In October 2025, after reports of reductions to Self-directed Support (SDS) personal budgets (options 1 direct payments), we facilitated two separate pieces of research on the impacts on disabled people, carers and Independent Support Organisations (ISOs), and social workers with support from SASW and partners.
Research and analysis were completed by Three Sisters Consultancy (disabled people, carers, and ISOs) and Dr Gillian MacIntyre and Dr Ailsa E Stewart (social workers).
Social Work Scotland are proud to be able to bring lived experience and workforce voices together and have published a bridging paper collating both perspectives to discuss the state and future of social work and social care in Scotland, as well as a discussion paper with considerations.
The bridging paper was published alongside two complementary research studies: one capturing the lived experience of people who draw on social work and social care support, and another exploring the experiences of social workers operating within the current system. Its purpose is to connect these perspectives – to show how funding decisions, governance arrangements, and policy choices shape both what people experience and what practitioners are asked to do. By bringing lived experience, workforce reality, and financial analysis into the same frame, this paper aims to support informed, constructive discussion about how Scotland can build a more sustainable, rights-based, and trusted system of care and support. It is intended as a contribution to collective problem-solving, not an attribution of blame to individuals or organisations working within significant structural constraints.
The discussion paper provides a summary of key messages from recent reports on social work and social care funding in Scotland, with a focus on system‑level pressures, emerging risks, and implications for sustainability. It is intended to inform discussion with members and partners, including COSLA and the Scottish Government, by highlighting how current funding trajectories are shaping experiences, outcomes and capacity across the system. Taking a system‑level perspective, this paper does not attribute responsibility to individual organisations or practitioners but is offered to support constructive dialogue and shared understanding, rather than to propose delivery solutions or funding decisions.
Report 1: Bridging paper – The State and Future of Social Work and Social Care in Scotland (written by Laura Kerr, Head of Policy and Workforce, Social Work Scotland)
Report 2: Impacts of SDS budget reductions on social workers – Survey analysis (written by Dr Gillian MacIntyre and Dr Ailsa E Stewart)
Report 3: Impacts of SDS budget reductions on disabled people and unpaid carers – Qualitative research (written by Rhiann McLean Three Sisters Consultancy)
Report 4: Discussion paper – The State and Future of Social Work and Social Care Funding in Scotland (written by Laura Kerr, Head of Policy and Workforce, Social Work Scotland)
