Social Work Scotland Response to the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning (Scotland) Bill: Financial Memorandum call for views
1 September 2025
Introduction
Social Work Scotland is the professional body for social work leaders in local government and wider care sector. We exist to shape policy and practice, in order to improve the quality and experience of social services in every part of Scotland. Chief among our members’ priorities is delivery of the Promise, and taking advantage of this unique political opportunity, secured by children and young people’s voices, to transform how we support families and keep safe those at risk of harm. For social workers, delivery of the Promise is not a narrow concern; it is central to realising our collective national ambitions to reduce child poverty, close the educational attainment gap, and improve the population’s health and wellbeing.
We therefore welcome all opportunities to make progress on the Promise and are grateful for this invitation to inform the Committee’s scrutiny of the Financial Memorandum accompanying the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill (from herein “the Bill”). In developing this submission, we have engaged widely with our membership, including the thirty-two local authority Chief Social Work Officers, service and team managers, and social workers directly involved in the delivery of services to children and adults. This represents a cross-section of a social work workforce – across local government, integrated partnerships, and the voluntary sectors – who are central to successful delivery of the Promise, and who will be responsible for translating the Bill’s provisions into reality. They are also individuals who oversee budgets associated with relevant services, and who therefore understand the costs and broader financial realities.
