Social workers in Scotland – have your say on Public Service Reform
Help shape the future of social work by completing our short survey by midnight 7th November 2026.
Reform on the scale currently being proposed demands a bigger conversation.
Much of the discussion around public service reform has understandably focused on protecting what matters most. There are established red lines that many social workers would recognise: the importance of professional judgement, clear accountability, strong relationships with people and communities, and a commitment to social work values. These foundations matter, and they must not be weakened by reform.
However, reform on the scale currently being proposed also demands a bigger conversation. If the Scottish Government are prepared to rethink structures, responsibilities and ways of working, social work should be equally ambitious about what it wants to achieve.
Reform debates often get framed around what social work might lose. While it is right to challenge proposals that could undermine the profession or the support people receive, there is also an opportunity to ask a different question: what longstanding barriers could finally be addressed? What changes would enable social workers to spend more time using their expertise, strengthen professional leadership, improve outcomes for people who access support, and create a more sustainable future for the profession?
The ideas outlined in the survey are intended to start that conversation. They focus on areas where reform could strengthen social work, improve professional practice and remove obstacles that make it harder to do the job well.
You are the experts in your profession. Together, we can make the case not only for avoiding damaging changes, but for securing the improvements that social work has needed for years. The challenge is not simply to decide what social work should protect, but to identify what social work should become.