Public Knowledge Of And Attitudes Towards Social Work In Scotland
In June 2004, Scottish Ministers initiated the first fundamental review of Social Work since the Social Work (Scotland) Act in 1968. The 21st Century Social Work Review, as it is known, was developed with the ultimate aim of improving the service and preparing it for the demands of 21st Century.
To help inform the work of the review, the Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED) Children, Young People and Social Care Analytical Services Team (CYPSC), commissioned MORI Scotland to conduct a programme of research, exploring public knowledge of, and attitudes towards, social workers and social work services, and the context in which they operate.
The research comprised two main components, a nationally representative survey of 1,015 adults across Scotland and a series of 8 focus groups conducted in various locations across the country.
The findings from the research have been used to inform the Review Group's thinking and form one of the pieces of evidence underpinning the groups conclusions and recommendations.
Technical details
Survey: MORI interviewed a representative sample of 1,015 adults across Scotland between 18th April and 19th June 2005. All interviewing was conducted face-to-face in respondents' home using CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing). The response rate for the survey was 64%. The data was weighted to match the known profile of the population using 2001 census data.
Focus groups: Eight focus groups in total were conducted between 16th and 24th May 2005. Six of the groups were conducted in urban areas and two in rural areas. The groups comprised adults 18+ from a range of socio-economic backgrounds. Quotas were set by class, age and ethnicity.
