Faith leaders from across Scotland are petitioning the Scottish government to secure fair pay for all who provide social care in Scotland. The Church of Scotland, Crossreach, and Justice and Peace have drafted a declaration which begins:
‘We believe in the importance of human dignity. We honour those people who serve, care for and support others so that this dignity can be respected and that all may have fullness of life. We thank them for their time, hard work and compassion.’
I have added my own name to this declaration, and I applaud these efforts on behalf of those who provide vital care to society’s most vulnerable members. I have seen the work of Crossreach first-hand for more than 25 years. Their care for the homeless, the elderly and adults requiring specialist care has made a difference in countless lives.
We can say thank you to those providing social care, but we need to do more than that – we need to make sure they are paid fairly. For this reason, I have signed this joint declaration.
Rev. Dr Bob Akroyd, Moderator
Free Church of Scotland
Fair Pay in Social Care
We believe in the importance of human dignity. We honour those people who serve, care for and support others so that this dignity can be respected and that all may have fullness of life. We thank them for their time, hard work and compassion.
We believe in fairness and justice, and believe that all staff working in social care in Scotland today should be paid fairly for this fundamentally important work. We recognise the challenges today facing social care staff and providers, following the difficult years of the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost of living crisis and the current challenges with recruitment.
We call on church and faith communities to encourage and support advocacy and fundraising and for better social care in Scotland. We recognise recent commitment made to the Adult Care Workforce but call on the Scottish Government to do everything within its power to ensure all frontline social care workers be paid a minimum of £12 per hour immediately, and that the appropriate funding is made available which allows all social care staff to be recognised for their skills, experience and contributions, in whichever role they serve.