Fife Voluntary Action conference in bid to galvanise local providers

A third sector interface is trying to turn one of Scotland’s largest local authorities into a leading marketplace for self-directed support (SDS).

Fife Voluntary Action (FVA) is hosting the Making Local Choice a Reality conference in a bid to galvanise the area’s SDS providers – and potential providers.

The event on 27 May, at Rothes Halls in partnership with Real Life Options, will bring together organisations from Fife and beyond who have the potential to, or who already, contribute to the SDS mix, to inspire and enable further provision and innovation in the local area.

FVA also hopes to get Fife’s business community on board to spot the opportunities for SDS to help grow the local economy.

Speakers at the conference will be Jamie Hepburn MSP, Scottish Government minister for sport, health improvement and mental health and Councillor Gavin Yates, Fife Council executive spokesperson for community health and wellbeing.

Speaking ahead of the event Hepburn said: “I want to see many more people in the driving seat of their lives.

“A flourishing and diverse range of care provision and support that offers people flexibility, choice and control is essential to achieving our ambition for self-directed support.”

Kenny Murphy, FVA’s chief executive, said he believed the conference would have more value than a normal health and social care conference thanks to six practical workshops which will be run on the day, covering a broad range of themes and topics."

He added: “This is all about ensuring that people have access to high quality local services that improve their quality of life.”