Self-directed support advice
Transform your care and your life with free help from the experts on our SDS national advice line - for individuals, carers, and families.
Transform your care and your life with free help from the experts on our SDS national advice line - for individuals, carers, and families.
We offer anyone with a learning disability accessible information, advice and 1:1 support, with no time limit. This can empower you to take control of your support and discover and decide what's really important to you and your life.
Our SDS service is the first national advice line on self-directed support for individuals, carers, and families. We believe that human rights driven, self-directed social care has the power to transform lives. And yet not everyone knows about their rights to self-directed support, or how to access it.
We are determined to change that.
Our SDS service offers:
accessible advice and guidance in a way that's easy to understand
online information sessions and peer discussions
1:1 support and ongoing casework for more complex cases
help to understand the four budget options and what they could mean for you
support with assessments, reviews and person-centred planning
representing you with social work, school, healthcare or other professionals
the empowerment to positively challenge decision- makers
help to use your social care budget more creatively
We believe in the power of SDS and want to empower everyone to access it. Through this service, we can ensure that people who have a learning disability are supported to live the lives they choose.
Whether you’re a carer, an adult who needs support, a child or young person, you can apply to your local authority for an assessment for support. Some local authorities will treat your initial call as part of the assessment. That’s why it’s a good idea to call us first.
We can help you understand the process and what to expect. We can support you through the assessment planning process, help you understand your support options, and how you can get the most from your support budget. We can also help you when it’s time for your annual assessment review.
Nova and her family were struggling to navigate through the social care system, until they discovered our national SDS service.
Nova’s storyRead our leaflet on getting support
Visit the Self Directed support Scotland website
Enable's SDS service is delivered with support from the ALLIANCE Self-Management Fund, INSPIRING Scotland, the Scottish Government and the William Grant Foundation.