Social Work in Scotland is a report by the Accounts Commission (the local government spending watchdog). In this report, they say that councils now spend £3.1 billion on social work services per yer, providing services to many vulnerable people in Scotland.

The key messages in this report are:

• Current approaches will not be sustainable in the long term
• Councils and social work departments are facing significant challenges and estimates show that continuing to provide services will see an increase of 16-21% in spending
• Elected members have important leadership and scrutiny roles in services and should assure themselves that service quality is maintained even with the integration of health and social care
• Councils should ensure that the chief social work officer has the status and capacity to enable them to fulfil their statutory reponsibilities effectively

The report also makes key recommendations in the following areas:

• Social work strategy and service planning
• Governance and scrutiny arrangements
• Workforce
• Service efficiency and effectiveness

For more information on 'Social Work in Scotland', please click on the links below.

Resources

Audit Scotland: Social Work in Scotland (September 2016) (external website)

Accounts Commission: Social Work in Scotland (PDF)