Remit
The Committee has agreed to take evidence on the Public Services Reform (Social Work Complaints Procedure) (Scotland) Order 2016. This Scottish Statutory Instrument is available at the following link: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/sdsi/2016/9780111031025
The Draft order contains provisions for:
- Extending the remit of the SPSO to enable them to consider complaints made about social work which are not solely about maladministration, but enable the SPSO to consider the professional judgment of social work staff.
- Repealing the existing power for Scottish Ministers to require local authorities to create a social work complaints procedure. The Scottish Government have indicated that one effect of this repeal is that the SPSO will be able to use its existing functions to create a model complaints handling procedure for social work complaints, and that local authorities will be obliged to adopt a procedure which complies with that model. The Scottish Government want to bring SPSO functions in relation to social work into line for those for health, where the SPSO sets out its model complaints handling procedures which it expects local authorities to follow.
- Allowing the sharing of information between SPSO, Care Inspectorate and the Scottish Social Service Council (SSSC) where relevant to their regulatory functions.
Procedure for consideration of the Scottish Statutory Instrument:
This Scottish statutory instrument is subject to affirmative procedure which means that it requires the approval of the Parliament to allow the provisions in the instrument to come into force.
This instrument has been referred to the Health and Sport Committee for consideration.
A member of the Scottish Government must lodge a motion that the Committee recommend approval of the instrument to the Parliament. The Committee will then consider the motion and decide whether it wishes to agree to recommend approval of the instrument to the Parliament.
To inform its consideration of the instrument the Committee has issued a call for written views and will also hold a one off oral evidence session with stakeholders. This is expected to be held at the Committee’s meeting on 1 March 2016.
Timetable
Call for written views
The Committee has issued a call for written views which will run from 10 February to 23 February 2016.
Read the Written Submissions
The Committee published its report on this affirmative SSI on 3 March 2016.
On 18 March 2016, the Committee received information on the progress on the review of the National Care Standards.