The Scottish Government has announced that more than £9 million will be made available over the next three years to support social care.
The funding will be used to give people who access social care more choice and control over decisions relating to their care.
The money will build on an additional £2 billion investment in social care and integration, as part of the Scottish Budget for 2024-25.
The funding for the national ‘Support in the Right Direction’ programme aims to enable organisations to deliver independent support and advocacy to help people live independently and participate in all aspects of life.
The funding is part of the Scottish Government’s Self-Directed Support Improvement Plan which is designed to empower people to make informed choices about the support they need.
33 third-sector organisations across Scotland will be funded through the Support in the Right Direction (SiRD) programme, to provide independent support, information, advice and advocacy to people using social care and their carers.
The SiRD fund (2024-27) is managed by Inspiring Scotland and will support the delivery of the Scottish Government’s Self-Directed Support (SDS) Improvement Plan 2023-27.
From 1 April 2024, funded services will receive a share of up to £9.2 million funding from Scottish Government across three years.
Social care minister Maree Todd said: “Through this funding, people and carers will be supported to have more choice and involvement in how their social care is delivered.
“We want everyone accessing social care to feel confident participating in every stage of their social care journey and be equal partners in their care and support decisions, so that they can live a full and independent life.
“The ambition is to have the right independent support available at the right time and place to meet the specific needs of each individual.”
Inspiring Scotland chief executive Celia Tennant said: “We are pleased to be working with the Scottish Government on Support in the Right Direction. This vital funding commitment will help bring stability to organisations over the next three years and strengthen the network across Scotland of providers of independent advice and advocacy with self-directed support.
“We know that locally based organisations are vital in enabling people and their carers to understand and navigate the social care systems in their areas. Each of these organisations bring expertise in social care, self-directed support and a good knowledge of local resources meaning they are best placed to work with people at every stage of their journey.”
