Adult social care workers minimum pay

The minimum rate of pay for adult social care workers delivering direct care in Scotland increased from £10.90 to £12 per hour from April 2024. 

If you are eligible to receive the higher rate, but were not paid this in April 2024, your pay should be backdated to then.

If your pay has not increased, there is information below on what you should do.

Who is eligible

If you are providing direct adult social care in commissioned services, in the third and independent (private) sectors, you should be getting paid at least £12 per hour.

This could include the below roles or equivalent.

• practitioner
• support worker
• supervisor
• personal assistant

To be eligible you must also be working in one of the following areas in adult social care services:

• care homes
• care at home
• day care
• housing support
• adult placement services
• respite services
• direct support through all Self Directed Support (SDS) Options

Please note, this uplift applies to the adult social care workforce in commissioned services in the third and independent (private) sectors and applies where employers have agreed to deliver this uplift with the relevant local authority.

​​​​​If you are not getting paid the minimum amount

Speak to your employer

If you think that you qualify for the higher minimum rate, and your pay has not increased, the first thing you should do is speak to your employer.

Speak to your trade union

You may also want to contact your trade union if you are represented by one. If you are not, you can get more information from:

• GMB Scotland
• UNISON
• Unite

If you cannot resolve the issue with your employer

If you are not able to resolve the issue with your employer, and you think that you are eligible for this uplift, you can contact your local authority commissioning team who will look into this for you. Please note, they will only be able to do this if there is a contractual relationship between your employer and the local authority or Health and Social Care Partnership. 

Contacting your local authority commissioning team

When contacting your local authority commissioning team, you should title your email 'Adult Social Care Pay Uplift Enquiry' and include:

• the name of your employer and the specific setting if appropriate
• your job role within direct adult social care
• the type of service you work in i.e. care homes, care at home, delivering direct support through an SDS Option
• your current rate of pay
• any information your employer has given as to why you are not receiving £12 per hour

Local authority commissioning team contact details

Scottish Government role

National and local Government have a long-standing commitment to the principles of Fair Work for the social care sector. We are fully committed to improve the experience of the adult social care workforce, including increasing levels of pay, as we recognise and value the work that they do.

We provide funding to local authorities to ensure that adult social care workers delivering direct care are paid a minimum rate of pay. Local authorities commission these services through providers. They also provide funding for Personal Assistant employers.

We do not have a direct relationship with employers so any issues relating to implementation of the policy by an employer must be raised directly with your local authority or Health and Social Care Partnership.

We expect that any provider that has committed to pay the higher hourly rate should pass this on to the workforce. For Personal Assistant employers, all funding provided to deliver this uplift should be spent on increasing PAs pay.

We cannot get involved in any disputes between workers and employers.  It is also not appropriate for us to determine the management of local contractual relationships.