Guest blog by Fiona McLeod, Minister for Children & Young People
Today is World Social Work Day which gives us an opportunity to recognise the vital role social workers and their colleagues in wider social services play in our society. I’m pleased to be marking the day by taking part in two events which recognise the unique contribution and commitment that the social services sector makes to supporting people and strengthening our communities.
Working in social services is life-changing work and one of the most demanding tasks that the public ask professionals to do on our behalf. Collectively, what the sector delivers goes to the core of what it means to be a civilised and socially just society. With around 190,000 people, it is the largest public service workforce in Scotland. It is also a complex sector with organisations covering the private, third and public sectors.
Yet despite the scale and diversity of the services, what I have found is a sector unified by a strong set of shared values and ethics which underpins the care and support provided to vulnerable children and adults, their families and carers. I am delighted to be launching a new Vision and Strategy for Social Services in Scotland today. The strategy has been developed by the Social Work Services Strategic Forum which I chair, and whose membership includes Social Work Scotland, the Scottish Social Services Council, Cosla, the Care Inspectorate, the Coalition of Care Providers Scotland, Scottish Care, Scottish Association of Social Workers (SASW), SOLACE, UNISON, Social Work academics and the Scottish Government.
The vision is for “a socially just Scotland with excellent social services delivered by a skilled and valued workforce which works with others to empower, support and protect people, with a focus on prevention, early intervention and enablement.” The strategy represents a strong commitment to working in partnership across organisations and with government to deliver this vision for high quality and effective social services. It is also supportive of the Government policy on having in place a social services workforce which is competent, confident and valued.
Through my involvement in the forum, I have been particularly impressed by the real partnership, consensus and commitment demonstrated by all the partners in working together to develop and progress this shared vision and strategy.
Appreciating the role and value of social services is hugely important and I look forward to the second event I’ll be attending today which will do this – the Annual SASW Social Work Awards. This will be a great opportunity to highlight the dedication of those involved in social work. The nominees and winners have all been recognised for the excellent and valuable work they do on a daily basis.
So to all those that work within social services across Scotland, I wish you a happy World Social Work Day and thank you for your continued hard work and dedication.
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