Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Cancellation of Registration) Order 2026: equality impact assessment

Recommendations and Conclusion

Recommendations

Establish monitoring and review procedures

• Monitoring any registration cancellations to ensure continuity‑of‑care procedures are consistently applied.
• Reviewing cases where transitions have been complex and any issues identified to allow learning and strengthen future practice.

Maintain the EQIA as a live document

• The EQIA should remain active and iterative, with updates made if new evidence or service‑user feedback indicates differential impacts. A review following early implementation will ensure emerging risks or opportunities are captured and addressed.

The EQIA concludes that the Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Cancellation of Registration) Order 2026:

• Does not give rise to unlawful discrimination.
• The evidence gathered through this EQIA demonstrates that the policy is likely to have overall positive impacts across some protected characteristics (age and disability) by improving safety, quality and consistency in social care. Neutral impacts were identified in most areas.
• Includes appropriate mitigations to manage potential risks through robust CI procedures, continued engagement and clear guidance that will accompany implementation, and effective monitoring will ensure the policy remains responsive and equitable as it is embedded in practice.