The CSWO annual survey report 2023-24 findings fall at a critical time for the social work landscape. Stage 2 of the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill is being considered; plans for a National Social Work Agency are being developed; the Children’s Hearing System redesign is in consultation process; The Promise released their 24-30 plan; and there are ever-increasing political and budgetary pressures on an already at-capacity workforce.
Social work, and its leadership, has never been so important. As a profession we continue to try ensure the voices and rights of individuals and families are prioritised, the diversity of the population’s needs are understood, and appropriate support is available to those who need it. CSWOs are crucial to the visibility, understanding and future sustainability of the profession as its key leaders across Scotland’s 32 local authorities.
The survey responses are no surprise, but further confirmation of the body of evidence we’re building, with strong relationship to our Setting the Bar reports in 2022, highlighting issues impacting the workforce and identifying potential solutions. The CSWO report reiterates similar issues, and echoes the current crisis around recruitment and retention, showing it’s a widespread issue affecting the entire workforce, and in turn their workload and capacity.
The report itself analyses responses from all 32 CSWO across Scotland, which helps us be even more certain that the themes we’re highlighting – which are mirrored by the rest of the profession, include:
- sector-wide recruitment and retention problems, alongside an aging workforce;
- significant workload challenges leading to lack of personal development and role sustainability; and
- barriers to team development and change implementation due to role capacity.
Whilst the repetition of themes of workload and capacity throughout the report help spotlight the strain across the social work landscape, findings also show CSWO are still innately proud to be in the role and are striving do the best they can with resources they have.
The narrative and full report are available to read now, providing insight into the leadership of social work’s experience of operational systems and structures. As we look to the future, with likely change in all the public policy domains within which social work is an essential (albeit often unseen) component, it’s timely to consider what social work needs to thrive.
