4.5 Strengthen improvement and implementation

The National Social Work Agency will promote partnership and collaboration with improvement agencies and partners. Together, we will support evidence-based and insight-led improvements and innovation across social work services, systems and practice.

We will lead work to ensure Scotland’s social work services are able to recognise where people are affected by trauma and adversity, respond in ways that prevent further harm, support recovery and improve life chances. To do this we will work with partners through the multi-agency Trauma Responsive Social Work Services Programme. Our team of senior implementation and learning practitioners will support development and testing of improvement initiatives with the social work workforce.

Strategic objective: strengthen co-ordination of improvement and implementation activity that supports national improvement priorities and drives high quality social work services and practice across Scotland

Outcome: an evidence informed approach to social work, with a valued and skilled profession that consistently delivers high quality services, and enhances the quality, equity and impact of social work services

During 2026/27 our work in this area will focus on:

• understanding the conditions needed to support co-ordination of policy-driven improvement initiatives and implementation activity affecting the workforce
• developing a plan to strengthen coordination of implementation and improvement activity
• understanding the enablers and barriers to ensuring practices and approaches in social work are research and evidence informed
• developing proposals to strengthen links between research and social work practice
• agreeing and delivering actions to meet the priorities of the Trauma Responsive Social Work Services Programme
• working in partnership with the National Trauma Transformation Programme and partners to support development of training for kinship and foster carers, and adoptive parents, and to consider what will be needed to develop a national approach to training and implementation