SSSC will publish an updated Framework for Social Work Education in 2026, incorporating updated Standards in Social Work Education, the Newly Qualified Social Worker learning standards, and new post-qualified learning standards.
The National Social Work Agency is to be established by April 2026. The Agency will lead excellence in social work, and will work in partnership with the social work profession, people with lived experience and partners to strengthen practice, elevate the profession and drive positive change. It will advise Scottish Ministers, drive national coordination of policy affecting social work and have oversight of national workforce planning, social work education and learning, improvement priorities and national implementation support.
The Scottish Social Work Partnership brings together key national organisations with a shared commitment to strengthening social work in Scotland to work collaboratively to support the workforce, influence policy, and promote the value of social work across sectors. Priorities are shaped by what the workforce has told us matters most: improving wellbeing, strengthening professional identity, supporting leadership at all levels, planning for a sustainable workforce and ensuring inclusive, meaningful career development. This engagement is part of our collective response to the needs and challenges previously outlined by the sector.
The partnership of COSLA, the Scottish Government and Social Work Scotland enables national and local government to work together on priorities to support the social work workforce, including education and learning, professional governance and leadership, and workforce planning. The aim of the Scottish Social Work Partnership is to ensure Scotland has a skilled, supported and sustainable social work workforce.
The Scottish Social Work Partnership are working with the sector to roll out Local Learning Partnerships (LLPs), in a test-and-learn approach, building on and sharing good practice. Local Learning Partnerships are a new model of formalised, locally-led collaboration between social work employers and education providers (mainly Higher Education Institutions) which aim to deliver social work education and learning. This will achieve consistency of opportunity nationally, alongside local flexibility in delivering. The initial focus will be on improving practice learning for social work students, with scope for future support for the provision of Continuous Professional Learning opportunities for the social work workforce.
Scottish Government championed the creation of a Graduate Apprenticeship in Social Work, to provide an additional work-based route to qualification, accessible to those without a first degree. Led by Skills Development Scotland, a pilot programme delivered by University of West of Scotland commenced in November 2025. We want to increase the diversity of routes into Scottish social work to boost graduate numbers and widen access to individuals at different stages of their working life and from a variety of socio-economic and professional backgrounds. The Graduate Apprenticeship in Social Work will support employers to offer a paid, work-based route to qualification as a social worker. It will create an additional pathway for those wishing to enter the social work profession who are unable to access traditional routes, and those in employment but without a first degree.
National Trauma Transformation Programme (led by NHS Education for Scotland) continues to scale access to trauma-informed learning across workforce sectors, with current focus on the children and young people’s workforce.
Trauma-Responsive Social Work Services Programme develops a national programme to support social work services to embed trauma-responsive practice.
Hearings for Children Redesign Programme advances recommendations to ensure all Children’s Hearings participants receive consistent trauma, rights and child development training.
Scottish Government’s Education Reform Programme progresses commitments to strengthen workforce understanding of child development and wellbeing.
COSLA, Scottish Government and Social Work Scotland continue joint work through the Scottish Social Work Partnership to support education and learning, professional governance and leadership, and workforce planning, ensuring a skilled, supported and sustainable social work workforce.
Trauma-Responsive Social Work Services (TRSWS) continues to support four pilot sites to embed trauma-responsive approaches within social work service delivery. TRSWS works with universities to pilot the delivery of trauma-skilled training within qualifying social work programmes. TRSWS scopes the requirements for establishing an infrastructure to deliver ‘training for trainers’ at trauma-skilled and trauma-enhanced levels for the social work workforce.
Social Work Partnership initiates mapping of workforce learning provision across children’s services to identify gaps and inform future planning.
Findings used to develop strategies that ensure greater equity in access to high-quality learning and development opportunities for the workforce supporting children and their families.
Ongoing trauma-informed training programmes aligned with Children’s Hearings redesign work to ensure coherence across the system.
Cross-sector learning needs analysis developed across education, justice and health sectors to identify shared priorities.
Multidisciplinary foundation learning modules—covering child development, attachment, rights and trauma—co-produced for integration into induction and Continuing Professional Development pathways.
Trauma-Responsive Social Work Services begins evaluation of the process and impact of pilot sites within the Trauma-Responsive Social Work Services Programme.
Trauma-Responsive Social Work Services pilots ‘training for trainers’ infrastructure for trauma-skilled and trauma-enhanced learning for the social work workforce and agrees next steps based on pilot findings.
The Scottish Social Work Partnership will publish their strategic plan in the summer.
Deliver cross-sector training pilots on attachment, trauma, and rights, including Children’s Hearings participants, health, justice and education sectors. Evaluate outcomes and impact on practice culture.
National multidisciplinary foundation programme launched, with training standards embedded into workforce regulation and inspection frameworks.
Evaluation initiated to assess changes in workforce confidence and children’s experiences of care interactions.
Trauma-Responsive Social Work Services publishes an evaluation of the Trauma-Responsive Social Work Services Programme and agrees next steps informed by the findings.
Continuous professional learning in attachment, trauma and rights embedded in all workforce development systems.
Annual national learning report published by The National Social Work Agency in partnership with NHS Education for Scotland and COSLA.
There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.
There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.
