Dear Colleagues
As we head towards the end of the year and into the busy winter period, we want to express our sincere gratitude to staff working in social work, social care and children and young people’s services throughout the country for their continuing professionalism and commitment to caring for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities in the most challenging of circumstances.
Whether you are working with children or adults, directly or indirectly, in a care service or in the community, we recognise the vital part you play in making a difference to people’s lives, keeping them safe and promoting their health and wellbeing. We also want to recognise and pay tribute to the many other professionals who support that work, including those in health, police, local authorities and health and social care partnerships, as well as in the private and third sectors, to name but a few.
We recognise that the past few years have been incredibly difficult and that services and staff have faced significant pressures, many of which continue today.
As the workforce regulator and the independent scrutiny and improvement support body for social work and social care, the SSSC and the Care Inspectorate must continue to fulfil our responsibilities but in doing so we are always aware of the pressures staff, services and partnerships face and the context that you are all working in. We are keen to work and engage with you to address these challenges together.
As we look to the festive period and the new year ahead, we acknowledge that the challenges will continue but we are committed to supporting services and staff as much as we can to help you through this exceptionally difficult period. We will continue to work with the Scottish Government and other bodies to ensure that we are all aware of the challenges faced by the sector and the impact they are having on people who are experiencing care, their families and carers, and on the staff in services and communities they rely on and upon whom so much depends.
Finally, we want to reiterate our appreciation to you all for the work you do and wish you and your families all the best over the festive period and into 2023.
Chief Executive of the Care inspectorate, Jackie Irvine, and Acting Chief Executive of the SSSC, Maree Alison