The small bonds that hold us
There is a quiet erosion that happens long before systems fail. It begins not with budgets or policies, but with absence. The absence of time. The absence of attention. The absence of ordinary […]
The courage to build
There are times in my life which are etched indelibly in my memory even when my role in the event is marginal and incidental. On a rain-soaked October day in […]
Young Scotland, Ageing Scotland: One Future
There are moments in a nation’s life when the mirrors we hold up to ourselves begin to distort what truly matters. We start to speak in binaries: young or old, […]
Co-operation over competition: the quiet power that sustains care
There is a persistent illusion at the heart of much policy thinking about social care: that competition sharpens quality, that markets drive efficiency, that fragmentation somehow leads to innovation. But […]
Self-Care is not selfish
There is a phrase that returns again and again when we speak of care work and the stresses that carers face, both paid and unpaid, “You must look after yourself […]
Care, sanctuary and welcome.
One of the words I use an awful lot in the work I do, perhaps too easily, is home. We speak of care homes, of homely environments, of supporting people […]
Who supports the ones who care?
Caring rarely announces itself. It happens in the background of daily life, in ordinary homes, in quiet routines, in the unnoticed spaces where support is given without ceremony or recognition. […]
When Ai acts in our name — Part Two: The systems we do not see.
In my previous blog on Saturday, I explored the growing reality that artificial intelligence is no longer confined to suggesting or supporting, but is increasingly able to act, initiating processes, […]
When Ai acts in our name: care, authority and responsibility.
The following was developed from a recent seminar which I delivered. This morning I want to speak about artificial intelligence … but not as a technical topic. Nor primarily […]
Ageing Well is more than staying intact.
When I was out in Brisbane a couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of taking part in an international panel discussion on the ongoing debate between longevity and […]
Beyond the Centre: Why the future of care and support is about agency, not personhood.
There is a phrase that has accompanied social care for decades – person-centred. It has been spoken in training rooms, written into legislation, embedded in strategies, inscribed into inspection frameworks. […]
Flourish: beyond maintenance, towards a life fully lived
As I reflect on my time together with others at the Scottish Care Care at Home and Housing Support Conference, which took place yesterday in Glasgow, I find myself returning […]
Social Care as Prevention: the quiet revolution hiding in plain sight
There is a habit in Scotland, born of compassion, yes, but also of institutional muscle-memory, to treat social care as what happens after life has gone wrong. We reach for […]
Holding liberty and safety in one hand: adult protection and human rights
The following is based on a talk given to the Adult Support and Protection in Supported Settings conference (ASPIRE) a couple of weeks ago. Every morning, somewhere in Scotland, a […]
Care Tech Unplugged 2
Care Tech Unplugged 2
Media Release: Scottish Care Calls for Transparency, Sustainability and Fairness in Social Care Funding
Scottish Care Calls for Transparency, Sustainability and Fairness in Social Care Funding
Apricity: The warmth that breaks winter: a reflection on social care.
February is a month of thresholds. The earth is still held in winter’s grip, but the light is unmistakably returning. Days stretch by minutes, a shy lengthening, and occasionally, on […]
Early Bird Tickets – Care at Home & Housing Support Conference 2026
Early Bird Tickets Now Live for Care at Home & Housing Support Conference 2026
Social Care Hustings 2026
Scottish Care are hosting a Social Care Political Hustings on 23 March 2026, ahead of the Scottish Elections.