SASW Social Work Policy Panel - Social Care in Prisons: Realising the Vision

to 1:00pm
About this event

Scotland has made a clear commitment: deprivation of liberty should not mean deprivation of rights. Yet for too many people in our prisons, that principle remains aspirational rather than real. Scottish Government research estimates that between 7 and 10% of Scotland's prison population have social care needs, 38% report having a disability, and 25% had been in care.

Despite this, evidence consistently points to fragmented provision, silo working, and an integration agenda that has yet to reach the prison gate.

This session examines the Scottish Government's approach to integrating health and social care in prisons. Our presenter is Eddie Fraser, Chief Executive of East Ayrshire Council, whose career is rooted in community care and social work leadership. Eddie brings a distinctive perspective on what it takes to translate policy intent into person-centred practice across complex systems. Eddie is currently chair of a multi-agency group led by Scottish Government to develop a Strategic Outline Business Case for Prison Social Care Integration.

We will explore where progress has been made, where the system continues to fall short, and what local government, HSCPs and the Scottish Prison Service must do together to deliver genuinely integrated support for people in custody and beyond.

The Social Work Policy Panel is jointly run by the Scottish Association of Social Work, the Office of the Chief Social Work Adviser, and Social Work Scotland. The panel was created to bring together experienced frontline workers, newly qualified workers, students and policy makers in Government to address the issues affecting social work today. It is an opportunity to influence those policy makers and the future of social work with your experience and knowledge. ** This event replaces the postponed event of the 17th March**