SDSS AGM 2024: round up
Our Annual General Meeting this year saw more than 80 people from our member organisations and across the sector get together to learn about the work we’ve been doing over the past year, hear presentations on the latest work on SDS improvement and social care policy in Scotland, and share learning in a series of workshops.
We’re pleased to share a round up of the event below including recordings of presentations and material from the workshops.
Following our formal AGM, SDS Scotland CEO Donald Macleod shared highlights from our work over the past year, including the further development of the National SDS Collaboration, developing the Community Brokerage model in Scotland, and the launch of the SDS Handbook, among others. You can read more about our work over the year 2023-24 in our annual report.
We were then joined by Christina McLaren, Scottish Government’s Unit Head for Ethical Commissioning and Personal Assistant Policy, and co-chair of the PA Programme Board. Christina reflected on the achievements of the PA Programme Board so far and discussed the latest developments in policy affecting Personal Assistants and Employers, including the future direction of the National Care Service.
Donna Murray from Social Work Scotland’s SDS Team presented the soon-to-be published SDS Standard 13, which aims to identify what good looks like for a Direct Payment for employing Personal Assistants under Option 1.
And finally, SDSS’ Mark Han-Johnston presented the findings from the recent By My Side research project which aims to understand people’s experiences of independent support to navigate and access social care support.
You can catch up on all the presentations from the morning session below:
Workshops
In the afternoon, five workshops covering a range of SDS-related topics took place. You can catch up on the highlights and access the materials from these workshops below.
VOCAL about Independent Living: SDS and unpaid carers
Sharon Leitch and Iain McGregor, Carer Brokerage Practitioners from VOCAL in Midlothian and Edinburgh, led a conversation on Self-Directed Support and unpaid carers. The group discussed the experience of unpaid carers across Scotland, accessing SDS for the person they care for and for themselves. Workshop participants heard about challenges in accessing support, and some good examples of where carers had been able to access support in their own right. You can download the slides from this workshop here.
Pre-assessment support – learning from partnership working between Independent Support and HSCPs in Forth Valley
Well Worthwhile Waiting is a project borne from the collaborative and positive working partnership between local disabled person’s organisation SDS Forth Valley and Falkirk and Stirling & Clackmannanshire HSCPs. The project allows supported people, carers and families to understand the pathway to support via SDS and understand outcomes and support planning before they have had their assessment. This workshop, facilitated by Violet Keenan from SDS Forth Valley and Emma Mitchell from Clackmannanshire and Stirling Health and Social Care Partnership, shared learning from this partnership approach and explored how it could be implemented elsewhere. You can download the slides from this workshop here.
Self-evaluation for Independent Support Organisations – a tool to support learning
SDS Scotland’s Mark Han-Johnston shared his work to developed a self-evaluation tool in partnership with Independent Support Organisations across Scotland. The tool aims to help organisations better understand their practice and how it supports Standard 1 of the SDS Standards. Workshop participants explored existing models of evaluation across the sector and how this tool can complement existing approaches and add to them. You can download the slides from this workshop here.
Implementing the recommendations from the Personal Assistant National Training Framework- a resource for PA Employers & PAs
Following the publication of the National Training Framework: A Resource for PA Employers and PAs in early 2024, progress has been made in implementing the framework. SDSS’ Johanne McBean and Zoe McIntyre shared the latest developments including a sneak preview of the first two e-learning modules for PAs and their employers, which will be launched soon on a brand new online learning hub – Understanding the Value of Personal Assistants and Healthy Working Relationships. The session also explored ideas for topics for future modules. If you would like to suggest a topic or get involved in developing the next modules please get in touch with either Johanne or Zoe from SDSS to share your thoughts.
European models of Personal Assistant employer cooperatives – learning from Sweden and Norway
The European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) facilitated this workshop to share learning from Personal Assistance cooperative models in Europe. Representatives from STIL in Sweden and ULOBA in Norway discussed how these cooperatives support community-based living and challenge societal barriers. The session explored the organisational aspects of cooperatives, including legal base, governance, decision-making, and funding. It also looked at the diverse activities they undertake—from direct member support to broader research, advocacy and awareness initiatives.
You can catch up with the recording of this workshop here:
