The council’s acting director of social work has said the introduction of self-directed support on April 1 is the biggest change in the sector during her career.
Stella Everingham made the comment at a meeting of the executive committee, adding that the new legislation will also require changes across the Borders, with some services still only offering block bookings.
The council will now provide ongoing social work services using the new approach, which means that each person can choose how involved they would like to be in their assessment and how much control they would like to have in planning their support and managing their budget.
Each person who is eligible for support will be allocated a budget to spend in a way which meets their needs.
Four options in self-directed support (SDS) enable people to choose the level of involvement they want, including having a direct payment made to their bank account or having a social worker arrange the services required.
A combination of options are also available.
Ms Everingham added: “SDS is a radical change to the social care system and it will affect all of the work we do.”