How do we define, evidence and improve social care in Scotland? Learning from qualitative research

Thursday 19 February 2026
2:00 – 3:00 pm
Please register in the Members Area

Scottish Care welcomes Dr Jenna Breckenridge to share the findings from qualitative research she conducted in collaboration with Scottish Government. Jenna’s research involved two parts: creative workshops with over 60 social care stakeholders; and a focussed case study where she interviewed 20 stakeholders involved in developing the Healthcare Framework for Adults Living in Care Homes. She has combined the research data from both parts of the project to create the “3Rs” model, which identifies the three characteristics of good social care as: respectful, responsive and relational. In this webinar, Jenna will talk about how the “3Rs” can support discussions around designing, evidencing and improving social care and will share insights from her research about the importance of valuing different types of knowledge in social care.

About the speaker: Dr Jenna Breckenridge is a Senior Lecturer in Health Sciences at the University of Dundee. She is a qualitative researcher with a special interest in how knowledge is shared and used within and across organisations. Her research was completed as part of an ESRC funded research fellowship with the Social Care Analytical Unit at Scottish Government between February 2022 and November 2023.

Scottish Care are excited to announce the launch of two brand-new SSSC Open Badges designed to empower care home managers and activity leads across Scotland. These badges celebrate professional growth, creativity, and the vital role of meaningful activity in care settings.

Why This Matters

Care home activities are at the heart of wellbeing. They bring joy, connection, and purpose to residents’ lives. These new badges recognise and reward the skills of those who make this happen every day.

The Badges

The badges has been developed in collaboration with the Scottish Care Independent Sector Leads for Aberdeen City and Perth and Kinross, SSSC, National Meaningful Engagement Network (NMEN) and care home activity leads.

• Introduction to Care Home Activity – Build confidence and explore the foundations of delivering engaging, person-centred activities. Perfect for those starting out or refreshing their practice.
• Advanced Care Home Activity – Take your expertise to the next level. Learn how to expand your knowledge and activity programmes that enrich lives and strengthen community within your care home.

Benefits for Managers and Activity Leads

• Showcase your commitment to high-quality care and resident wellbeing.
• Motivate and inspire your teams with recognised professional development.
• Strengthen your care home’s reputation for excellence and innovation.
• Gain nationally recognised badges that highlight your dedication to continuous improvement.
• Include the badges in job descriptions

Join the Movement

These badges are more than training—it’s a celebration of the creativity and compassion that define care home life. By earning these badges, you’re not just enhancing your skills – you’re shaping brighter, more fulfilling days for the people you support.

Scottish Care and the SSSC are calling on care homes to apply now and showcase the vital difference they make every day by delivering meaningful activities. This initiative invites providers to join a growing community of badge achievers, celebrating excellence and commitment across the sector.

Suzie Kelly, Wellbeing Coordinator at Richmond House Care Home in Crieff was one of the first to have completed the advanced badge, here is what she thought:

“The open badge was so easy to access and to use the resources. 

There was three topics to choose from Physical Activity, Mental and Cognitive Wellbeing and Collaboration and Social engagement. After looking at the resources within these three headings I chose “playlist for life” as I have not done much work with this in the past that has been very successful.

With my residents we looked into our favourite music and filled out the Playlist Paperwork and uploaded this on to our interactive table so residents who don’t wish to use MP3 Players and headphones can access their tunes online.

We have also came up with the idea for a Music Appreciation group, one of the residents has taken charge of the group and organizes with other residents what concert or music documentary they would like to listen to or watch together. This has become a lovely social time and involves those that don’t often attend group activities which is great!

I have found that by completing the Advanced Care Home Activity badge has made me think about Playlists in a different way as music is such a big part of what we do as Wellbeing Coordinators. It has inspired me to think of more ways we could expand what we do with our favourite music…. perhaps the next thing will be Music Boards, a great way for staff to get to know residents and share a tune”.

More information on the Introduction to Care Home Activity Badge is available on: Https://www.mylearning.scot/badges/introduction-to-care-home-activity/

More information on the Advanced Care Home Activity Badge is available on: https://www.mylearning.scot/badges/advanced-care-home-activity/

On a winter morning in Lanarkshire, Mary waits for her homecare worker to arrive. That knock on the door is more than routine – it is the sound of dignity, independence, and human connection. Yet for thousands like Mary, this lifeline is under threat. As Scotland heads into an election, we face a stark choice: will social care remain the poor relation of public policy, or will we finally recognise it as the cornerstone of a fair society?

For too long, social care has been treated as a cost to contain rather than an investment to cherish. The consequences are visible everywhere: care homes closing their doors, homecare visits squeezed into 15-minute slots, and exhausted staff leaving for better-paid jobs elsewhere. Behind these headlines are real lives, families desperate for placements, older people stuck in hospital because there is nowhere for them to go, and workers who feel undervalued despite doing one of the most important jobs in Scotland. This is not inevitable. It is the result of political choices. And it is time those choices changed.

Scottish Care’s 2025 Manifesto, Care Creates, offers a vision that should inspire every party. It calls for fair pay and career progression for care workers, investment in technology that serves people rather than bureaucracy, and commissioning models that prioritise dignity over penny-pinching. It reframes care as infrastructure, as essential to health, the economy, and community resilience. This is not radical; it is common sense.

Imagine a Scotland where care homes are vibrant hubs of community life, not symbols of decline. Where homecare visits allow time for conversation, not just tasks. Where digital tools free staff to spend more time with people, not screens. These are achievable goals but only if we have the courage to act.

The political backdrop is messy, with parties point-scoring and funding gaps are huge. But the election offers a moment of clarity. Every manifesto will talk about fairness, wellbeing, and community. Social care is where those words become reality or ring hollow. Investment is not charity; it is strategy. Every pound spent on care reduces hospital admissions, supports jobs, and strengthens families. Yet the true cost of care remains unfunded. Closing these gaps is not optional; it is the price of a system that works.

But to truly put social care at the heart of Scotland’s future, we must go further. We need to see social care as a driver of innovation and sustainability. Our sector is already pioneering green initiatives, embedding human rights, and investing in local economies. The Care Creates campaign is about more than funding – it’s about reimagining care as a foundation for a just, resilient, and compassionate society. This means supporting our workforce with fair pay, robust training, and recognition equal to that of NHS colleagues. It means ethical commissioning that values relationships and continuity, not just cost. And it means listening to the voices of those who deliver and receive care every day.

The reality for many care workers is stark: lower pay, fewer benefits, and less security than their counterparts in health. This disparity is not just unfair – it is unsustainable. If we want to attract and retain skilled, compassionate people, we must offer them respect, opportunity, and a real career path. The pandemic showed us the vital role of social care, but applause and promises are not enough. We need action and we need it now.

This is my challenge to Scotland’s politicians: stop treating social care as an afterthought. Make it central to your vision for the nation. Commit to sustainable funding, ethical commissioning, and parity of esteem for care workers. Recognise that social care is not a drain on resources but a driver of wellbeing and economic resilience.

Mary’s quiet morning should not be a privilege; it should be a promise. A promise that, whatever our age or circumstance, we will be cared for with dignity, respect, and compassion. That is not just good policy – it is who we are as a nation.

Professor Donald Macaskill
CEO, Scottish Care