners who want to use these changes to enhance best practice, rather than to be swept up in a process of change that can often lose any coherent meaning and have unintended consequences. I argue that effective use of self-directed support will require us to build on what already works well in services for children and identify new models that can be extended and developed.