Scottish Government’s shelving of national care commitment is a ‘slap in the face’ to carers

The move, described as a ‘slap in the face to carers’ by the A Scotland That Cares campaign, leaves carers - both paid and unpaid - once again ignored, undervalued and invisible.

A Scotland That Cares is a coalition of over 70 organisations representing carers, women’s rights groups, anti-poverty campaigners and social justice organisations. For almost three years, the campaign has been pushing for a dedicated new National Outcome on Care to recognise and value those who provide care - whether paid or unpaid - as a fundamental part of Scotland’s economy and society.

Scotland’s National Outcomes are meant to shape Government priorities. But right now, they barely even mention care, despite its fundamental role in society. 

Last year, the Scottish Government agreed to address this glaring omission by introducing a new National Outcome on Care. The move came after care emerged as the most commented on theme in the public consultation. 

The Government said their proposed new National Outcome on Care would recognise that paid and unpaid care are “essential aspects of social and economic wellbeing” and help ensure that gender equality is “more effectively represented in the National Outcomes”.

The Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said there was “a strong evidence base” for the change with no objections raised during the Scottish Parliament’s scrutiny.

But now, at the eleventh hour, the Deputy First Minister has pulled the plug, choosing to delay all the oven ready improvements to the National Outcomes that have been developed over the past two years while yet another review of the wider system the Outcomes sit within – the National Performance Framework - is carried out. 

Becky Duff, Director of Carers Trust Scotland, said: "Carers, both paid and unpaid, are the backbone of our society, yet they remain overworked, underpaid, and undervalued. The Scottish Government pledged to finally make care visible in its highest goals for the country, but instead of delivering change, it’s delivered a serious setback by kicking this transformative commitment into the long grass. Ministers must reverse this decision immediately and ensure that carers visible and valued in their vision for Scotland’s future."

The A Scotland That Cares campaign is calling on the Scottish Government to publish the proposed new National Outcomes immediately. Campaigners say that while they welcome efforts to strengthen the National Performance Framework, this work must not come at the expense of the very people who keep Scotland going.

With women shouldering the vast majority of care work, both paid and unpaid, campaigners say failing to recognise its value only serves to maintain a status quo in which too many carers are locked in financial insecurity with efforts towards achieving gender equality undermined. 

Sara Cowan, Director of the Scottish Women’s Budget Group, said: "Care is overwhelmingly carried out by women, yet it remains undervalued and underpaid. By shelving the National Outcome on Care, the Scottish Government is once again failing to recognise the true worth of women’s work. This was a chance to catalyse further progress on gender equality, but instead, care has been sidelined yet again."

The Scottish Government had acknowledged that care is essential to Scotland’s social and economic wellbeing. But by backtracking on this commitment, Ministers are not only contradicting their own rationale for proposing a new National Outcome on Care, but are prolonging the invisibility of care and carers.

Jamie Livingstone, Head of Oxfam Scotland, said: "This inexplicable U-turn is a slap in the face to carers. It sends an alarming message to the countless people who provide care, many of whom live in or on the edge of poverty, that their vital work still doesn’t count. A National Outcome on Care wouldn’t fix everything overnight, but it would force the Scottish Government to transparently measure how it values care and carers – starting now. Instead, Ministers are choosing to keep carers invisible, leaving those who give so much to our society and economy to continue struggling in the shadows."

/ENDS

For more information and interviews, please contact: Rebecca Lozza, Oxfam Media and Communications Adviser, Oxfam Scotland: rlozza1@oxfam.org.uk / 07917738450  

Notes to Editors:

• Find out more about the A Scotland that Cares campaign at https://ascotlandthatcares.org/
• Access the Deputy First Minister’s comments on the National Outcome here: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/FPA-08-10-2024?meeting=16043