Executive summary
Policy aim and purpose
The Scottish Government committed to the creation of the NSWA as part of the Care Reform (Scotland) Act 2025. The NSWA will be an executive agency of the Scottish Government, and therefore accountable to Scottish Ministers.
The NSWA will support and invest in the social work profession by:
- providing national leadership
- overseeing and supporting social work education (pre and post-qualifying)
- driving improvement
- promoting a national picture of workforce planning
- leading on sector training and development
- coordinating implementation support
This will ensure the workforce is supported and rewarded with suitable career progression, training, and development, so they can deliver high quality social work services.
The NSWA objectives and its identified work streams are:
- social work education and training
- trauma implementation support
- workforce development
- improvement (practice standards, culture, and service development)
- social work workforce (e.g. data, planning, national terms and conditions)
- leadership and the role of Chief Social Work Officers
- communication, engagement and co-design
There is currently no single body which has oversight of the social work profession. Terms and conditions are set by individual employers. The majority of social workers are employed by local authorities, and there are significant local variations in pay and grading. The combined effect of these factors means it is difficult to carry out national workforce planning, reporting or forecast long-term trends. Additionally, there is no formal mechanism to coordinate necessary whole-system changes, such as legislative or practice developments. A profession that is national in its scope and importance requires appropriate national structures to assist in its development and leadership. The NSWA aims to equip national and local government with the ability to address these challenges.
The NSWA will work collegiately with partners to enable and support a thriving social work workforce who, in turn, will strive to realise and champion the rights of people across Scotland. It will also work in a strategic partnership with COSLA and Social Work Scotland as the Scottish Social Work Partnership (SSWP). The SSWP will drive up standards and support improvements for students through to senior leaders, and across public, third and independent sectors. Partners will share responsibility for a joint strategic plan to address ongoing issues across the social work workforce.
Background
In February 2021, the Independent Review of Adult Social Care in Scotland (IRASC) recommended: ‘Establishing a national organisation for training, development, recruitment and retention for adult social care support, including a specific Social Work Agency for oversight of professional development’ (pp 83, recommendation 45). It is now widely agreed by the profession and partners that existing structures are not fit for purpose and therefore change is needed.
In August 2021, the Scottish Government launched the National Care Service (NCS) consultation which included specific questions about establishing a national social work agency. Questions covered social work leadership, improvements to social work education, development, workforce planning and a national pay scale for social workers. Analysis of NCS consultation responses showed strong support for a national social work agency.
Stage 2 amendments to the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill, published on 24 June 2024, detail the functions of Scottish Ministers in relation to the NSWA and National Chief Social Work Adviser. Scottish Ministers must designate a member of their staff, who must be a registered social worker, as the National Chief Social Work Adviser. The National Chief Social Work Adviser must advise Scottish Ministers on policy in relation to social work, the protection of individuals at particular risk of harm. The National Chief Social Work Adviser must produce an annual report on the state of social work services and the social work workforce. The National Chief Social Work Adviser will be supported by staff members within the NSWA.
The National Care Service (Scotland) Bill was renamed the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill. It received Royal Assent and became an Act in July 2025. This Act requires the establishment of the National Chief Social Work Adviser, who will also be the Chief Executive of the NSWA. This new role will ensure strategic leadership of the profession, allowing the National Chief Social Work Adviser to act on behalf of Scottish Ministers to lead the NSWA.
Who will be affected
Social work comprises a wide range of services, including children’s services, adults and older people’s services, criminal justice, learning disabilities and mental health services.
Establishment of the NSWA will affect the whole social work workforce, irrespective of protected characteristics, by supporting social workers to work with people to achieve better outcomes, and championing rights-based practice. It will also affect local authorities and partner organisations who employ social workers. In a more general way, it will affect individuals, their families and their communities, as well as society as a whole.
The SSSC register1 includes those that do not work in a front line social work role and retired social workers.
SSSC data shows there were 6,748 frontline social workers working in local authorities at the end of 2024.2 The remainder of social workers work across a variety of organisations, including private and voluntary services, government, higher education and further education institutions, the Care Inspectorate and the SSSC.
The workforce relies on the supply of newly qualified social workers, of which there are approximately 620 per year (according to the latest available student data from the Higher Education Statistical Agency (HESA). There are nine universities (including The Open University) offering social work courses. As at December 2025, the social work student population was 1,819.3
Additionally, approximately 1,0994 social work assistants are employed in Scotland. They are a critical part of social work teams, supporting social workers to undertake their roles and duties.