MSPs ‘not yet convinced’ on moving criminal social work to National Care Service

A Holyrood committee has said it is “not yet convinced of the merits” of including criminal justice social work services in the Scottish Government’s new National Care Service (NCS)

A report from MSPs on the Criminal Justice Committee said key stakeholders in the sector felt they had “insufficient information” about such a change.

The committee also heard fears that including criminal justice social work in the NCS could detract from services in the short to medium term.

Some of those involved in the sector also fear the “Bill may cause disruption… as it constitutes a major structural reform”, with this coming at a time when criminal justice social work is “facing numerous other challenges, such as underfunding and a crisis in staffing and recruitment”.

The report concluded: “Based on the evidence we have received so far, the committee is not yet convinced of the merits of transferring criminal justice social work services to a National Care Service.”

Committee convener Audrey Nicoll warned that combined with other challenges facing the sector, the “upheaval could be to the detriment of current service provision”.

Speaking as the committee report was published, Ms Nicoll said: “Criminal justice social work and community justice play a crucial role in Scotland’s criminal justice system, yet detail of how these areas would be impacted by the creation of a National Care Service is lacking.

“The lack of information on the impact or merits of incorporating criminal justice social work into the National Care Service is concerning.

“The positive case for this move has not been made and so we are not convinced of its merits at this stage.”

It comes after unions, think tanks and charities – along with an SNP-affiliated organisation – wrote to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon urging her to pause the National Care Service Bill.

The SNP’s trade union group executive is among the signatories to the letter, along with the STUC, Unite, GMB Scotland, Who Cares? Scotland and the Scottish Pensioners’ Forum.

Opposition party leaders, council chiefs at Cosla and others have also raised repeated concerns about the establishment of the NCS.

Members of the Criminal Justice Committee stressed it was not for them to recommend whether or not the Bill should proceed.

Instead, their report was focused on the possible transfer of criminal justice social work services – which involves staff preparing reports for the courts as well as playing a role in supervising offenders – to the new body.

As it stands, the legislation allows for ministers to carry out a consultation on this with a view to transferring the services – but a decision in principle is not expected until autumn of this year, with a final decision due “around April 2024”.

But in their report, MSPs point out local authority leaders in Cosla, Social Work Scotland and trade union Unison all questioned if the resources needed to integrate criminal justice services into the NCS would be “better and more effectively spent on improving outcomes” in the current system.

Ms Nicoll said her committee had written to MSPs on the Health and Social Care Committee, which is leading scrutiny of the proposals at Holyrood, to outline their concerns.

She added: “Although we have no more formal role in scrutinising this Bill, we would welcome the opportunity to scrutinise further any potential changes to justice social work services.”