1. Brief Summary
Type of proposal:
Decision of a strategic nature relating to the rights and wellbeing of children.
Name the proposal, and describe its overall aims and intended purpose:
The establishment of the National Social Work Agency (NSWA).
The Scottish Government is committed to establishing the NSWA. A five-case business model was developed and we have gained approval for the NSWA to be established as a new public body in the form of an executive agency.
By way of background, the Care Reform (Scotland) Act 2025, through an amendment to the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, makes it a legal requirement that Scottish Ministers designate a member of their staff as a National Chief Social Work Adviser (NCSWA). It further states that Scottish Ministers should organise other members of their staff into a national social work agency to support the NCSWA.
While provisions in the Act set out that a national social work agency must be established, the decision to set up the NSWA as an executive agency does not, in itself, require legislation. Therefore, this CRWIA focuses on the impacts of the change from the current social work structures to the establishment of the NSWA as an executive agency to the Scottish Government.
The need for change
The main aim behind this change is to support and invest in the social work profession by providing national leadership and oversight of the broader picture across Scotland, aiming to ensure effective arrangements of social work provision nationally.
An NSWA will seek to promote widening of access to the profession and greater diversity within the workforce, which will in turn have a positive effect through more readily enabling children to see ‘people like them’ reflected in those providing support to them and their families. NSWA oversight will be targeted at the social work profession and student social workers. Programmes leading to qualification as a social worker are currently open to individuals over 18 years old. As of 19 December 2025, there were 1,819 students enrolled on social work courses in Scotland.1
NSWA oversight will include:
- social work education (pre and post-qualifying)
- workforce planning
- policy rationale and improvement activities based on evidence-based insight
- implementation support with social work employers to ensure Scotland achieves its policy intentions
- training and professional development
Employers of social workers
The NSWA will not employ social workers, however, its policies will apply to all social workers, regardless of employer or sector. Currently there are 6,748 whole time equivalent (WTE) registered social workers working in local authority social work services2 across Scotland, and a further 4,030 registered social workers3 working in related services, including third and independent sectors, public bodies, government, and higher and further education institutions. There are currently 5,830 social workers in Children and Families services, with 2,753 of those employed by local authorities.4
Local authority budgets for training, upskilling and resources (i.e. how many social workers can be employed by that local authority), as well as the rate of pay which can be offered for qualified social workers, is dependent on the total budget for that local authority, which is not equal across all 32 council areas. Third sector and independent employers will also have their own budgets and employment terms and conditions.
Establishing a national approach to workforce planning through the NSWA aims to achieve greater equality, diversity and inclusion. This will advance existing work by the Scottish Government, such as the action plan to eradicate racism in the social work profession. As a vehicle to enact change at a national level, the NSWA provides an opportunity to support a workforce that truly reflects our diverse society.
Social work standards in practice
Across Scotland there are a number of social work standards, such as the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) Codes of Practice and the Chief Social Work Officer Standard, that provide a framework for safe and effective practice. However, there are no defined professional practice standards setting out what a social worker must know, understand and be able to do. Professional standards would improve both consistency and quality of the provision of social work, and provide support for social workers in their pressurised role of balancing risks and rights. This would ensure that all people in contact with a social worker should have a consistent experience with a suitably experienced and knowledgeable professional. Establishing the NSWA will provide the ability to oversee national improvement strategies in this way.
Start date of CRWIA process: June 2024 (prior to this was incorporated into impact assessments for the National Care Service Bill, as introduced pre 2022 – this became the Care Reform (Scotland) Act 2025). Start of engagement with CRWIA team – October 2024.