National Social Work Agency

The National Social Work Agency will:

• raise the profile of social work and advocate for all social workers (statutory, third sector, independent sectors), including students
• support the National Chief Social Work Adviser to provide national professional leadership
• provide professional, impartial social work advice to Scottish Ministers
• contribute to national policy that impacts social work practice
• oversee improvement priorities and promote collaboration with improvement agencies in the sector
• hold policy responsibility and oversight of social work education and professional learning
• report annually, via the National Chief Social Work Adviser, to Scottish Ministers on Scotland’s social work services and social work workforce
• work with partners (including COSLA and Social Work Scotland) through the Scottish Social Work Partnership (SSWP) to have oversight of national workforce planning and workforce numbers
• enable collaboration and delivery of the Strategic Plan for Social Work in Scotland (2026 to 2029), as part of the SSWP

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The Scottish Social Work Partnership

The NSWA is working with their partners, Social Work Scotland and COSLA, to develop the Scottish Social Work Partnership. They will work together to ensure a skilled, supported and sustainable social work workforce in Scotland.

Find out more about the Scottish Social Work Partnership on gov.scot.