Self-directed support is the name given to the way social care services have been redesigned to focus on individuals. It is particularly new to Mental Health services, people with a critical or substantial level of need could now be eligible for ‘personal budget’ which they can use to “buy” services.
SDS funding is means-tested, so even if you are eligible for support you may not get all the funding to pay for it. These changes also affects local voluntary organisations. As their direct funding is cut, they increasingly have to “sell” their services to their users to maintain their work.
Story: Georgina Burkoff
Ashton Wynter, from local charity SACHMA- the Health and Social Care Company, said:
“It’s a whole new world for us because we are having to sell our services and we have never had to do that before. We are now in an open market place along with all other adult support services in Sheffield – so it is going to be difficult.”
SACHMA offer help to individuals with personal budgets and managing their finances. Although wary of the new process, he wants to remain positive about its long-term outcome.
“It’s amazing how adaptable people can be when they have the right support. If people access the right service, they will get all the help they need and they can purchase more individualised support than they could in the past.”
SAGE Greenfingers uses horticultural therapy to address people’s mental and physical health problems. Although manager Diana Tottle sees the potential in empowering people, she worries that the new funding means they can only provide a service to those with the most severe mental health needs:
“At the moment users with different levels of need mix together. The new scheme is forcing us to become a more segregated organisation and the jury is out whether that will work better.” Saeed Abdi, from the Somali Mental Health Project, which offers help to the Somali community to access mental health services, said,
“SDS is particularly difficult for the BME service users. It is daunting for people to be responsible for their own care when there are already many barriers to accessing services, such as not speaking English. With SDS, there are no guarantees that people will be able to pay for the services.”
If you think you will be affected by the changes, speak to your support worker or the local organisation who supports you.