Who will manage Scotland's children's social workers in the future?

Published by Professional Social Work magazine, 17 October, 2022

Who will manage children’s social workers in Scotland in the future is fast becoming a key area of contention under Scotland’s proposed National Care Service (NCS).

Earlier this month the Scottish government recruited a leading child protection academic to answer this.

Professor Brigid Daniel, of Queen Margaret University, is to lead a research team which will look into whether children’s social workers should remain in local authorities or come under the NCS.

If the latter, they could be brought directly under the control of new regional care boards, along with adults services, that will responsible for local delivery under the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill.

A government consultation last year asked the sector if the NCS should only include adult services, or children and families and community justice services as well.

Local authorities strongly oppose any attempt to remove children’s services from councils.

Prof Daniel said: “The research team will be guided by the overarching question: ‘How do we ensure that children, young people and families get the help they need when they need it?’

“We aim to ensure services for Scotland’s children and families are informed by the best possible evidence including the perspective of those who use and deliver those services.”

However, Cosla, which represents local authorities in Scotland, claims even asking the question “goes far beyond the scope” of the Independent Review of Adult Social Care which originally recommended creating the NCS.

In its response to the government's consultation, the Scottish Association of Social Work (SASW) expressed concern of social work being divided into “silos”.

National director Alison Bavidge said: “The issue for us is that wherever children’s services are placed it is a fact that they live in families and communities with adults who often have social care needs and who need support.

“So whatever the situation, there has to be benefit to the children and adults in their lives in terms of how the national care service is structured.

“It is challenging for adults and challenging for children and families when they are referred to multiple professionals and services because of the way our structures are configured.”

Bavidge warned against creating a system in which social workers remained in councils but with their duties and powers move to the NCS care boards.

“What we want to avoid is any situation where social workers are not employed by the body that has the statutory duties and powers," she said.

“If social workers were to be employed by a local authority and the care board had the statutory duties, that risks social work being a service commissioned from local authorities to fulfil the responsibilities of the care boards.

“The risk then is that social work becomes a profession which will be commissioned by task: tasked to do assessments, write reports and deliver the key statutory duties of social work, rather than being part of the community for which a local authority has a duty of welfare.”

Bavidge said it was crucial that children’s services and justice service social workers are employed by “whatever body has the statuary duty and power”.

Creation of the NCS represents the biggest reform of social care in generations, with major implications for both social work staff and the people they support.

Earlier this year, Social Work Scotland - which represents leaders in the sector - called for the NCS plans to be put on hold while funding and resource issues were considered.

SASW warned against “extreme structural change” that failed to solve issues such as staff shortages and a “centralised approach” that lacked “responsiveness to local needs”.

The bill is currently going through the Scottish parliament.