Social Care in Times of Crisis

The project will explore how the COVID-19 crisis is impacting the job quality of social care workers in Scotland to highlight pre-existing and new problems in the social care sector and to propose solutions. The sector has been severely affected by the pandemic but has been deemed in crisis for many years. Using the 'decent work' concept, the project will conduct interviews with key sector stakeholders - with a focus on social care workers from all care settings - and link these to existing data and research to assess job quality. The policy solutions proposed will be for the Scottish context, building on the applicants' existing research and sectoral links. However, the project will be of relevance to a UK-wide debate bolstered by unprecedented focus on care workers as 'key workers' and significant public, media and political concern on the increased personal risk and pressures they face due to COVID-19.