Dear campaign supporter,

Happy New Year and thank you for supporting our campaign for fair national terms and conditions for social workers in Scotland.

A lot has happened since SASW first launched our campaign in November 2023 and as we look forward to another productive year, we are reflecting on where the campaign has got to so far and where we are going next in 2025.

Since we first launched our ambitious call for change, we have:

·       gained over one thousand supporters of our petition

·       met with senior decision makers at COSLA and the Scottish Government

·       featured the campaign in national press

·       had our campaign fully embraced and supported by the Social Workers Union, SWU since its launch

·       gained support from NSPCC Scotland and Families Outside

·       had Unison directly adopt many of the asks and slightly amend others into their demands for social work

As part of the next steps SASW will continue to lobby for the changes we need to see for the social work profession. The Scottish Government tells us they support our calls, but Local Authorities are responsible for these issues and CoSLA is best placed to agree the needed changes. There is truth in this, but local government [AB1] [GH2] funding is crucial if our asks are to be implemented, and a concerted push from national government is often needed to see changes as important as these brought to life.

CoSLA has a less clear view on our campaign. From our meetings both with officers and the Health and Social Care spokesperson, there is clearly acceptance that our asks are fundamentally reasonable, but there are concerns about implementation and funding, especially in a climate of continued financial hardship for councils. We are continuing to engage positively with CoSLA and welcome their willingness to do so.

Additionally, in October last year (2024) Unison included many of our asks in their demands for social work. This is a positive step and shows acceptance of the urgent need for recognition and support for social workers through their employment.

Distrust between local and national government is likely to continue to slow progress towards the campaign’s final success but we will collaborate with all parties and decision makers to ensure our asks become a reality. We know how much good social workers do in incredibly difficult circumstances and we know how much more they can do if given the time and tools they need.

Thank you again for your support and if you have any questions, please do get in touch.