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The Way Forward for Care
 
Foreword
This Policy Position Paper sets out our proposals for modernising the regulation
of care services and early education and ensuring that we have a confident and
competent social services workforce in Scotland. Our initial proposals were
outlined in the White Paper Aiming for Excellence in March 1999 and have
been developed following extensive consultation.
These proposals aim to strike a balance between protection and enabling people
to enjoy ordinary living and, for children in particular, ensuring they get
the best possible start in life.
In particular we want:
- to ensure that we have services that recognise and respond to the needs
of children, vulnerable adults and their families;
- everyone to know that they will receive the same minimum standards of service
and care whoever they are, wherever they live and whoever it is provided by;
- everyone to have confidence that a system is in place to deal with situations
where this does not happen;
- everyone to have confidence in the workforce who deliver services.
We believe that the establishment of the Scottish Commission for the Regulation
of Care and the Scottish Social Services Council will help us achieve
our aims. These bodies will have a new, more modern approach to regulation,
which promotes the delivery of progressive, innovative, integrated and flexible
services. The bodies will be user friendly and make full use of plain English
and modern technology in telling people what they are there for.
The approach that we propose in this Paper is the result of close collaboration
across the Scottish Executive between health, community care, education, justice,
housing and social inclusion and has the full support of our Ministerial colleagues
with policy responsibilities in these areas. This reflects the cross-cutting
basis of the work and the wide-ranging nature of these proposals.
It is, however, not just the Scottish Executive's idea of how we should regulate
services and promote an effective workforce. It is the result of positive collaboration
between the Executive and people who use services, their representatives, service
providers, current regulators and a wide range of other interest groups and
professionals. First hand experience and knowledge of the issues have been vital
to the development of our proposals. It is a tribute to all those in the field
that the need for change has been so readily embraced and we are moving forward
together. We would like to thank all those who have contributed to this process
of modernisation and change. We hope that this will continue.
The policy proposals in the Paper will form the basis of the legislation needed
to implement our programme for change. We expect a Bill to be introduced at
the earliest opportunity to the Scottish Parliament.
There is still much to do, but we believe that this Paper sets out the basis
for a new and better system of care and early education regulation and the necessary
structure to develop a better workforce in Scotland. We have the chance in establishing
these new bodies and deciding how they should operate to ensure that they are
central to raising service quality and ensuring that safeguards are in place.
This is what people using services want and deserve.
Although this Policy Position Paper is not being specifically issued for consultation,
we would welcome any comments readers may have on our approach. These can be
sent to Roddy Macdonald, Community Care Division, Scottish Executive Health
Department, Room 43, James Craig Walk, Edinburgh EH1 3BA or roddy.macdonald@scotland.gov.uk.
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Susan Deacon MSP
Minister for Health and Community Care
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Sam Galbraith MSP
Minister for Children and Education
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