Scotland's Care Policy Scorecard

Why we built this Scorecard

Care shapes every part of life in Scotland. It holds families, communities and our economy together. However, care is not always visible or valued in the way it should be. Too often, the people who give and receive care do so without the support, investment or recognition they deserve.

The Care Policy Scorecard was created to help address this issue. It provides a clear and accessible picture of how Scotland’s policies support care across the entire system, from early learning and childcare to adult social care, as well as transport, energy, and the workplace supports that carers rely on.

Because women provide most unpaid care and make up most of the paid care workforce, this work is highly gendered. A gendered approach is built into the Scorecard to reflect this reality and ensure that care policy is understood through the experiences of those most affected by it.

How the Scorecard was developed

This Scorecard builds on Oxfam’s global Care Policy Scorecard, which was created with input from care organisations, researchers, women’s rights groups and feminist economists. The Scottish Women’s Budget Group adapted this framework for Scotland and led the assessment on behalf of the A Scotland that Cares campaign.

The work was guided by the campaign’s steering group, consisting of Carers Scotland, Carers Trust Scotland, MECOPP, Oxfam Scotland, Pregnant Then Screwed, One Parent Families Scotland, and Scottish Care. Academics from the University of the West of Scotland also provided expert guidance.

What the Scorecard looks at

The Scorecard assesses Scotland’s care policy environment across five dimensions:

1. Care services
2. Unpaid care
3. Paid care 
4. Care-supporting infrastructure
5. Cross-cutting services and data

Each dimension is broken down into policy areas and detailed indicators. These look at whether Scotland has the right policies in place, whether they are funded and accessible, whether they reach the people who need them, and how well they support progress towards a fairer, more caring society.

How scoring works

Indicator criteria have been assessed using a mix of evidence obtained from:

• a policy and literature review
• focus group discussions with unpaid carers, young carers and parents
• sense-checking interviews and reviews with third sector organisations

Based on the assessment each criterion is scored as:

• 1 = fully met
• 0.5 = partially met
• 0 = not met

These are used to calculate

• a percentage score for each indicator
• a percentage score for each thematic section of that indicator
• a percentage score for each policy area (based on the average of its indicators)

A score of 0 percent indicates no relevant policy exists. A score of 100 percent indicates policy is fully established and delivering transformative impact.

The performance bands

To make scores easier to understand, each percentage sits within one of four performance bands.

1. Very limited progress (0–25%) – Policies or actions are minimal, fragmented or not yet established in a meaningful way.
2. Early-stage development (26–50%) – Foundations are in place, but delivery is inconsistent, limited in reach or not yet achieving intended outcomes.
3. Developing policy (51–75%) – A clear policy framework exists with noticeable progress, though significant gaps or inconsistencies remain.
4. Well-developed or transformative (76–100%) – Policies are well implemented, widely accessible and delivering strong, measurable impacts.

These bands help show, at a glance, where Scotland is taking meaningful steps forward and where more action, investment or reform is needed.

What the Scorecard tells us

This first version of the Care Policy Scorecard provides a broad, cross-cutting assessment of Scotland’s care policy environment. It highlights strengths, exposes gaps and identifies areas where better implementation, investment or reform are urgently needed.

It also shows the scale of care’s invisibility in policy, especially unpaid care, and why improving data, monitoring and accountability is essential for progress.

The Scorecard is intended as a constructive tool for discussion, evidence gathering and change. It will evolve over time as new data becomes available and as Scotland continues the work of building a fairer, more caring future.