The report highlights important activities and developments. This includes how we have considered equality and involved people with lived experience in our recent review of the SSSC Register and the SSSC Codes of Practice for Social Service Workers and Employers (the Codes). And in developing resources we create for employers on areas such as safer recruitment as well as the training we do with our staff on areas such as understanding discrimination, unconscious bias and children’s rights.
As the regulator for the social work, social care and children and young people workforce, we’re in the unique position of holding reliable information on the registered workforce. In 2024 we published the findings in our first Analysis of diversity data and research report. We recently launched our first Have Your Say Workforce Wellbeing Survey report and a resource to help registrants to use the Codes when working with children and young people. We are also finalising a new anti-racism learning resource for social workers.
Our report sets out our equality outcomes for the next four years, which include continuing to developing our understanding of the diversity of the workforce and improving the way we involve people with lived experience in our work. We will provide an update in 2027.
We have included a data annex alongside the report which gives detailed information about the makeup of our staff, our gender pay gap and our recruitment.
Maree Allison, SSSC Chief Executive said:
‘Every day across Scotland people who work in social work, social care and children and young people services deliver high quality, critical services, making sure people’s needs are met and rights upheld.
‘We greatly valued the input we had from people working in the sector, their employers and the individuals they care for to help us revise the Codes so they have a greater emphasis on relationships and that people’s needs and rights are respected. This helped us make sure we meet our aim to have equality, diversity and inclusion at the centre of our work.
‘We gained Disability Confident Level 3 Leader status and set up a guaranteed interview scheme for care experienced people who apply for jobs with us which help us improve the way we recruit, retain and develop our staff.
‘We have set challenging priorities for the next four years and we will continue to promote an inclusive approach in the SSSC in all the work we do.’