Social Work Policy Panel newsletter October 2026
Notes from October's meeting:
Housing on release from prison: the SHORE standards and the justice social work view
The panel met on 20 October 2026. Liz Cooper, Policy Manager for housing, welfare and through care and lead for the SHORE standards at the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), presented. Euan Lloyd, Policy and Practice Lead for Justice at Social Work Scotland, gave the justice social work view.
What SHORE asks of us
The Sustainable Housing on Release for Everyone (SHORE) standards began in 2017 and were endorsed by the then Ministers for Justice and Housing. They aim to cut homelessness, reoffending and associated costs. A refreshed version was published in November 2024. The standards cover four stages: on imprisonment, during sentence, before release and after release. Liz summed them up as:
- plan early,
- connect services,
- prepare for release and
- support people to sustain a tenancy.
Social workers have a role at every stage.
Liz shared the story of a man first housed directly from prison in 2017, after years in and out of custody. He had his keys and support on release. He is still in the tenancy and in work.
However, there are key gaps. Practice is uneven across Scotland. Most effort goes into the weeks before release, and a rising prison population and housing crisis mean few people know where they will live. Unplanned releases from remand are the hardest to manage in this system, and most likely to fail. She hopes SHORE will be built into the through care standards now being developed by Scottish Government, which would give it a legal basis.
Data sharing
A national agreement means local authorities receive weekly information on admissions and releases. It began in 2018 and the last councils signed up quickly when COVID early release began. It is now under review to include two-way sharing, so councils can share housing information back to SPS. Councils will be asked for feedback on the new version and Liz is keen to hear how the current version is used. Data sharing between local authorities and housing associations remains patchy.
Justice social work: what works and what does not
Euan explained implementing SHORE is priority action 8 of the National Community Justice Strategy and that stable housing underpins risk management and rehabilitation. However, without an address, it is hard to access addiction, mental health and employability services, or to use electronic monitoring. When he spoke to colleagues in urban and rural areas, information sharing and good working relationships between housing and justice social work were seen as strengths, as was early planning for people on statutory supervision, including MAPPA cases.
The challenges are greater. Housing stock has diminished rapidly in recent years, so many people go into hostels or bed and breakfast. People on short sentences are hardest to engage and are most likely to get a sudden liberation, leaving no time to plan. For people convicted of sexual offences who are given a tenancy, being outed and followed by vigilante groups can force regular moves. This is compounded by differing interpretations of risk by different partners which inadvertently imposes limits on innovation in managing risk in the accommodation that is available, which leads to the rejection of potential accommodation.
Discussion
Councils no longer require a local connection for allocation, so a person may ask to be housed elsewhere in Scotland. However, in practice, supply is limited. For people on licence, resources and public protection also shape any move. The panel agreed that we would like to see research into the effect of removing local connection rules on homelessness in general and for people living with convictions in particular.
Participants confirmed that social workers are caught in the middle, plugging gaps in housing, mental health and addiction services while public understanding of the people they support is low. The panel argued that MAPPA resources should follow risk. And the risks appear higher for prisoners with no recourse to public funds. With no safety net, stability feels out of reach. For people facing deportation or on immigration bail release planning is limited. The panel described staff working late into the evening to find accommodation, while the very public pressure on immigration hostels grows.
Conclusion
The session made clear that SHORE sets out a sound and widely supported framework, but that its impact depends on whether housing, justice, health and third sector partners can act on it consistently, and on whether there is accommodation available at the point of release. Participants heard that early planning, reliable information sharing and good working relationships between housing and justice social work can sustain tenancies and support risk management. They also heard that rising prison numbers, reduced housing stock and unplanned releases, particularly from remand and after short sentences, continue to undermine that work, and that people with no recourse to public funds, people facing deportation and people convicted of sexual offences face the greatest barriers. The panel supported building SHORE into the forthcoming through care standards, aligning MAPPA resources with risk, and commissioning research into how the removal of local connection rules has affected homelessness, including for people living with convictions. Social workers remain at the centre of this system, often filling gaps left by other services, and the panel’s view was that their experience should shape both the standards and the resources that follow. Members who wish to contribute to this work, or to suggest topics and speakers for future sessions, can contact the panel at SWPP@basw.co.uk.
Next steps
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Get in touch with us through the panel mailbox: SWPP@basw.co.uk
Housing stock has diminished rapidly in recent years, so many people go into hostels or bed and breakfast. People on short sentences are hardest to engage and are most likely to get a sudden liberation, leaving no time to plan.
Our next Session
No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) and Justice Social Work
30 November 2026 12-1pm.
This session will follow on from the Justice Social Work agenda from October's session. We will discuss No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) in the justice social work context. What options exist for people who are denied access to most public benefits and housing support because of their immigration status (NRPF), and how justice systems and services can respond to their needs. A panel of expert speakers will join us, and you will have the opportunity to discuss your experiences of supporting people with NRPF to shape policy.
About the Social Work Policy Panel
All students, newly qualified and experienced social workers are welcome to come along to our events.
The panel is jointly run by the Scottish Association of Social Work, the Office of the Chief Social Work Adviser, and Social Work Scotland. The panel was created to bring frontline workers and policy makers in Government together to address the issues affecting social work today. It is an opportunity to influence those policy makers and the future of social work with your experience and knowledge.
As a social worker, we know you’re busy and facing lots of competing pressures. That’s why we want to make the panel as influential and meaningful as possible.
What is the Social Work Professional Support Service (SWPSS)?
Free coaching service for all social workers and social work students in Scotland.
- A FREE and independent peer coaching service by and for social workers
- Has an ambition to have an impact on the culture of practice enabling social workers to be able take care of yourselves
- Facilitated by experienced and trained social work coaches who volunteer their time
- Provides you with a safe and empathetic space to think through any professional and/or personal challenges you may be facing
- Offers a confidential peer to peer listening space
- Supports self-care, wellbeing and empowerment
- Supported by the Scottish Government
The service is geared to provide coaching support whether you are a student, social work practitioner or manager. We have coaches from different fields and the whole range of experiences - choose your own coach and set up a session at a time that suits you.
Social workers have used the service to talk through their career planning and development needs, the impact of the work role on their personal life/health, placements, to gain confidence, to process the experience of being bullied/racially targeted or to manage change/turbulences in the organisations they work for.
