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Research Published into Complaints and Self-Directed Support
In Control Scotland has published a research report today titled “Accountability and the Implementation of Self-Directed Support: Complaints, Redress and Human Rights Principles in Practice”.
The research, carried out by the Centre for the Study of Human Rights Law and the Law Clinic at Strathclyde University, examined the experiences of advocacy organisations, law centres and advice agencies in their work supporting people to complain to local authorities about their self-directed support.
Originally motivated by an apparent lack of legal challenges relating to self-directed support, it explored experiences of complaints processes within local authorities, routes to potential legal challenges, and barriers to making complaints.
The report highlighted three key findings, around inconsistency of complaints processes, limited availability of free legal advice, and a lack of detailed focus on human rights dimensions, along with multiple barriers to effective redress that people faced.
In Control Scotland Director, Pauline Lunn, said: “While legal challenge should always be a last resort for people, this research highlights the myriad barriers that people face to having their rights upheld. It is crucial that we remove these barriers, and the research provides an important starting position to begin a conversation about how we can do this together with people using services, and those who support them.”
