Workforce support

Where is Scotland in 2024?

Scotland is working on a national values-based recruitment and workforce development framework. There are efforts to provide the workforce with training and learning opportunities to raise awareness of stigma and learn about care experience. However broader education programmes are still required to ensure widespread understanding and inclusivity regarding care experience in Scotland.

Part of supporting the workforce involves providing access to training and continuing education. Scotland is making notable progress in developing and embedding workforce training on trauma informed practice. However, inconsistent data recording makes it challenging to assess the broader impact and ensure uniform implementation.

Additionally, Scotland faces significant challenges in adequately supporting its workforce, as highlighted in the ‘care system’ workforce by high sickness absence rates among social workers. These rates affect the quality and continuity of experiences, lead to disruptions in support, and difficulties in maintaining relationships with children, young people, families, and care experienced adults.

Challenges are further compounded by disparities in funding, employment conditions, and organisational constraints, impacting workforce morale and wellbeing. Existing support measures, such as mental health initiatives, team-building activities, and advanced practitioner roles, have not fully addressed the root causes of workforce issues. Limited resources, high workloads, and risk-averse cultures hinder the workforce’s ability to deliver effective support. Comprehensive reforms are needed to establish robust support mechanisms that ensure the wellbeing of the workforce and the quality of support for children, young people, families, and care experienced adults.

Where does Scotland need to be by 2030?

By 2030, Scotland’s workforce will be able to provide the loving and attentive care all children, young people, families and care experienced adults need.

Children and young people will thrive and feel loved because the workforce is nurtured and supported throughout their care-giving journey to help them create a sense of home, family, friends, community, and belonging for those they care for. This means:

There will be a recognition that the workforce includes anyone involved in the care and/or support of children, young people, families and care experienced adults.

Scotland's carers will have confidence that they will receive the support they need to care for children and young people in their care. That will mirror the principles of intensive family support so that sticking with children and young people is supported, encouraged, resourced and normalised.
As part of the broader workforce, kinship carers will be supported and have ongoing supervision and time for reflection to prevent them from feeling or becoming overwhelmed.
Like all families, family carers will have opportunities for babysitting and short breaks, so that they, and the children they care for, can benefit from time away.
Scotland will recognise that its workforce includes survivors of trauma. Those with lived experiences will be supported to be part of the workforce so that they can nurture their instinct to contribute and give back.

Learning and training in Scotland will have been through a process of re-evaluation, meaning the workforce is well-supported and confident to work across disciplines. The way Scotland cares will be underpinned by the guiding principle of attachment and will be informed, responsive and reflective about the nature and impact of trauma. This means:

Child development will be part of essential foundation learning for anyone working with children.
There will be access, at a level appropriate to roles, initial and lifelong learning that is grounded in attachment theory, trauma responsive care, physical and emotional wellbeing and a clear understanding and application of children’s rights.
Everyone involved in the Children’s Hearings System, including legal representatives, will be properly trained in the impact of trauma, childhood development, neurodiversity and children’s rights.
There will be clear learning pathways to foster self-awareness, emotional competency and human connection through relationships at all levels of the workforce.
Learning will support the interaction across the workforce. This will nurture equal partnerships and encourage joint learning through informal education, mentoring, coaching and support networks, as well as opportunities for shared reflective practice. There will be a wider understanding and recognition of the importance of good parenting.
There will have been active consideration of the development of multidisciplinary foundation years of learning for a range of professionals, covering basic principles of human development and children's rights.
Care experienced adults will feel supported throughout their lives and will not experience barriers to this support because of challenges with the workforce.

The route map to get there

Focus must be on the crisis on the workforces in and around Scotland’s ‘care system’; there are simply not enough people in the system to do the work required to care and support, let alone reform. For progress to be made, work must prioritise reducing the impact this is having, with a view to resolving the crisis.

The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) will publish the refreshed Common Core, providing a national framework of the values, knowledge and skills expected of everyone working with children and young people.

‘Hearings for Children’ made a recommendation (2.4) that there should be national oversight by the Scottish Government of the resourcing and provision of training in the impact of trauma, childhood development, neurodiversity and children’s rights for everyone involved in the Children’s Hearings System. This was accepted in full and the Scottish Government made clear in their response to the recommendations that this should also cover the UNCRC.

‘Hearings for Children’ also made a recommendation (10.3) that social workers’ training must cover the purpose, processes and structure of the Children’s Hearings System in adequate detail and must support them in developing the reports that decision makers will need to inform decision-making. The Scottish Government intends to coordinate the development of an Advanced Practice Framework (APF) which sets out the structures that support social workers to progress through different career phases. The APF will describe a cohesive and supportive series of academic, learning and developmental, and work-based opportunities to support the workforce. In spring 2023 officials sought the views of social work students, social workers and social work leaders. Their feedback will inform the creation of a framework which will:

Contain core, practice specific and mandatory elements.
Respond to changing policy and practice developments.
Reflect the important role social workers play in multi-disciplinary teams.

Changes relating to a competency- based recruitment framework and suggested changes to the training of Panel Members made by ‘Hearings for Children’ (recommendation 7.2) are likely to be considered in a Scottish Government consultation on the Hearings Redesign.

Care planning will be undertaken across all areas of work to consider how to reduce unnecessary burden on the workforce and facilitate and nurture effective collaborative working. This must include work to align multiple plans, policies, data and commissioning, so that it is clear where there are shared goals that span multiple policy areas and organisations.

The Trauma Responsive Social Work Services Programme (TRSWS) collaborates with key partners to enhance trauma-informed social work services. Since October 2023, it has begun implementation support and learning programmes with four local authorities - Glasgow City, Scottish Borders, Stirling and West Lothian. Insights from these initial sites will guide further support across Scotland until December 2026.

The TRSWS is also exploring ways to integrate trauma-skilled practice into undergraduate social work education and the first year of social work practice through the Social Work Education Partnership.

The actions outlined in the Voice foundation are fully embedded at every stage to progress actions on Workforce support.

What is helping?

The SSSC published revised codes of practice to ensure consistency with the skills and practice requirements of the promise, focused on relationships, staff wellbeing and trauma-informed practice.

The National Trauma Transformation Programme aims to create a trauma-informed workforce and services through accessible, evidence-based training resources. In partnership with COSLA, the Improvement Service, Resilience Learning Partnership, and NHS National Education Scotland, the programme supports the development and implementation of trauma-informed approaches across organisations.

The National Trauma Transformation Programme recently announced the publication of the new Roadmap For Creating Trauma-Informed And Responsive Change: Guidance For Organisations, Systems And Workforces In Scotland. This resource is designed to be used flexibly and independently by services and organisations across all sectors of the workforce in Scotland, to help identify and reflect on progress, strengths, and opportunities for embedding a trauma-informed and responsive approach across policy and practice.

SSSC promote the National Trauma Training Programme and collaborate with NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and other partners to distribute trauma transformation resources with the aim of integrating trauma-informed practices into qualifications, Continuing Professional Learning (CPL) requirements, and programme delivery, ensuring these resources are accessible and the workforce receives increased wellbeing support. SSSC regularly update these resources to stay current with best practice and highlight them on their Newly Qualified Social Work website. They have also embedded QR codes in training modules for easy tracking of learning via the 'My Learning' App and NES Turas platform.

SSSC supports the development of reflective practice resources with the Office of the Chief Social Work Adviser and explores how supervision can enhance trauma-informed practice. Additionally, it collaborates with higher education institutions to incorporate trauma-informed learning into social work degrees. A Trauma Informed Champions Group uses a trauma-informed approach in assessing impacts and raising awareness within the wider workforce.

SSSC are introducing new CPL learning requirements, including a web resource to support implementation. The new CPL model will help to #KeepThePromise as it introduces mandatory skills and knowledge requirements on trauma awareness and adult and child protection.

Children’s Hearings Panel Members have been receiving training and awareness sessions on trauma-informed practice since 2021. Panel Members have had training on the Trauma-Informed Justice Framework and trauma-informed questioning.