THE Scottish government will receive a petition calling for national terms and conditions for social workers in the country today.

More than 1,300 people have backed signed the calls by the Scottish Association of Social Work (SASW) after it launched its One Deal for Social Work campaign in 2023.

“With the creation of the National Social Work Agency, along with a national social work partnership, now is the time for this much-needed change,” said a SWA spokesman.

“Social work in Scotland needs to be nationally consistent, professionally respected, relationship-based and supported to thrive.”

The petition warned that differences in local authority pay levels mean social workers have unacceptable variations in pay and conditions and that recruitment is influenced by the higher-paying employers.

“This only serves to create movement in the existing workforce rather than dealing with the problem of having too few social workers and high levels of demand,” it said.