Dear Humza Yousaf MSP/ Douglas Ross MSP / Anas Sarwar MSP / Patrick Harvie MSP and Lorna Slater MSP / Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP,
I am writing to you, along with the leaders of the other political parties represented in the Scottish Parliament, to urge you to actively support the “A Scotland that cares” campaign by publicly backing our call for a new National Outcome on Care.
I strongly believe that Scotland must commit to a new National Outcome to value and invest in care and all those who provide it.
One of the main reasons I strongly support this campaign is because:
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too many people live in poverty because care is undervalued.
unpaid carers for people with additional support need more support.
paid social care workers are not adequately valued and rewarded.
paid childcare workers are not adequately valued and rewarded.
those who look after children too often live in poverty.
the undervaluation of care deepens gender inequality.
it is too hard for people to access the high-quality care they need.
the voices of carers and those experiencing care must be heard.
care is critical to our society and economy.
care is about compassion and love, and those who provide it deserve better.
Everyone needs care at some point in their life; as a child, if they have a disability or additional needs, or in older age. Day in and day out, those who provide care – the overwhelming majority of whom are women – do so with compassion and love.
Yet carers have been under-valued and under-rewarded for far too long with many people who provide care – whether paid or unpaid – enduring deep personal wellbeing and financial impacts, including poverty. Many are also facing the additional impacts created by the cost of living crisis. This can’t be right – and it can’t continue.
We must learn from the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure that increased levels of public and political awareness about the importance of all forms of care, and all those that provide it, now lead to transformative change.
Right now, care and carers are largely invisible within Scotland’s existing 11 National Outcomes, as embedded within the Scottish Government’s National Performance Framework. Given the importance of care to Scottish society, and the economy that serves it, this cannot continue. In the period ahead, we have the chance to change this.
The Scottish Government is legally required to set National Outcomes, and to review them every 5 years. This process will be undertaken in the coming months. Now is the time to embed a dedicated new National Outcome on care, as called for by Oxfam Scotland, the Scottish Women’s Budget Group, One Parent Families Scotland, Scottish Care and Carers Scotland, and now supported by a diverse range of organisations across Scotland.
A National Outcome on Care won’t solve the undervaluation of care overnight. Nor is it a substitute for immediate action to better support carers. However, it will help drive new policy and spending action and allow us to track progress meaningfully. Academics at the University of the West of Scotland have developed a blueprint for a National Outcome, together with a set of Indicators to assess the progress achieved. This, and a full list of the organisations backing this campaign, can be read by visiting the campaign website: ascotlandthatcares.org.
Now we need the political will to test this blueprint, and then deliver it.
I urge you to actively support the introduction of a new National Outcome on care and the actions needed to deliver upon it. Your support for this call is a crucial test of your commitment to building a Scotland that cares. I look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
Dear Humza Yousaf MSP/ Douglas Ross MSP / Anas Sarwar MSP / Patrick Harvie MSP and Lorna Slater MSP / Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP,
I am writing to you, along with the leaders of the other political parties represented in the Scottish Parliament, to urge you to actively support the “A Scotland that cares” campaign by publicly backing our call for a new National Outcome on Care.
I strongly believe that Scotland must commit to a new National Outcome to value and invest in care and all those who provide it.
Everyone needs care at some point in their life; as a child, if they have a disability or additional needs, or in older age. Day in and day out, those who provide care – the overwhelming majority of whom are women – do so with compassion and love.
Yet carers have been under-valued and under-rewarded for far too long with many people who provide care – whether paid or unpaid – enduring deep personal wellbeing and financial impacts, including poverty. Many are also facing the additional impacts created by the cost of living crisis. This can’t be right – and it can’t continue.
We must learn from the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure that increased levels of public and political awareness about the importance of all forms of care, and all those that provide it, now lead to transformative change.
Right now, care and carers are largely invisible within Scotland’s existing 11 National Outcomes, as embedded within the Scottish Government’s National Performance Framework. Given the importance of care to Scottish society, and the economy that serves it, this cannot continue. In the period ahead, we have the chance to change this.
The Scottish Government is legally required to set National Outcomes, and to review them every 5 years. This process will be undertaken in the coming months. Now is the time to embed a dedicated new National Outcome on care, as called for by Oxfam Scotland, the Scottish Women’s Budget Group, One Parent Families Scotland, Scottish Care and Carers Scotland, and now supported by a diverse range of organisations across Scotland.
A National Outcome on Care won’t solve the undervaluation of care overnight. Nor is it a substitute for immediate action to better support carers. However, it will help drive new policy and spending action and allow us to track progress meaningfully. Academics at the University of the West of Scotland have developed a blueprint for a National Outcome, together with a set of Indicators to assess the progress achieved. This, and a full list of the organisations backing this campaign, can be read by visiting the campaign website: ascotlandthatcares.org.
Now we need the political will to test this blueprint, and then deliver it.
I urge you to actively support the introduction of a new National Outcome on care and the actions needed to deliver upon it. Your support for this call is a crucial test of your commitment to building a Scotland that cares. I look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,