GSCPF are pleased to circulate a commissioned piece of research and report written by Graham McPhie on SDS Budgets for Children, Young People & Families - An exploration of issues involved in the development and provision of personalised supports to children and young people

Download Document: SDS Budgets for Children, Young People & Families

The aim of the piece was to explore and report on the thinking of a diverse group of stakeholders regarding their views about SDS and personalisation.

We hope you find this informative and thought provoking.  We would hope to take forward work streams in relation to ideas that have been generated as a result of this report.

Glasgow Social Care Providers Forum has launched Scotland’s first-ever
survey into ‘Provider Pain’ as the care sector tries to balance its books in the
face of ever-growing budget cuts.

Romanian Sociology graduate Ionut Petrescu, 27 who is studying for an MSc
in public policy at Glasgow University will carry out the work during a month
long internship with GSCPF.

Charlie Barker, Director of GSCPF said: “We commissioned this study to
help us get a handle on how much provider pain our members are suffering
and what survival strategies they are putting in place to deal with the funding
crisis.

“Ionut will conduct in-depth interviews with key figures in a representative
cross section of our members who deliver around 60% of Glasgow Social
Work’s commissioned services.

“We hope to uncover some valuable lessons, and the timing could not be
better given this week’s budget with its promise of years of austerity for the
public sector.’

Ionut, a graduate of Bucharest University said: “I want to get a clearer picture
of how organisations can survive a funding crisis, and what strategies and
options they are adopting.

“I think it’s really exciting because anything we learn can apply to all sectors,
and the crisis is now – not just in the Scotland and UK, but in the whole of
Europe.”

Ionut’s studies in Glasgow are part of a Romanian government ‘Young
Professionals’ programme which sends graduates abroad to countries like
the UK to gain the knowledge and experience to help their country reform its
public administration.

On Making SDS A Reality

Glasgow Social Care Providers Forum has won the backing of the Scottish Government to take its Self Directed Support awareness campaign to the next level.

The Forum will run the Ideas Factory, a year-long series of projects to help its members, who deliver around 60% of Glasgow’s care services, gear up for the change from providing traditional services to dealing with individual budget holders.

Public Health Minister Shona Robison said: “Self Directed Support has the potential to make an enormous difference to people’s lives, but for that to happen successfully people must first know about it.

“Glasgow Social Care Providers Forum has already run an innovative Festival of Ideas to raise awareness of the concept of Self Directed Support, and the Scottish Government is pleased to be investing in supporting them in their bid to turn information into action.”

Charlie Barker, Director of Glasgow Social Care Providers Forum said: “We are really excited about the prospect of helping providers make the step change involved in delivering this new, highly personalised form of support.

“The Festival of Ideas was all about understanding the complexities of personalisation and Self Directed Support.

“The Ideas Factory will concentrate on the practical steps providers have to take to ensure that personalisation and Self Directed Support becomes a reality for everyone involved, especially people who want to control their own budgets and their own lives.”

The Ideas Factory will have seven specific projects including:

• How SDS impacts on children and young people
• New technology’s role in helping people live independent lives
• Practitioner workshops to give frontline professionals the skills to help those moving to SDS work out what they need
• The changing market place, including e-branding, marketing and new media
• Working Together – models for collaboration, including user-led organisations, peer providers and brokerage.
• Developing the Self directed support website

Part of the funding package will be dedicated to working with a group of ‘trail blazing’ organistions so that they can introduce working models that the rest of the sector can use and adapt to their own needs.

Charlie Barker added: “Nobody underestimates the potential difficulties, but there is a growing sense of enthusiasm among our members as they grapple with the realities of Self Directed Support.”