Today (Thursday 27 February 2025) the Support in the Right Direction fund team launched a report focusing on the last round of funding, which ended in March 2024, and lasted almost six years.
During this time, 31 organisations received funding of £15.8 million to provide independent support to people navigating the social care system to help them make informed decisions about their support.
The report shares data and insights reported by the funded organisations during this time, all of which support the continued need for independent support so that people can have choice and control over their social care.
During this time, over 97,000 people were informed about their rights regarding social care, and 17,747 cases were supported on an individual basis.
Kaylie Allen, Director of Funds at Inspiring Scotland, said:
“Social care is vital in supporting the independence, dignity, health and happiness of people in Scotland. It helps remove barriers and enables people and families to participate in society while maintaining quality of life when faced with health, age, or disability-related challenges.
Self-directed Support, is the method for delivering social care in Scotland. It can be transformational for individuals, carers, and the system as a whole. The right to choose and control how care is arranged, managed and delivered is essential for ensuring people have autonomy and personalised care arrangements that meet their unique needs.
We are delighted to present this ‘Support in the Right Direction’ impact report covering funding for independent support from October 2018 to March 2024. The report emphasises the critical role of ‘independent support organisations’ in facilitating social care and highlights their contributions in delivering these transformational life outcomes for people and carers in Scotland.”
The report includes information on what was delivered and achieved with the funding and shares the context and evidence of the need for independent support. One person supported through the fund said:
The importance of long-term funding, informing people and supporting them to claim their rights remains, and we are pleased that SiRD funding continues with a new portfolio of organisations across Scotland funded to deliver independent support for three years from April 2024.
Read the full report here.
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Today (14th May 2025) a new £3 million Bright Start Breakfasts Fund will open to applications. The fund will expand access to breakfast clubs for primary school children by combining provision of healthy and nutritious breakfast food with before-school supervision or childcare enabling early drop off for parents to support them to work or study.
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