Labour in Leeds

Labour run Leeds City Council has given the green light to plans to roll out a brand new way for people to receive social care in Leeds from next month.

The new system, called ‘self-directed support’ (SDS), is designed to be fairer, more flexible and more transparent than ever before, and is the result of decades of campaigning by disabled people and social care reformers. It will give people more say over their care – from assessment right through to choosing what kinds of services they use, and who provides them.

Instead of being slotted into the ‘one-size-fits-all’ social services model of the past, people eligible for community-based support will now have the chance to be a bit more creative. Personal social care budgets can be received and managed by the individuals themselves, allowing them to pick and mix from a range of services from the council and independent care providers to best suit their needs.

Crucially, from now on people will know exactly how much money is available to spend on their personal support. It can be used to pay for any services or items which genuinely help to improve people’s quality of life and address specific needs.

Labour Councillor Lucinda Yeadon, executive board member with responsibility for adult social care said:
“Personal budgets are a new way of delivering social care support, and will give people more choice and control over how they live their lives.

“They are much more flexible than traditional direct payments, allowing people to mix and match the support they get using council services and independent providers.

“We are positive that this new system will give our customers more freedom and flexibility and provide them with a service that fits their lives rather than them having to fit their lives around the service.

“People will still have the option to continue to access services via the traditional route if they wish to do so.”