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SCOTLAND'S SOCIAL CARE LABOUR MARKET
SUMMARY
Ministerial Foreword
I am delighted to introduce this report which I believe is an important step towards creating an improved understanding of the social care workforce. It is a product of the National Workforce Group which was established to provide cohesion and strategic direction for the development of the social services workforce of the future. As chair of that Group, I am determined to ensure that the direction we provide is supported by a solid understanding of the labour market both now and in the future.
The report reveals a complex and rapidly evolving picture. Social care spans the private, public and voluntary sectors. It also includes a range of services; from children's services to community care and work with offenders. Demand for such services is changing in line with Scotland's demographics. Demand is also growing quickly as a consequence of policy and legislative changes in Scotland since devolution.
Current workforce planning to address recruitment and retention challenges in the social care labour market will be enhanced by a solid base of workforce information. The recently launched 21st Century Social Work Review will also be informed by this report. More generally, the report will allow workforce planning, both locally and nationally, to be carried out on a more proactive basis. Interventions in the labour market based on quality data and analysis will become the norm.
The report will be updated annually. It is a summary version of a longer report available via the Scottish Executive website at www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications.
This report, and those which follow it, will be important tools for those involved in recruiting, managing and supporting social care staff. Through better planning, not only can we make more efficient use of resources, we can direct those resources more effectively towards those people in our communities most in need of support, care and protection.
Euan Robson, MSP
Deputy Minister for Education and Young People
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