National Care Service - adult social care workforce: evidence

1. Introduction

This paper summarises the available evidence on the adult social care workforce and providers in Scotland^[1] and analyses several factors that affect them. The data and analysis reported here have mainly been drawn from Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) and Office of National Statistics (ONS) reports, as well as recent reports on the impacts of Covid-19 and Brexit on the workforce. It does not provide exhaustive or fully comprehensive coverage of all social care services, but provides an insight into recent trends in social care use. The focus is on adult social care but data that covers all age groups is indicated throughout.

This paper forms one of an initial collection of contextual evidence papers, setting out key sources of information about social care and related areas in Scotland, linking to the National Care Service Consultation proposals published in August 2021.

The collection consists of the following 6 papers on social care:

1. Scotland’s Health and Demographic Profile

2. People who Access Social Care and Unpaid Carers in Scotland

3. Social Care Support and Service Provision in Scotland

4. Experiences of Social Care and Caring in Scotland

5. The Adult Social Care Workforce in Scotland

6. Adult Social Care in Scotland - Equality Evidence Overview

And papers on:

7. Children’s Social Services

8. Justice Social Work in Scotland

9. Learning and evidence from national social care systems in Nordic and Scandinavian countries

10. Integrated Care Studies: The SCFNuka (Alaska) and Canterbury (New Zealand) Models

While the focus of this set of evidence papers is social care, there is an intrinsic link between social care and social work. Social work is a statutory role which involves assessing need, managing risk, and promoting and protecting the wellbeing of individuals and communities. Social care support is an umbrella term for adult, children’s and justice services which directly support people to meet their personal outcomes. A social work evidence paper is being prepared for publication in summer 2022.

This paper does not go into detail about workforce equality characteristics as this is covered in the Social Care in Scotland - Equality Evidence Overview. There is limited evidence available on workforce projections as these are highly dependent on demand for social care, expenditure on social care and factors such as population and demographic changes. However, this paper considers the main factors that impact future workforce numbers and future demand for social care.