National Transitions to Adulthood - strategy for young disabled people: supplementary report

Social Work and Social Care

Social work and social care are the scaffolding of safe, supported transitions. Yet feedback from young disabled people is that the move from children to adult services is marked by disruption and uncertainty. This chapter sets out how we are working to improve consistency, continuity, and collaboration across the social care system. We recognise that social care must be person-led, rights-based, and relational, and transitions must be planned.

The Independent Review of Adult Social Care (IRASC) published in 2021, highlighted the need for significant improvements in transitions between children’s and adult services. Despite this, research to inform the Transitions Strategy has found that many challenges remain, particularly for young disabled people with high levels of need. It highlighted that the day-to-day care of school-aged young disabled people is delivered by schools, with young people leaving school and moving to, or ineligible for, adult social care often experiencing a very sudden drop in or cessation of support.

Social workers and social care professionals are fundamental to effective transitions for young disabled people. They provide the support, structure, and relationships that help make adult life safe, meaningful, and possible. Social work services hold statutory responsibility for the assessment of need, protection of rights, and coordination of care. When transitions are successful, it is often because relationships have been consistent, planning has been early, and communication has been honest and inclusive.

What is already happening

National Social Work Agency

We are committed to leading excellence in social work and empowering social workers to support a safer and fairer Scotland. We have agreed to establish the National Social Work Agency (NSWA), as an executive agency of the Scottish Government, by spring 2026. The NSWA will contribute to national leadership and support for the profession. As the NSWA is developed, there will be an opportunity to strengthen the focus on transitions within learning pathways for both children’s and adult social workers – whether through the NSWA or partner organisations.

The National Social Work Agency will work with COSLA and Social Work Scotland as the Scottish Social Work Partnership to:

• Use combined levers to ensure a skilled, supported and sustainable social work workforce across Scotland.
• Drive up standards and improvements in social work.
• Create a joint strategic plan, which will be approved by Scottish Ministers and COSLA Leaders.

Through the National Social Work Agency and the Scottish Social Work Partnership, we will address the issues affecting social workers, as raised in the Independent Review of Adult Social Care in Scotland.

Social Care Professionals

The workforce is fundamental to the delivery of positive transitions to adulthood for young disabled people. We are committed to raising the status of children’s social care as a profession, which is key to delivering quality care to vulnerable children and young people.

In 2023, Scottish Ministers committed to funding to raise pay for frontline staff in private, voluntary, and independent children's social care services to at least the Real Living Wage. Since April 2024, the Scottish Government invested £50m to support pay for staff in commissioned care services, aiming to attract, retain, promote Fair Work, and ensure parity across social care.

Regarding the Adult Social Care workforce, there are clear benefits for the workforce from improved transitions for young disabled people. The Scottish Government, with COSLA, have made commitments to supporting the development of the workforce, via the Health and Social Care National Workforce Strategy and

Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework. This strategy and framework include commitments such as:

• Increased and enhanced training and support.
• Ensuring staff are included in decisions which affect them.
• Reducing pressures on staff by reforming how services are designed and delivered.
• Improved partnership working.

Respite and Short Breaks

The Scottish Government recognises that allowing carers time away from their caring role is important to support them with their own health and wellbeing and increasing resilience within the caring role. We know that access to respite and short breaks has been a challenge for many supported people, and their unpaid carers and recognise the impact this had had on people’s wellbeing.

The Care Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 aims to establish a right to breaks from caring to support people to protect their wellbeing and sustain caring relationships. The Act makes changes to previous legislation to deliver a right to personalised short breaks support for carers who need it. Local authorities already have responsibilities to promote a variety of short breaks in their areas. Scottish Government have funded work to assist them and share good practice. We will continue to make progress on preparations for implementation of the right to breaks legislation.

In 2025-26 we provided £13m for short breaks for carers. Short break support can be anything that gives an unpaid carer a break, according to the individual's needs and interests. This can include equipment or subscriptions for sports and leisure activities, or replacement care to give a carer free time to do whatever they enjoy.

Further work we are doing includes:

• Work with Health and Social Care Partnerships and adult social work teams to promote earlier involvement in transitions planning, including shared case management and joint reviews.
• Consider how best to develop transitions-focused professional learning for the social work workforce — including rights-based practice, GIRFEC implementation, and co-production with young people and families.
• Promoting a whole-system approach to transitions, aligned with national care reform, GIRFEC practice models, and the delivery of The Promise - ensuring that transitions are everyone’s responsibility.
• Strengthening national inspection and improvement mechanisms to include transitions within both children’s and adult services, with greater emphasis on consistency, coordination, and outcomes.
• Develop clearer national guidance and expectations for transitions into adulthood, including eligibility processes, assessment timelines, and continuity planning standards.

What else we will do

Supporting Transitions Through System Improvement

The Scottish Learning and Improvement Framework (SLIF) provides a shared, system-wide approach to continuous improvement across adult social care support, social work, and community health. The Framework sets out a common vision for improvement across the sector:

• People, including unpaid carers, are enabled to live a good life, as independently as possible, in a place of their choosing.
• The adult social care support and community health workforce is thriving.

A Draft Scottish Learning and Improvement Framework for Adult Social Care Support and Community Health (SLIF) has been developed in response to recommendations from the Independent Review of Adult Social Care and commitments made in the Joint Statement of Intent between the Scottish Government and COSLA.

The aims and principles of the SLIF align closely with the Transitions Strategy ambitions to improve transitions for young disabled people. The emphasis on person-led outcomes, collaborative working, and continuous learning directly supports improved experiences and continuity as young people move from children to adult services.

By embedding improvement approaches across adult social work and social care, and by encouraging the use of system intelligence to inform planning and delivery, the SLIF can support more consistent, joined-up approaches to transition support.

Transitions for Disabled Care Experienced young people

The findings from the 2024 Scottish Government’s ‘Moving On’ consultation, supported a work plan for improved support for young people and those who support them. This aims to improve transitions for care experienced people, offering a person-centred approach acknowledging the additional complex support needs that some care experienced young people may have.

Several consultation respondents emphasised the importance of multi-agency working, particularly between Children’s Disability Services and Adult Social Work teams. Other organisations spoke specifically of Adult Disability teams fostering stronger collaboration with local authorities. The Transitions Strategy promotes multi-agency working, training, guidance and improved relations to better support care experienced young people who have complex needs.

Through this work plan we will:

• Improve implementation of existing legislation through updates to guidance, particularly around Continuing Care and Aftercare for the benefit of children and young people with care experience, their carers and the workforce which supports them.
• Continue to collaborate across policy areas within Scottish Government and agencies.
• Through CELCIS, STAF and other stakeholders; work with Local Authorities to examine Continuing Care provision.
• Work with key partners to strengthen relationships and support learning in trauma-informed practices. We will work to support information sharing between service providers to promote and drive forward enhanced multi-agency working practices.
• Develop an online mygov.scot information service to signpost to the numerous services across Scotland for those moving on from care.
• Make legislative change, where this is required.