Leeds early implementer trial
The self-directed support (SDS) project in Leeds is now in its 'early implementer', or trial, phase. This means that the new SDS systems have been set up, but we want to make sure they work before we roll them out more widely across Leeds. The best way to do this is to test them out with some people who already use social care services.
Since January 2009 we have worked with a group of 50–60 current service users (from a range of age, ethnic and user groups) to help them move to the SDS model. The people we are working with are all interested in finding out more about SDS and how having the flexibility to choose and buy their own services and support could help them.
We have already begun to complete supported assessment questionnaires with those people taking part in the trial, and over the coming weeks we expect to be able to tell people the size of their personal budgets. We'll then move on to the support planning phase, where people start to think about how they will spend their budget to meet their social care support needs.
The purpose of the early implementer trial is to test the newly developed processes and procedures and see how they work for people who use social care support and the staff who work with them. The trial is being evaluated all the time, and the outcome of it, including people's comments along the way, will affect how we eventually roll out SDS across the city.