Reflecting on change
It’s been 25 years since the 2001 Regulation of Care Act, which introduced professional regulation and registration of social workers.
In that time, social work as a profession has evolved to meet the changing needs of people and communities across Scotland, including tackling socio-economic priorities such as poverty, including the cost of living, housing and homelessness, the reform of adult social care and Keeping the Promise for Scotland’s children and young people.
Recognising achievements
In the last year, we’ve made significant progress in our review of social work education in Scotland. We’ve worked in collaboration with key stakeholders and are grateful for all contributions and support.
Framework for Social Work Education and Learning
This week we’ll publish Valuing Practice: Scotland’s Framework for Social Work Education and Learning, the revised framework developed in partnership with the Scottish Government. The national framework was developed with input from students and practitioners, those delivering social work education, employers and people with lived experience of social work services, to ensure it was relevant to current practise. This is the first framework that supports social workers’ development throughout their whole career.
The framework is underpinned by the Scottish Requirements for Social Work Education, Standards in Social Work Education and Ethical Principles and the Standards for Post-qualifying Education and Learning in Social Work.
Graduate apprenticeship
The first Social Work Graduate Apprenticeship is underway at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS). The Framework for the Graduate Apprenticeship in Social Work was developed in 2025 and UWS is the first university we’ve approved to deliver the pilot programme of the degree.
The BA (Hons) Social Work Graduate Apprenticeship offers a new route to qualify as a registered social worker while remaining in paid employment.
National Social Work Agency
We’re pleased to see the creation of the National Social Work Agency and the National Chief Social Work Adviser becoming a statutory role. That recognition at a national level really matters. It sends a strong signal about the value of social work and the status of the profession.
For us as the regulator, it means clearer leadership, more coherent national direction and a stronger platform for supporting our work in setting high standards of practice and education.
This is a positive moment for the profession and will help us work more closely across the whole system by supporting learning, development and professional confidence so social workers can do what they do best: change lives.
Celebrating social workers
Over the next week we’ll highlight the vital role social work plays in bringing people together across communities, cultures and systems. We’ll hear from social workers at different stages in their careers about the difference they make. You can get involved on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and YouTube.