Care Sector Information - Scotland

The Health and Social Care Standards and Codes of Practice in Scotland

Regulatory Bodies in Scotland

The Care Inspectorate (formerly Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland) is the single regulatory body for social work and social care services in Scotland. Its remit includes childcare, adult care, child protection, and the integration of children’s services.
Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) regulates independent healthcare services. HIS and the Care Inspectorate also carry out joint inspections of health and social care services for older people delivered through local authorities, NHS boards, and hospitals, including the role of independent and voluntary organisations.
The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) regulates the social services workforce in Scotland. The SSSC registers workers, sets standards for practice, conduct, training, and education, and supports professional development.

Codes of Practice and the Health and Social Care Standards

The Codes of Practice for Social Service Workers and Employers outline the standards of professional conduct and practice expected in daily work. The current Codes came into effect on 1 November 2016 and remain in force.

Health and Social Care Standards

The Health and Social Care Standards:My Support, My Life were published in June 2017 and came into effect in April 2018. These Standards replaced the National Care Standards.

The Standards apply across all health, social care, and social work provision in Scotland, not just regulated care services. They cover early learning and childcare, children’s services, social work, health provision, and community justice.

The Standards were co-produced by the Scottish Government, the Care Inspectorate, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, providers, and people with lived experience.

The Principles:

The Principles underpinning the Standards are:

Dignity and respect
Compassion
Be included
Responsive care and support
Wellbeing

The five headline outcomes are:

I experience high-quality care and support that is right for me.
I am fully involved in all decisions about my care and support.
I have confidence in the people who support and care for me.
I have confidence in the organisation providing my care and support.
I experience a high-quality environment if the organisation provides the premises.

Inspection approaches

The Care Inspectorate now inspects against the Health and Social Care Standards. Their inspection frameworks focus on outcomes and experiences, encouraging self-evaluation and continuous improvement.

In July 2018, they introduced a quality framework for care homes for older people, which is also used by providers for self-evaluation and improvement. The framework draws directly on the Standards and includes:

Key questions and quality indicators.
Examples of what constitutes “very good” and “weak” care.
Guidance on evidence gathering during inspection.
Links to improvement resources.

Services are evaluated on the existing six-point scale from unsatisfactory to excellent, and findings are reported publicly.

Further information

More details, resources, and videos can be found on the Scottish Government microsite: Health and Social Care Standards: My Support, My Life

CareTutor offers a range of training courses for the Home Care and Care Home sectors, which are aligned to the themes and principles of the Health and Social Care Standards. The official Standards and Codes of Practice are owned and published by the Scottish Government, the Care Inspectorate, and the SSSC.

Raising Standards in Scottish Social Care: What’s New for 2025

Two important developments are reshaping learning and development in Scotland’s health and social care sector this year. Both are designed to make training and career progression clearer, more consistent, and more accessible.
👉New resource to exploring careers in social care

Scotland’s National Induction Framework (Launched May 2025)

The Scottish Government, NHS Education for Scotland (NES), and the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) have launched a free national induction programme for adult social care workers.

What it does:

Provides a consistent induction programme for all new entrants to social care.
Ensures every worker begins their career with the same core knowledge, skills, and values.
Cuts down on repeated training when staff move between employers.

Why it matters:
This is a big step forward for the sector. It saves employers time, builds confidence in the quality of induction training, and supports staff to settle more quickly into their roles.

Social Care Career Options Tool (Launched April 2025)

NES and the SSSC have also launched an online tool showcasing more than 70 career roles in social care. The tool explains:

The skills and qualifications needed for each role.
Career progression routes.
Real-life stories from care workers.

Why it matters:
The tool makes it easier for people to see a career in social care as a long-term path, not just a single role. It helps employers attract new staff, while giving existing workers a clearer view of how they can grow and progress.

Where CareTutor Fits In

While these new resources are a great step for Scotland, they don’t replace the wider training and compliance needs of care providers. This is where CareTutor comes in:

Building on the Framework: The national induction provides the foundation, CareTutor’s interactive, CPD accredited video courses deepen knowledge, bring scenarios to life, and cover essential topics like safeguarding, medication, dementia care, fire safety, and more.
Tracking and Evidence: Unlike the free framework, CareTutor’s LMS tracks completions, schedules refreshers, and provides audit-ready certificates to meet regulator expectations.
Supporting Career Growth: As staff use the Career Options Tool to explore their future, CareTutor offers a wide library of courses to support progression into specialist roles and management.
Engaging Staff: Our interactive video format is proven to boost engagement and retention compared to static text-based training.

The Bottom Line

The National Induction Framework and Career Options Tool are excellent new resources for Scotland. They provide consistency and open up career pathways. But to truly raise standards, providers need training that goes further, engaging staff, covering compliance in full, and supporting long-term career development.

That’s where CareTutor adds value. We complement the new initiatives, ensuring staff not only meet the basics but also continue to grow, develop, and deliver the highest standards of care.

Explore our new Feature-Packed and Fully Customisable LMS!