Drugs and alcohol workforce action plan 2023 to 2026

Employ

What is the wider challenge across the Health and Social Care sector?

The Employ pillar focuses on how staff must feel appreciated for the work that they do, and that terms and conditions must continue to modernise. This will mean we can develop a more skilled, resilient workforce. We have to ensure the consistent progression of Fair Work practice and have a system around staff that is responsive to their personal circumstances and provides opportunities for career progression.

The Scottish Government’s ‘Fair Work Action Plan’^[52] sets out our wider ambition for Scotland to be a leading Fair Work Nation by 2025, and the actions we are taking to realise this. Evidence tell us that adopting fair work practices can help employers attract and retain workers, and likewise workers benefit from being fairly rewarded and respected in a safe and secure working environment.

We should ensure that a career in Health and Social Care is one of choice and we retain people who want to stay and progress. The system needs to allow flexibility, and focus on human rights and person-led experiences.

What needs to change within the drugs and alcohol sector?

Recruiting new people to the drugs and alcohol sector is critical to reducing vacancies, caseloads, and pressures. It is imperative that the workforce continues to expand to better support people. We need to use a multipronged approach where we simultaneously make progress against all five pillars. As previously explained, recruiting more staff, without steps to improve retention, would lead to a continuous cycle, draining more time from those already working in services.

The section that follows outlines the specific work being undertaken to employ more people within the drugs and alcohol workforce. However, it should be acknowledged that almost every action outlined in this Plan, across all five pillars, should to some extent improve recruitment, as a by-product of making the sector a more desirable place to enter and develop a career.

What have we done so far?

Challenge

To recruit additional drugs and alcohol workers across Scotland.

In June 2022, the previous Minister for Drugs Policy outlined to the Scottish Parliament, that most of an additional £10 million per year MAT funding would be used to recruit more than 100 staff nationally.

Outcome

Many ADPs have reported that they have made significant progress towards the recruitment targets set for themselves. In June 2023, a snapshot of the picture in each area was captured; those figures were encouraging across a number of areas with some reporting significant progress against their intended targets. However, many still face significant challenges.

Action 17

MAT funding has allowed the Scottish Government to support additional ADP recruitment.

Timeline

Ongoing.

Challenge

To support those with lived and living experience of drug and alcohol use to establish careers within the sector.

The value that people with lived and living experience can bring to the sector has been reiterated throughout this Action Plan. We are fully committed to ensuring increased involvement in both the delivery and design of services. However, we know that people with lived and living experience often face multiple barriers when entering employment. This group often require ongoing support to gain qualifications and enter the workforce.

Outcome

SDF’s A/RWTP provides a supported employment programme for people with experience of drugs and alcohol use. Trainees are supported through SDF’s Scottish Qualifications Authority approved Learning Centre, to achieve the Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) Level 2 in Social Services and Healthcare. SDF’s Learning Centre tailors delivery of SVQs to meet the needs of the workforce.

The SVQ is the industry standard qualification required for working in the drugs, alcohol and wider social care field. This SVQ satisfies registration requirements for the SSSC, who serve as regulators for the social work, social care and early years workforce in Scotland. Achievement of this SVQ therefore opens up employment opportunities for graduates.

The traineeship offers a unique opportunity to utilise life experience in conjunction with a salaried work placement, professional training, vocational learning and intensive support to produce high calibre social and health care professionals.

The programme has demonstrated clear successful outcomes, with a reported 90% completion rate. Furthermore, over 85% of people who complete the programme move into further employment; the vast majority into full time jobs in Health and Social Care.

In January 2023, the Scottish Government announced that it would support up to a further 20 placements annually through investment of £480,000 per year.^[53] For each ADP funded place, SDF offered up to two match funded places from Scottish Government funding.

This additional funding has encouraged ADPs to consider the value of increased resources for the programme. Fife ADP responded favorably by doubling their allocated resource to the programme, while all other ADPs maintained their 2022-23 commitment.

Scottish Government funding has also:

• Significantly increased the number of trainee places available;
• Facilitated additional support from one new ADP area (Inverclyde); and
• Expanded the geographical reach of the programme to a further four local authority areas.

The programme is now being delivered throughout Argyll & Bute, Borders, East Ayrshire, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow, Highland, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire and South Lanarkshire.

Action 18

The Scottish Government will continue to support the additional annual recruitment of up to 20 additional Addiction/Recovery Worker Training Programme trainees through investment of £480,000 per year for the remainder of this parliament.

Timeline

Ongoing.

What will we do next?

Challenge

To support people who have lived and living experience of using drugs and alcohol to enter and sustain meaningful employment.

Outcome

No One Left Behind^[54] is the Scottish Government’s approach to transforming employment support in Scotland. It has a crucial role to play in delivery of our vision for economic transformation and tackling child poverty. The approach aims to deliver a system that is more tailored and responsive to the needs of people of all ages who want help and support on their journey towards, and into, work – particularly people with health conditions, people with disabilities and others who are disadvantaged in the labour market.

An exercise has been undertaken to improve understanding of those commissioned services working across Scotland to provide drugs and alcohol services. This exercise has improved understanding of current vacancies, their geography, and the nature of the skills and qualifications sought by those with a track record of employing people with lived and living experience.

Cross Government work is now underway to maximise the role of employability services in supporting people with lived and living experience working towards and into work, including roles within the drugs and alcohol sector.

Action 19

We will support participants with lived and living experience of using drugs and alcohol to enter and sustain employment.

Timeline

Ongoing.

Challenge

The need to support professions to develop pathways for people with lived and living experience to pursue careers within the drugs and alcohol workforce.

Outcome

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that people with lived and living experience are at the heart of everything we do. We want to ensure they are supported to pursue careers within the sector and play a more active role in the design and delivery of services. The Corra foundation reported that of 226 funded projects, between April 2022 and March 2023, a total of 147 employ or involve people with lived and living experience in their work.

We understand there exists a need to develop pathways for people to enter, and progress, careers within the sector. The Scottish Government is working with key partners to support this. We will achieve this by:

• Identifying best practice in existing career pathways;
• Drawing on the workforce mapping output (see Plan section) to identify the most appropriate roles to which pathways should be developed;
• Identifying existing barriers and enablers for career entry and development;
• Identifying best practice in risk management and safeguarding processes; and
• Developing a framework of key principles which will support organisations to deliver clear pathways for people with lived and living experience.

This outcome has been identified by the Scottish Government’s WEDG as a key priority to be initiated in 2023/24.

Action 20

We will support organisations and professions to develop pathways to support people with lived and living experience to enter and pursue careers within a workforce which is inclusive, diverse and reflective of the communities that it cares for.

Timeline

Initiated Tranche 1 (2023/24).