Abstract
Reviewed by: Martin Kettle, Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland
This slim volume has as its focus the development of personalisation and self-directed support (SDS) with a particular focus on the Scottish position, although comparisons are made with the English and European context. SDS is described (p. 29) as a ‘slippery and evolving concept’, and this volume is a useful contribution to making sense of the evolution of SDS. Its key reference point is the passing of the Social Care (SDS Scotland) Act 2013 which enshrines in legislation the duty on Councils in Scotland to offer the four SDS options to those people who are eligible. The book addresses the historical context and the development of personalisation from a marginal issue to being a central plank of social care policy and practice. This takes the discussion beyond the immediate concerns of implementation, and that historical context is really useful in explaining some of the tensions in developments.
Whilst acknowledging that the evidence base for SDS is rather slim, the experience of the SDS test sites in Scotland is drawn on heavily, perhaps not surprising given that two of the authors (Ridley and Hunter) were directly involved in the evaluation of those test sites. A chapter on the impact of change on support roles will be of particular interest to social workers and other front line staff and help them in developing their understanding of their changing roles. The penultimate chapter places the implementation of SDS firmly in the context of austerity, recognising the constraints of the current economic situation.
This book has a good deal to recommend it. It manages to cover a fair amount of ground and its brevity and accessible style will make it attractive to students of social work and related professions, as well as to practitioners in those professions. Its grounding in the experience of the SDS test sites gives it a firm foundation in the reality of practice, and important differences in approaches are helpfully drawn out. Further, whilst it acknowledges critical perspectives on SDS, the avoidance of some of the polarised positions adopted in relation to SDS makes for a balanced account. The location of the implementation of SDS in Scotland in a broader context of England and Europe is useful in giving a broader view.
However, there are significant gaps, possibly as a consequence of the brevity of the volume. There is some limited discussion of Personal Assistants and their role in the implementation of SDS, but the only mention of provider organisations comes when they are brought together in one sentence with regulators of the social care sector. Partly, as a consequence the discussion of risk is somewhat cursory, with the focus being on risk management for people receiving support, as opposed to perceptions of risk within councils and provider organisations. A broader engagement with the concept of risk would have been beneficial, as would a fuller discussion of the interface with adult safeguarding legislation.
Overall, though, this is a helpful addition to the literature, particularly for students and practitioners working in a Scottish context, and would be a useful departure point for those seeking to understand why and how SDS has emerged in the way that it has.