Support to Plan Your Care

Your social worker will speak with you and the people who know you best if you require support. They will ask what is important to you, your goals, the skills you have and what you would like supports to do. From this your social worker will be able to help you develop a support plan. This lays out:

• what you need.

• the kind of supports you want.

• what you hope these supports will give you.

• how they will help improve your life.

These improvements are also called your Personal Outcomes.

Personal outcomes can come from many different things such as having care supports, using a gym membership, having support to go to social events, the purchase of equipment to help you and much more.

From the discussion with your social worker, they will be able to advise what social care you will be eligible for and help you meet your personal outcomes. They will also consider your strengths and the supports you already have in place (which could be friends and family members for example).

From this assessment you will receive what is called a SDS Individual budget. This is the sum of money for the supports you need to meet your outcomes. You can choose between the four Self-Directed Support options, deciding which one will work best for you. There are explained in more detail on the SDS homepage.

Click here to access a workbook called "Thinking about your Support Plan". This workbook has practical advise and exercises which can help you think about and develop your support plan.