Decision making and authority; whose business is whose?
When you are directing your own supports or those of a person close to you it is important to be clear about who has the authority to make decisions. The 'self' in self-directed support is the person who requires funded assistance to meet their disability support needs.
Self-directed support places the authority for decision making as close to the person with disability as possible. Preferably this is the person themselves directing their own support or, for a child or young person under the age of 18, a parent or legal guardian.
Click on the following links for further information about decision making and authority when directing your own support.
Some adults with disability may require extra support to make decisions.
Some people with disability may require a degree of substitute decision making if they are unable to make some or all of their decisions.
When you are negotiating support for yourself or someone close to you it is important to be clear about the areas of life you need to keep authority over and those which can be delegated to the people delivering the service you are using.
