Scottish Government and COSLA issue statement of intent on Independent Social Care Review

The joint statement sets out how the Scottish Government will work with councils to improve adult social care.

The Scottish Government and COSLA have issued a joint statement of intent outlining how they will work together to deliver the key foundation pillars set out in the Independent Review of Adult Social Care (IRASC).

The IRASC took place from September 2020 to January 2021, and makes 53 recommendations to improve adult social care in Scotland with human rights at the heart of them. Throughout the evidence gathering phase, the ALLIANCE captured insight from partners, organisations, and people who access social care services. This produced a wealth of information to consider, including the ALLIANCE’s engagement report and our separate policy briefing.

The joint statement of intent was issued as the Scottish Government demonstrated early action on the Review recommendations by pledging £64.5m to ensure that adult social care workers in Scotland will be paid at least the Real Living Wage of £9.50 per hour.

Subject to the outcome of the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections, the Scottish Government and COSLA will develop minimum standards for employment terms and conditions for the sector. This includes a requirement for ethical commissioning which ensures procurement decisions take into account factors beyond price, including fair work, terms and conditions and trade union recognition. Measures will also be introduced to ensure staff – the majority of whom are women – are able to raise concerns, respond to local conditions, address matters of importance and support an effective collective bargaining role in a sector where staff currently lack a clear representative voice.

The Scottish Government and COSLA have also jointly committed to working together to deliver recommendations of the independent review, including:

• An end to charging for non-residential services as soon as possible;
• Introducing shared ethical commissioning principles;
• Overhauling eligibility criteria to ensure social care support is based on human rights and needs;
• Implementing measures to put voices of those with lived experiences at the heart of policy development and service delivery;
• Ensuring unpaid carers are fully supported to continue in their caring roles.

The ALLIANCE looks forward to working with all stakeholders in the work to reform adult social care, including measures to ensure that people who access social care, unpaid carers, and third and independent sector providers are fully involved in meaningful decision making.

For more information about the IRASC, visit https://www.gov.scot/groups/independent-review-of-adult-social-care (this link will take you away from our website).

To read the Review report, visit the Scottish Government website (this link will take you away from our website)

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