Hi, my son has started a volunteer role in Glasgow, which he is loving and doing wonders for his mental health. However, as he is currently unable to use public transport, it is costing us a lot of money per month in petrol to get him to work and back. Does anyone know if we could use his SDS direct payment for petrol? I’d rather not start the conversation with Social Work if I am wasting my time.
Depends on the agreed personal outcomes I should think. Does volunteering meet the agreed outcomes? The outcomes should be written into the support plan that you agreed with the social worker.
Hi Linda,
Many thanks for the email. I’m pleased to hear that your son has found a role that he is enjoying so much.
I think Josh has picked up on a very important point. If you have a Personal Outcomes Plan, this enables you to highlight what your son’s Personal Outcomes are and how they can be achieved. As part of the plan, you can work out how you might use your son’s SDS budget to achieve his outcomes. This could enable you to use it in a variety of ways, which potentially might cover the cost of transport.
If we looked at the information in the SDS Standards, this states:
‘Children, young people, families, supported people and carers have flexibility and choice in how
budgets are spent to meet their agreed personal outcomes.’ (p.32) (my emphasis)
‘The budget allocated under the chosen Self-directed Support option should be sufficient to meet agreed outcomes identified in the assessment.’ (p.33)
‘Personal budgets can be spent in any way that is legal and that is related to meeting agreed personal outcomes.’ (p.33) (my emphasis)
‘Social work practitioners should encourage and support people to think creatively and flexibly in how their budgets can be spent.’ (p,33)
So the Standards expect people to be able to exercise choice and flexibility over how they use their SDS budget - and crucially, how this can meet their Personal Outcomes.
You can find further details on the SDS Standards here.
There is further support for this in the SDS Statutory Guidance which states:
‘The authority should ensure that the relevant local guidance or procedures work to assist the person to use the available financial resource in a variety of ways. In other words, to use it in any way provided that it will secure the provision of support agreed with the practitioner and provided that it meets the outcomes contained in the support plan.’ (p.18) (my emphasis)
You can see further details in the SDS Statutory Guidance here.
As you were saying Linda, if the volunteering that your son undertakes has such a positive effect on his health and well-being and meets his identified needs and Personal Outcomes, then using his SDS budget to enable him to access this opportunity sounds like a very appropriate way of using the budget.
Of course support can be provided in different ways, such as paying for a taxi or for a person to support your son to use public transport. Maybe this is something to explore further with your son and his Social Worker.
I hope that helps.
Many thanks,
Mark
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Unfortunately they moved my son onto ‘hours’ only and not allowed to be ‘creative’.
Hi Linda,
Thank you for your reply. It sounds like you might need some further support with this.
Would you be connected with any local organisation that can support you with this at all?
The Scottish Government fund a local organisations to provide Independent information, advice and support around SDS in every Local Authority area of Scotland. If you’re not connected with your local service, you can find who they are are be searching for them on our ‘Get help with SDS’ database, which you can find here: Find local Information and Support on SDS here
You might also have a local advocacy service that is available to you or your son. You can search for any local service on the Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance (SIAA) website here:
Find an Advocate in your area
Alternatively, you can let me know what Local Authority area you are in and I can share the relevant contact details with you.
Many thanks,
Mark
Hi Nark,
I will give Take Control in South Lanarkshire a call.
Linda