1 September 2026

CCPS response to the 2026-31 Programme for Government

We are encouraged by the government’s commitment to reform the sector in order to improve outcomes but have some real concerns, including around the continued linking of social care pay to the Real Living Wage

The Scottish Parliament building with reflection in water Edinburgh Scotland

We are heartened to hear the First Minister prioritise social care today and we share the Scottish Government’s sense of urgency on the need to reform the sector to improve outcomes for the people of Scotland. We are pleased that the Scottish Government has heard CCPS’ calls, as the current system is under unsustainable pressure. We are ready and waiting to work constructively with the Scottish Government, local government, NHS and wider partners to design a better model that genuinely delivers the high-quality, sustainable support that people across Scotland need.

Over the next few days, we will examine the Programme for Government in detail to prepare to engage in the announced three-month consultation period with our members. But in doing so, we would welcome clarity on whether the government is open to all options for improvement or has already decided that NHS control of social care is the intended way forward. We emphasise that social care is not, and has never been, rooted in a clinically-led, medical model of support – and as such we are keen to hear more, given the First Minister’s statement in the Chamber.

We also wish to be clear of our real concerns that the Programme for Government continues to link social care pay to the Real Living Wage. This approach neither provides a credible route towards pay parity in public services nor sends a strong signal of value to a regulated, professional workforce that is essential to delivering the Scottish Government’s aspirations, as set out in the Programme for Government 2026-2031, the Health and Care Improving Flow Plan 2026-2031 and the Public Service Reform Strategy.

We will provide further thoughts and constructive ideas over the coming days and throughout the three-month consultation period. The urgency of further discussion is welcomed. We all need to agree on how sector reform can be designed and delivered in a way that supports provider sustainability, values staff and, most importantly, meets the needs of people across Scotland.

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How can we make public service reform work for Scotland’s social care sector?

The Scottish Government must act now, says Rachel Cackett

The Scottish Parliament debating chamber

This article was first published by TFN on September 1, 2026

After the election on 7 May, the new Scottish Parliament had just six weeks to settle in and get to work before it went into recess. While this didn’t give much time for manifesto promises to become realities, it did allow the new government to signal its direction of travel. And one issue that topped the agenda was public service reform.

John Swinney’s creation of the new role of cabinet secretary for public service reform highlighted the government’s commitment to shake up how public services are delivered. In an 11 June government debate on the topic, the cabinet secretary, Ivan McKee MSP, said this reform would be “the defining task of our parliament”, emphasising the need to focus on prevention and wise investment.

With MSPs returning to Holyrood this week, and the new Programme for Government arriving imminently, we have a real opportunity to usher in much-needed change for public services, including social care. But we need to get this right and ensure this reform is genuinely in service of the public, with a goal of improving long-term outcomes for people, not short-term cost savings. So how can we make this happen?

The good news is that we already have much of what we might term the ‘blueprints’ for reforming social care – and public services more broadly. Earlier this summer marked 15 years since the findings of the Christie Commission were published. These findings remain widely supported across the sector, and the core principles of ‘empowerment, integration, prevention and efficiency’ could transform social care and drastically improve outcomes for people.

Alongside the ambitious vision set out in Derek Feeley’s Independent Review of Adult Social Care in Scotland back in 2021, we have a cornerstone for building a sustainable, thriving social care and support system in Scotland. It is vital that the government revisits these pieces of work to reimagine social care’s future.

What’s more, we need a more effective and efficient local planning and funding landscape as a core component of public service reform. CCPS’s new report on this topic highlights what isn’t working and opens a dialogue on how to improve this system. As part of the reform agenda, we need policymakers to work with providers, commissioners and supported people to fundamentally redesign how social care is planned and funded.

“We have a real opportunity to usher in much-needed change for public services, including social care. But we need to get this right and ensure this reform is genuinely in service of the public, with a goal of improving long-term outcomes for people, not short-term cost savings.”

Put simply, investing in social care would be the very definition of long-term thinking and joined-up preventative budgeting because targeted investment in community-based social care will save the public purse huge costs in the future. And we have the evidence to prove it.

Last year, experts from the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence found that housing support services for sheltered housing in Scotland can generate at least £4.85 worth of benefit from every £1 spent on delivery, while for homelessness prevention services, this rises to £12.88 for every £1 spent.

Meanwhile, a study by Social Value Lab on services run by CCPS member Scottish Autism found a social return on investment of £5.31 for every £1 spent. These are just some examples of the huge economic benefits of reforming social care funding.

Of course, the elephant in the room here is that getting these reforms right will take time – and Scotland’s social care sector doesn’t have this luxury. Our sector is in real jeopardy and needs immediate relief.

So while decisions are made on securing a sustainable future for social care, what can the Scottish Government do now to make an immediate difference for a sector under immense strain?

Firstly, we need immediate action to support the social care workforce. Scotland’s social care sector is facing extreme recruitment and retention challenges, and it needs urgent action on fair pay both to recognise the invaluable work social care staff do, but also to make social care a sustainable career choice.

We need the Scottish Government to work in partnership with the sector and unions to finalise and implement a fully funded sectoral bargaining process, alongside a timetable to pay parity with the public sector.

Secondly, we need to see immediate sustainability improvements without delay. The Scottish Government could fast track this by injecting much-needed funds into the sector to alleviate the impacts of rises to employers’ National Insurance contributions (eNICs), while supporting our calls for the UK Government to reverse this decision altogether.

There is so much more the Scottish Government can do to support us, both now and in the long run – but we need a seat at the table to get this right. CCPS and its members already have many of the answers and we are eager to work with policymakers to enact them.

I urge politicians from all parties to collaborate with the sector as equal partners to design and deliver fundamental reforms that can bring us closer to a rights-based, sustainable system of care and support for everyone who needs it, as part of the public service reform agenda.

But in the meantime, the Scottish Government can and should act quickly as parliament returns this week to show the social care sector that it matters. We are ready to work with policymakers to make these urgent steps a reality.

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31 August 2026

CCPS Comment on the publication of Health and Care Improving Flow Plan 2026 -2031

We welcome publication of the Scottish Government’s plan, but note that it leaves several key questions about the role of social care unanswered

“The publication of the Scottish Government’s Improving Flow Plan is an important indication and a welcome recognition that Scotland needs reform across health and social care if people are to receive the support they need at the right time and in the right place.

“While the plan focuses on pressures within acute hospitals and the NHS, it leaves important questions about the role of social care still to be answered. If Scotland is serious about shifting the balance of care from hospitals into communities, social care must be recognised as a central part of the design and delivery of a solution.

“Flow is about ensuring people can access the right health and social care support when they need it; it is not simply about moving patients through hospitals. We know through our own reports that too many people continue to wait for the care and support they need in their communities. Yet the plan says very little about social care waiting times, eligibility thresholds, or how capacity within community services will be increased. Third sector organisations deliver a significant proportion of Scotland’s social care and must now be fully involved in shaping how these ambitions are translated into practice.

“The ambition for earlier discharge and discharge planning from the point of admission is welcome. Achieving this will require funding and commissioning arrangements that enable providers to maintain the capacity needed to respond quickly when people are ready to leave hospital. Current contracting approaches can make this difficult, undermining the flexibility and long-term planning required to deliver efficient and effective discharge. Equally, there is not yet a clear financial plan showing how resources will shift alongside responsibilities. With reports of the 2027-28 budget being £700m short, transparency on how funds will be allocated to meet aspirations is key.

“Although we welcome the plan’s ambition and direction, the actions set out to transform community-based support must be bolder still. The plan has the potential to make a significant difference, but only if social care and community services are empowered and resourced to play the role expected of them. Immediate actions listed do not yet address this priority, despite the government today acknowledging the instability in the social care sector.

“With the upcoming five-year Programme for Government, we look forward to seeing what plans the Scottish Government has for social care and support and as we head towards the Scottish Budget, we look forward to working with ministers, officials and partners. Our members stand ready to bring their expertise and frontline experience to help create a bolder vision for delivery of care and sport that will genuinely meet the contract with Scotland’s people articulated in today’s report.”

 

 

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26 August 2026

New report reveals how ‘deeply complex’ local planning and funding landscape is impacting social care in Scotland

CCPS says the findings of the report should “act as a wake-up call to policymakers” that this system is not sustainable and needs urgent reform.

Text reads 'now available to read' next to an image of the report cover featuring a picture of Edinburgh

A new fact-finding report commissioned by CCPS has revealed how Scotland’s “complex and fragmented” local strategic planning and funding landscape is impacting CCPS members’ ability to offer high-quality care and support.  

As MSPs return to Holyrood next week, CCPS is urging policymakers to recognise that meaningful public service reform cannot be delivered without reforming how social care is funded and commissioned. 

Published today, The View From on the Ground provides an overview of how the local planning and funding landscape operates in Scotland, and how it is experienced by social care providers in CCPS’s membership. 

In doing so, it highlights how extremely complex this system is, and “how this complexity is having a direct impact on providers’ ability to offer sustainable, person-centred care and support”. 

While the report was never intended to directly offer solutions, we hope it will lay the groundwork for a different path forward. As CCPS CEO Rachel Cackett writes in the report’s foreword, it should act “as a wake-up call to policymakers” that this system needs urgent reform, in line with the Scottish Government’s Public Service Reform agenda.  

The government has signalled that the reform of public services will be high on its agenda for this term at Holyrood, with Cabinet Secretary Ivan McKee MSP saying this will be “the defining task of our parliament”. 

“I hope this report will open a dialogue about what a better planning and funding landscape would look like. Things aren’t working, and CCPS and its members already hold many of the answers to how this system can work differently. We need a seat at the table to redesign this system – and we need this work to start now.” 

This report makes clear that Scotland’s social care sector needs reform, and “a key piece in this puzzle will be an overhaul of the planning and funding landscape, and the relationship between the public sector and commissioned providers.” 

Mapping out the funding structures of five anonymised CCPS members, the report provides an insight into how providers experience local planning and funding on the ground. It highlights an extremely complex and challenging system to navigate, which one provider likens to “a game of Jenga”. 

“I call it a game of Jenga sometimes, when you’ve got a service and it’s funded through all different funding pots […]. That’s our job as senior managers to make it all fit together […]. It’s really exhausting to do that year in year out,” the provider explained.    

Provider case studies highlight the huge amounts of organisational capacity going into navigating these complex systems, and a frustration that providers are not being adequately engaged in system redesign: “The third sector are often at the heart of innovation and redesigning services based on the need, the data, the evidence […] So, we’re seen as a strategic partner in those conversations and then we will then be treated as a just a delivery partner at other times.”   

By helping policymakers understand the drawbacks of the current landscape, we hope this report will equip them to work with CCPS, its members, and wider partners to redesign a better, more effective and efficient system, which prioritises people’s outcomes. 

As a companion piece to the report, an in-depth overview of how governance, planning and funding structures operate can be found here.

CCPS CEO Rachel Cackett said: “With the Scottish Parliament returning from recess next week, we know public service reform will be on many MSPs’ minds. 

“I fully recognise that social care needs reform, but it is vital that this is guided by improving people’s health outcomes in the long term, not by short-term cost-cutting measures.  

“I hope this report will open a dialogue about what a better planning and funding landscape would look like. Things aren’t working, and CCPS and its members already hold many of the answers to how this system can work differently. We need a seat at the table to redesign this system – and we need this work to start now.” 

Read the report The View From on the Ground: CCPS Members’ Views on Governance, Planning and Funding Structures for Social Care at the Local Level

Read the companion piece A fragmented picture of integration: How streamlined are the governance, planning and funding structures for social care at the local level?

For more information, please contact comms@ccpscotland.org.

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12 August 2026

CCPS statement on the reopening of the Adult Social Care Displaced Workers Scheme

CCPS has welcomed the reopening of the Adult Social Care Displaced Workers Scheme, but says more must be done to tackle the sector’s recruitment and retention challenges

An image of a Scottish Government building at Victoria Quay

CCPS welcomes the Scottish Government’s commitment to investing in the recruitment of additional social care workers through the reopening of the Adult Social Care Displaced Workers Scheme; however, more must be done to tackle the sector’s recruitment and retention challenges.

Although we welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to deliver up to 45,000 extra hours of care every month, we believe this is a short-term solution. The UK Government must make much needed changes on international recruitment. In addition, the Scottish Government must take urgent action on fair work and pay in the sector.

We are dismayed by recent changes to UK immigration policy which have had a significant and negative impact on recruitment in social care. This policy approach does not reflect the practical realities of recruitment in the sector, which relies upon the commitment and compassion of international workers alongside – and not as an alternative to – workers already living and working in Scotland.

A recent CCPS report highlighted that international recruits have reduced turnover and contributed significantly to frontline, specialist and leadership roles. Despite sustained recruitment campaigns, applicant numbers for social care roles remain low, with recruitment particularly challenging in remote and rural areas. Migrant workers are an established and important part of the social care workforce, including those who have already made their homes in Scotland. Supporting workers affected by displacement to remain in employment is therefore important to sustaining the workforce and the services they provide.

Alongside this, the recruitment and retention challenges facing the sector can be attributed in large part to a lack of fair work and pay. We therefore urge the Scottish Government to move forward with its commitment to sectoral bargaining and recognise the importance of fair work and pay to make social care a sustainable career choice.

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29 July 2026

“The need for social care reform is no less in Scotland than in England”: CCPS response to PM’s announcement on social care

CCPS responds to Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s speech on social care.

CCPS has welcomed Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s recognition of the urgent need to reform social care and his commitment to working across party lines to build a “new social consensus” on care.

In a video posted on X ahead of his speech this morning, the Prime Minister said we needed a politics focused on “problem solving, not point scoring”, saying “nowhere is that more urgent than social care”.

Introducing the Prime Minister ahead of his speech, Louise Casey, who heads up the government’s independent review of social care in England, noted the government’s action to house people experiencing homelessness during Covid, saying: “we can do difficult in this country and we can do it well.”

The Prime Minister went on to make three announcements on social care in England. Firstly, to bring forward Louise Casey’s review by a year. Second, to focus on the social care workforce, committing to a fair pay agreement for staff. In speaking about his personal experiences with social care, the Prime Minister said he believed social care workers “should be the best paid people in society, not the worst”.

“We need action from the Scottish Government and parliament to acknowledge the urgency of the situation, as the Prime Minister has today, and take immediate action to build the right-based, sustainable system of social care our country needs.”

The third announcement was to initiate cross-party talks on social care, saying a different kind of politics was needed to take on this issue.

CCPS CEO Rachel Cackett said: “The Prime Minister has rightly recognised today that the reform of social care is a task which requires cross-party dialogue.

“In light of today’s announcement, we urge parties across the Scottish Parliament to work together to build a vibrant and sustainable social care sector here. The need for social care reform is no less in Scotland than in England.

“Having witnessed the fractious, and ultimately failed, attempt to bring in a national care service in Scotland, it is vital that Scottish parties commit to working collaboratively and constructively in this new parliamentary term to meaningfully reform social care.

“I welcome the Prime Minister’s recognition that social care needs to be people-centred and preventative, to give individuals the best possible support and ease pressures on the NHS. We also wholeheartedly agree social care staff deserve far better pay and recognition for the committed work they do.

“Now we need action from the Scottish Government and parliament to acknowledge the urgency of the situation, as the Prime Minister has today, and take immediate action to build the right-based, sustainable system of social care our country needs.”

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24 July 2026

UK social care organisations urge PM to exempt sector from eNIC increases

In a letter sent to Andy Burnham today, the organisations say this exemption would be “a vital first step” to provide relief for a sector under immense pressure.

Eight major organisations representing the social care sector across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have today called on the new Prime Minister to take urgent action to exempt providers from the recent increases to employers’ National Insurance contributions (eNICs).

In a letter sent to Andy Burnham this morning, organisations representing providers of social care across the UK said such a move would be “a vital first step in providing relief to a sector under immense pressure, while […] more work is done to ensure social care provision can flourish, sustainably, at the heart of our communities.”

At the end of 2024, the UK Government announced plans to increase eNIC rates and reduce the threshold at which employers start paying this tax. While relief was offered to the public sector, commissioned providers of social care were not given any relief from these increased bills.

“Social care is fundamental to the wellbeing, independence and dignity of millions of people. Recognition of its vital role is needed more than ever at a time when our sector faces severe instability.”

At a time when providers were already under huge strain, these additional costs compounded financial pressures, which are already having a noticeable impact on services.

As set out in today’s letter, “our members report that this additional financial burden has resulted in fewer resources for frontline services and reduced capacity at a time where demand for social care continues to grow.”

The groups who have written to the Prime Minister today welcomed the emphasis he has placed on the importance of social care. The letter states: “Social care is fundamental to the wellbeing, independence and dignity of millions of people. Recognition of its vital role is needed more than ever at a time when our sector faces severe instability.”

The organisations also highlight that Mr Burnham has recognised the issues with how eNIC changes were implemented, and the impacts of these changes.

The letter notes that amendments to exempt social care providers from the increases were passed in the House of Lords but then overturned by the government in the House of Commons and urges the Prime Minister to revisit this exemption at pace.

The organisations who have signed the letter are: Care England, Care Forum Wales/Fforwm Gofal Cymru, Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland (CCPS), Homecare Association, Independent Health & Care Providers (Northern Ireland), National Care Forum, Scottish Care, Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG)

CCPS CEO Rachel Cackett said: “I welcome the attention the new Prime Minister has placed on social care in recent weeks, and hope this translates into urgent action from all governments in the UK to support a sector under immense pressure.

“Right across the UK, social care providers need more than just warm words – they need tangible action to ensure their sustainability, so they can continue providing life-changing support to millions of individuals, their families and communities.

“The Prime Minister has signalled he intends to get to work on a long-term plan for social care – but the truth is, the sector can’t wait.

“We need action now to make sure providers, their staff and the people they support can flourish, and providing relief from eNIC increases is a vital first step. Only our new PM can drive this change.”

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11 June 2026

We’re recruiting now for a Research and Policy Manager

A great opportunity to join the CCPS staff team and make your mark

CCPS is recruiting for a Research and Policy Manager to join our staff team.

We’re looking for someone who:

  • Can demonstrate success in delivering credible data analysis and research projects to inform good social policy
  • Has experience in developing high-performing policy staff
  • Is motivated by driving real change in Scottish society

The successful candidate will work with a bright and committed staff team, experts from our membership and partners to help us increase our impact on behalf of the 80+ not-for-profit social care providers we represent – ultimately improving the lives of supported people and service staff.

This will be a varied management role in which you can really make your mark. You will hold your own portfolio of research and data projects, develop our analytical capacity in house, represent CCPS in policy and research forums and support our policy officers to develop in their profession.

Deadline for applications: 5pm, Wednesday 8 July.

For further details, including a full Job Description and information on how to apply, visit our recruitment page:
Recruitment | CCPS Scotland

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10 June 2026

Public service reform must be change in the service of the public. That needs a radically different approach from everyone… politicians included

Our CEO Rachel Cackett’s speech to the Scottish Federation of Housing Association’s 2026 conference

I changed my planned contribution yesterday after a vibrant and inspiring day-long meeting of ideas with leaders in CCPS’s membership.

Yesterday coalesced a lot of my thinking on this topic over the last four years as CCPS CEO.

There are many great brains in Scottish public service across all sectors. And yet the premise of investing in prevention, and doing things differently to achieve that, is a no-brainer we seem to keep missing. Why is that?

Yesterday a group of senior leaders from Scotland’s major providers of care and support – my members, some of them in this room – met to debate solutions to the scandal (and I don’t use this word lightly) of a contract with the people of Scotland that feels pretty broken. This is where we are: unless you are in dire, critical need, you may well not get the support you need to live an independent life, a life connected to family, work, education, and community. And as taxpayers we will all see our money wasted on expensive and avoidable crisis interventions that are highly likely to mean people’s outcomes are worse, not better. This seems to be a terrible investment decision. Delayed discharge alone wastes an estimate £440m a year. And that doesn’t include the cost to individuals.

So we need to do better, do different. And I hear the new government is back with the drive to be radical. That well may bode well for the transformation we need to see. Promoting public service reform to cabinet level has real potential. Putting social justice in with housing is a seed for different thinking. I’m not yet quite sure about the 1990s throwback to ‘community care’ but we’ll see. So potential? Yes.

But… the eagle-eyed among you may have seen social posts yesterday about John Swinney, Jenny Gilruth and Ivan McKee hosting a summit on public sector reform (ahead of the debate in parliament this week) with …. Public SECTOR leaders.

And there’s the rub. We don’t yet have a system, a leadership, that gives equal status to leadership across public SERVICE. And so much of the creative, transformational experience and vision for remaking a social contract through public service reform sits in my membership. In this room. In wider civic Scotland.

We should be starting at the top in modelling how political leaders mean to continue. Or we will be on the wrong path from the outset.

Let me share a couple more examples of how the contribution of our sector to promoting, underpinning and deepening people’s rights to independent living, family life, health, work, education, and adequate housing are consistently overlooked.

Targets drive investment. They are process-focused and the driver of a Punch and Judy politics that does no one any favours, least of all supported people. We talk outcomes; we count process points. More Homes Scotland needs to ensure it avoids this from the outset. It’s not just the accounting of bricks that matter; it’s the accounting for people who can get and keep a home.

We hear of the importance of evidence-based investment decisions in these financially straitened times, but little critical assessment of the bias in past investments in evaluating public sector interventions. Where is the investment for us to evidence our successes with people; evidence that can challenge the status quo? And where are the wider public service – non-public sector – voices in powerful forums determining national investment decisions?

We hear about the importance of place-based approaches, 20-minute communities, place-focused leadership. But there is nothing in the presentation of an annual Scottish budget that makes any move to allocate billions in a manner that reflects that. And there is confusion over what local is. Is it local government? Or something else? In that confusion comes fear of loss – of control, of power, of influence, of money – and then we watch a fight brewing. Dare I say the three letters here: NCS.

We hear about the importance in Scotland of a rights-based society. We take pride in this as a bedrock of our culture. But we almost never write a policy that starts from there and develops the supports and protections people can expect. We generally don’t let the money follow that line.

The value of social housing providers and social care providers in their wider contribution to the health of our economy, community and families is not recognised because we are seen through the eyes of a systemic prioritisation of the public sector – too often through a transactional not strategic lens which is, nowadays, rooted in fear-based approaches that affect all partners. We are not seen as a strategic partner and ally here, alongside our public sector colleagues, in service of the public.

That is what I took away from our member discussion yesterday. And that gives me a real focus for how to influence genuine transformation that will challenge us all to use public funds well to support people.

So, in summary: Until confirmation bias in the public sector is addressed I genuinely think little will change. Not because we don’t have amazing, committed colleagues in the public sector – we do – but because we will continue to get the same answers to problems that need to be driven by new ideas and different experience. That requires a Copernican shift in political thinking every bit as big as the change politicians are asking of others.

All of us, in the endeavour of public service reform, must challenge ourselves and each other so that the point of it all becomes central: the people who need support live good lives.

This is an edited version of a speech given by Rachel to the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations’ 2026 annual conference, held in Glasgow on 9 June 2026

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8 June 2026

‘Investing in social care and its staff is an investment in people’: CCPS publishes Workforce Priorities report

Our latest report summarises findings from two discussion sessions held with our members, and identifies the most urgent risks, needs and opportunities facing Scotland’s social care workforce

CCPS has today published its Workforce Priorities 2026 report, highlighting the most urgent risks, needs and opportunities facing Scotland’s social care workforce, and offering recommendations for next steps.   

The report, prepared for the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) and the Qualifying the Adult Social Care Workforce National Group (QASC), summarises findings from two discussion sessions held with our members, the first bringing together adult social care providers and the second providers working with children and young people.

Read the report

We found that social care and support professionals draw immense emotional reward from their work, gaining huge satisfaction from being part of important relationships and supporting a person’s fulfilment. Yet structural barriers such as funding, pay, conditions, and public perception are undermining the sustainability of the workforce. As the report notes: “Emotional fulfilment cannot sustain a system without structural support.” 

Our research found that high turnover and retention remain significant problems for the sector. Low pay was a key issue in this regard, with participants lamenting that potential candidates for a career in social care can earn more working in retail with fewer responsibilities. 

“Social care must be understood for its significant and tangible contribution to individual, family, community and economic wellbeing. Investing in social care and its staff is an investment in people.” 

Despite government commitments to fair work, a lack of parity between third sector and public sector-funded roles is increasing, meaning our members are unable to compete on salaries. In 2019, the difference in pay between not-for-profit social care workers and their NHS equivalents stood at £2,400; this disparity increased to £3,770 by April 2025. 

Members stressed the need for parity of esteem, with decision-makers better understanding and expressing the complexity, regulatory demands and ongoing learning required in social care roles. As the report says: “Social care must be understood for its significant and tangible contribution to individual, family, community and economic wellbeing. Investing in social care and its staff is an investment in people.” 

Participants in the research sessions also identified flat organisational hierarchies as a hindrance to recruitment and retention. Decades of underfunding means the additional responsibilities of more senior roles cannot be recognised by pay differentials, making social care a less attractive long-term career choice. 

What’s more, the number of Health and Care Worker visas for those in a Caring Personal Service Occupation being granted has fallen by 88% since changes to UK visa rules were introduced, further compounding the pressures faced by social care providers in recruitment.  

When it comes to learning, members stressed the need to review current qualification frameworks to better align training with real-world practice; address the lack of reciprocal recognition of international qualifications; and ensure education is properly funded. Participants working with children and young people specifically highlighted that the ambitions of The Promise cannot be met without sustained workforce investment and reported growing frustration that progress expectations outpace available resources. 

“Scotland’s social care workforce is built on compassion, expertise, and resilience. Yet the findings show that without reform and investment, these values risk being eroded by structural inequities and resource limitations,” the report concludes.  

“CCPS, with its members, are ready to work with national partners, using the recommendations in this report as a starting point so that we can, collectively, change the narrative and improve outcomes for the social care sector and the people it supports.” 

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