We’re delighted to announce that the 2025 Winter Bulletin is now live!

Investing in Social Care: Three Key Asks for the Scottish Budget

Scotland’s future depends on strong, person-led social care. As the Scottish Budget approaches, we are urging for investment that delivers dignity, choice and control for individuals, while strengthening communities and local economies.

Social care is not a cost, it is critical infrastructure. Every pound invested in care generates more than double in socio-economic value, creating jobs, improving health equity and supporting the many women-led small enterprises that define our sector. With over 13,000 vacancies, investment also means thousands of new opportunities for people to make a real difference every day.

Our Three Key Asks for the Scottish Budget are clear, practical and evidence-led:

1. Increase Core Funding for Social Care Support
2. Invest in Our Social Care Professionals
3. Invest in Ethical Technology, Digital and Data

Why this matters for Scotland

Investing in social care is investing in Scotland’s future:

• Stronger communities and social justice
• Local economic growth and job creation
• Better health outcomes and reduced inequalities
• A sustainable, person-led care system that leaves no one behind

Read our Scottish Budget Asks here

Introducing the Scottish Care Manifesto –  Care Creates…

Care Creates… is our invitation to Scotland to view adult social care support through a lens of opportunity. The Scottish Care Manifesto sets out a practical, hopeful roadmap for a system that places dignity, independence and wellbeing at its heart and recognises social care support as essential public infrastructure that enables people and communities to thrive.

The manifesto is built around six opportunities:

• Rights at the heart of social care support
• Fair pay, fair work, fair care
• Integration
• Future‑ready care
• Investing in care like it matters
• Care that cares for the people and planet

We are calling for decisive action, bold investment and ethical commissioning to make social care support valued, visible, viable and visionary across Scotland.

This agenda aligns with the our wider reframing work to move the public conversation beyond crisis, emphasising interdependence, fairness and wellbeing and showing how social care support creates the foundations of a fairer, healthier Scotland.

Care Creates… opportunity – for people, for communities, for Scotland.
It creates rights upheld, skilled jobs, collaboration and trust, digital empowerment, investment with impact, and climate‑conscious care.

It creates a system that matters, and a future we can build together.

Download the manifesto here

Scottish Care welcomes the publication of the latest findings of the Covid Inquiry Module 2 report which covered political decision making during the pandemic.

Prof Donald Macaskill, who gave evidence during this Module commented:

“The publication of the Covid Inquiry’s Module 2 report into political decision making during the pandemic has found that the government did ‘too little, too late’.

We note that it indicated that there was a lack of coordination between the different UK administrations and that this harmed the overall response and risked mistrust amongst the population.

Of considerable concern is its assertion that older people and disabled people were not adequately considered in pandemic planning or decision making.

We note that the Report found that there was a disturbing lack of understanding about the reality of social care provision amongst those who are taking critical decisions.

We further agree with the Report that in the future it is fundamental that those who are delivering social care services at the frontline should be intimately involved in decision-making. Regretfully as far as we can see this has still not become reality in any current planning and preparedness.

Whilst we look forward to the findings of Module Six which are specific to social care, we note that this report highlights the lack of both appreciation of and sensitivity to the particular needs of care home residents and those who were living with conditions such as dementia.

We very much appreciate and recognise the Report’s recommendations that the wider non-physiological impacts of protective measures should be better understood not least as they impact on particular populations such as those living with dementia. We concur with the Report’s assessment that this lack of awareness and sensitivity introduced measures into Guidance which meant that the lives of older people in particular were so negatively impacted.”

Scottish Care is deeply concerned by the Home Secretary’s proposals to extend the qualifying period for settlement for legal migrants, particularly the increase from five to fifteen years for those on health and social care visas. These changes will have a profoundly negative impact on the sustainability and quality of care and support services across Scotland.

Scotland’s care sector is already facing acute workforce shortages, with international colleagues playing a vital role in supporting older and vulnerable citizens. Forcing dedicated care workers to wait up to fifteen years for settlement, and tying their future to restrictive criteria, will deter much-needed talent from staying in Scotland and undermine the sense of security and belonging for all those already here. It is further deeply insulting to the professionalism of care organisations for those who do equivalent jobs as nurses and carers in the NHS to be treated so much better.

Such measures risk destabilising care provision, increasing turnover, and placing additional strain on already stretched services. Their impact especially in Scotland’s remote and rural communities is incalculable.

They also send a damaging message that the invaluable contributions of migrant care workers are not fully recognised or valued. Scottish Care urges the UK Government to reconsider these proposals and to work with devolved administrations to ensure immigration policy supports, rather than hinders, the future of care in Scotland.

We also urgently need Scottish Labour to come to challenge these proposals because they are insensitive to Scotland’s distinct needs and are a fundamental threat to our social care and health systems.

Invitation to Join a Scottish Care and Care Inspectorate joint Event

Ready for Regulation: Equipping Today’s Care Workforce

Wednesday 29th October 2025
 9:30am – 3:30pm
 Renfield Centre, 260 Bath Street, Glasgow

Social care regulation through inspection activity is important to support care providers and the ongoing improvement of care services in Scotland.  Current sector challenges and pressures have increased the need for collaborative working between care organisations and the Care Inspectorate.  This is to ensure important standards of care are maintained whilst appropriately supporting an overstretched workforce.

Scottish Care’s Workforce Matters is delighted to invite you to a one-day event bringing together social care providers, regulators, and workforce leaders to explore how regulation is shaping – and will continue to shape – the future of the social care workforce in Scotland.

This event offers a valuable opportunity to:

• Gain insight into current and emerging Care Inspectorate regulatory approaches
• Explore self-evaluation as a driver for service improvement
• Hear directly from the social care workforce and contribute to a discussion around the provider experience of inspection
• Engage with the Care Inspectorate on future regulation, workforce trends, and safe staffing obligations
• Participate in interactive sessions and a panel discussion with Scottish Care members

Please note: While this is a free event, cancellations must be made by 22 October. Non-attendance without notice or late cancellations will incur a £25 fee to cover catering costs.

Download the programme here

Book your place here