Social welfare

Caring About Carers

Author / Creator: Kathy Jenkins

Media type: Podcast

Date published:

Kathy Jenkins talks about her latest policy paper for Common Weal on health and safety in the social care sector – both how it has been affected by the pandemic and the systemic issues that impacted the health and safety of social care workers before the pandemic struck.


Best Place in the World

Author / Creator: David Anderson

Media type: Opinion

Date published:

Many innovative ways to address poverty and trauma have appeared over the last few years, but they are fighting against the tide, battling hard against the odds.


The National Care Service is a Lie

Author / Creator: Janice McAlpine (pseud.)

Media type: consultation response

Date published:

the plans will only bolster the profit motive that already pollutes much of social care provision, remove vital local accountability, will leave workers short-changed and, most importantly, are vagueon how it will improve anything for people who require support to live their lives to the full.


How small independent countries create a better, more equal society

Author / Creator: Believe in Scotland

Media type: Article

Date published: 2021

It has become clear that small, independent countries largely outperform the UK and offer greater security to their citizens. This includes pensions, income distribution and public social spending. 


How small independent countries create a better, more equal society

Author / Creator: Believe in Scotland

Media type: Article

Date published:

It has become clear that small, independent countries largely outperform the UK and offer greater security to their citizens.


HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE OF THE SOCIAL CARE WORKFORCE

Author / Creator: Kathy Jenkins

Media type: Policy Paper

Date published:

The pandemic has shown how important and how vulnerable our health care workers are. The health and welfare of the workers is important. But so ar their work conditions, pay, job security, work patterns, and involvement in decisions on how care is provided.


Contesting the austerity and “welfare reform” narrative of the UK Government: Forging a social democratic imaginary in Scotland

Author / Creator: Jay Wiggan

Date published:

The Scottish government fuses nationalism with social wage and social investment concepts. It conjures up images of a prosperous, community led, egalitarian welfare state as a future reality.  It recuperates “welfare” as a collective endeavour.  It describes austerity as a poor distribution of resources between groups and within the UK as the “problem”.


Believe in Scotland’s Manifesto for Wellbeing.

Author / Creator: The National

Media type: News Media

Date published:

Ask yourself: wouldn’t you like to live in a country with a social/economic/environmental policy framework based on this set of values? Wouldn’t you like to be able to vote to create such a nation?


Caring about Children

Author / Creator: Marion Macleod

Media type: Podcast

Date published:

Child and early years care in Scotland is a patchwork. Tthe latest Programme for Government perpetuates that. Things could be greatly improved by a strategic and holistic plan for care sitting within a National Care Service.


What can the Scottish Parliament do with new social security powers?

Author / Creator: Paul Spicker

Media type: Assessment report

Date published: February 2016

Scotland will not be able to experiment and to innovate under the current devolution of social security powers.


Empty Promise?

Author / Creator: Marion Macleod

Media type: Policy Paper

Date published:

The Promise for family support and child care away from home needs a strategic standpoint integrating the relevant services.


Child Care or Caring About Children?

Author / Creator: Marion Macleod

Media type: Policy Paper

Date published:

Scotland has a system of support for children in their early years which is a patchwork of initiatives, fixes, legacy services and omissions. What we do not have is a single, well thought- through integrated service. This is what Scotland’s children need. 


Two thousand deaths later, has infection control in care homes improved?

Author / Creator: Nick Kempe

Media type: Report

Date published:

Nick Kempe investigates the Care Inspectorate’s attempts to assess the ongoing response in Scottish care homes to the Covid-19 pandemic.

While some care homes have improved, concerns about the quality of data being gathered and the way in which care homes are being reassessed remain. For example, staff in care homes are still not being properly trained in infection control.