National Care Service Charter of Rights

Introduction

British Sign Language (BSL) translation

About this Charter 

This Charter gives you information on your rights and what you should expect from social care, social work and community health support. 

It tells you about your rights which exist as at 25 March 2026. The Charter does not create any new rights or alter any existing ones.

It gives you information about what to do if you think your rights or expectations are not being met.

You may not need to read the whole Charter to find the information you need; you can look at the parts that matter to you.

Descriptions of the terms social care, social work and community health are available in the Glossary.

Who this Charter is for

This Charter is for anybody who is accessing or waiting to access social care, social work or community health support. 

This Charter is also for anybody with a personal interest in the wellbeing of someone accessing support. For example, if you are:

• an unpaid adult, kinship, parent or young carer
• a friend or family member 
• a guardian or someone who holds power of attorney 

People who provide support to you can also use the Charter to help them deliver your rights.

If you are not sure whether you need support you can speak to your local council, the NHS or access Care Information Scotland.

How this Charter was created

This Charter was created by: 

• people who have accessed care and support
• unpaid adult and young carers
• members of the health and social care workforce 
• organisations that support people who access care and support
• the Scottish Government

About community health, social work and social care services

Local councils and health boards are required by law to work together to plan and deliver adult community health, social work and social care services. This is called ‘health and social care integration’. In some areas integration also includes children’s services, homelessness and justice social work services.

In most areas of Scotland, decisions about how these services are run are made by Integration Joint Boards (IJB). These boards include people from the NHS, the local council, people with lived experience and unpaid carers.

Integrated health and social care services are sometimes provided directly by the NHS or local council, and sometimes they are provided on their behalf by the voluntary, independent or private sector.

You can find more information about Health and Social Care integration on Health and Social Care Scotland.

Other resources that tell you about your rights

You can find further information on your rights when you access NHS services or NHS care in the Charter of Patient Rights and Responsibilities.  

There are other Charters that outline your rights when you access public services. These include: 

• Carers Charter 
• Charter of Rights for People Affected by Substance Use 
• Charter of Rights for People with Dementia and their Carers in Scotland

This Charter includes contact telephone numbers for different organisations and services. If you are a British Sign Language (BSL) user, you can use Contact Scotland BSL. This is a video relay service that provides instant BSL video interpreting for all calls in Scotland. 

Refugees and people seeking asylum

If you are a refugee living in Scotland, you can get support if you need it. You may also get support if you are seeking asylum, even if the Home Office is not helping you, or your asylum claim has been refused. For more information, visit NHS inform.