Current status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 28 January 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what additional steps it is taking to support planning and the development of relationships between social work education providers and employers.
The Scottish Government recognises and values the importance of social workers and social work education. I am pleased to announce that we are investing, through the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) in a Local Learning Partnership (LLP) approach.
Additional funding of up to £600,000, will support key sector partners to work collaboratively to help address some of the challenges around social work workforce recruitment and retention. We will be trialling this model across a small number of areas, with an initial focus on strengthening quality practice learning arrangements for student social workers.
This investment will support collective efforts to improve the design, structure and delivery of practice learning opportunities, underpinning improvements in professional knowledge and skills. Over time, the Partnerships will provide greater insight for educators on local employer needs and a space within which people with lived experience can meaningfully participate in the development and evaluation of qualifying programmes.