About UNISON Scotland’s Social Work Issues Group

UNISON is by far the largest union representing most Social Work and Social Care staff in Scotland. We represent Social Workers in all specialisms, residential workers, social care workers, OTs, home care staff and professional, admin and clerical support staff. We have a Social Work Issues Group (SWIG) with reps from branches across Scotland, specifically addressing Social Work issues.

UNISON Scotland campaigns actively on a range of issues relevant to our social work members. We have produced a Manifesto for Social Work in Scotland, which we produced jointly with the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) and we have taken the lead on issues such as direct payments. We have also issued a Workload Management and Supervision Negotiating Resource and have recently completed a Guide for Social Work Practitioners,Keeping Safe in the Workplace.

UNISON Scotland responds to consultations on social work matters, and we meet regularly with Scottish Government Ministers and with key civil servants. We have made our voice heard on the first Childrens Hearings (Scotland) Bill and changes were made as a result of this.

UNISON Scotland also promotes the important role of our members in social work in the media and we challenge negative press and media reporting. We believe that we have had some success in improving the profile of social work in the media and in promoting a better understanding of the work done by social work members and the pressures faced