2. About the National Social Work Agency

The National Social Work Agency is an executive agency of the Scottish Government. 

We have a dual role. We are responsible for leading excellence and driving positive change across the social work profession in Scotland, and for providing expert impartial social work advice to Scottish Ministers and Scottish Government policy teams. 

Social work plays a vital role in supporting individuals, families and communities across health, care and justice systems. However, the profession faces significant and growing challenges, with no single organisation responsible for strategic oversight, workforce planning, professional development or sector-wide improvement. The Independent Review of Adult Social Care in Scotland (2021) recommended that a social work agency be created to provide ‘oversight of professional development’. This highlighted the lack of national structures to support the essential social work workforce.

As Scotland’s national leader for social work excellence, we are progressive, collaborative and people-focused. We provide a unified authoritative voice that champions continuous improvement for the profession and strengthens social work’s contribution to leadership across Scotland’s public services. By combining expertise and knowledge with practical support, we aim to empower social workers and partners to deliver equitable, high-quality care for all.

The National Social Work Agency will:

• advocate for all social workers (statutory, third sector, independent sectors), including students
• provide professional, impartial social work advice to Scottish Ministers
• report annually, via the National Chief Social Work Adviser, to Scottish Ministers on Scotland’s social work services and social work workforce
• support the National Chief Social Work Adviser to provide national professional leadership
• contribute to national policy affecting social work practice
• hold policy responsibility and oversight of social work education and professional learning
• oversee improvement priorities and promote collaboration with improvement agencies in the sector
• work with partners, including COSLA and Social Work Scotland, through the Scottish Social Work Partnership, to have oversight of national workforce planning and workforce numbers
• enable collaboration and delivery of the Strategic Plan for Social Work in Scotland (2026–29), as part of the Scottish Social Work Partnership