About Pathways to Progress

Pathways to Progress is a three-year project aiming to enhance fair work in Scotland’s social care sector. Delivered by Living Wage Scotland at the Poverty Alliance, Pathways to Progress is one of 10 projects funded through the Robertson Trust’s Work Pathways programme. These projects are looking at different aspects of improving job quality to tackle in-work poverty in Scotland.

Illustration of three people, two standing and one sitting in a wheelchair, all holding yellow bands.

The Context

It is clear that the social care sector is facing key challenges, and more support and recognition of the sector is needed to ensure its sustainability. Within this context, Pathways to Progress is working with social care workers and employers to identify pathways to fair work.

Recruitment and retention are major challenges as demand for care continues to rise with an aging population. Understaffing and insecurity can also lead to workers needing to take on additional hours, leading to overwork. Many workers also report feeling undervalued and see limited opportunities for career development or progression.

At the same time, changes to immigration policy have made it harder for international workers to join the sector. Uncertainties around funding and rising operational costs are also putting providers under strain, creating a crisis of sustainability across social care.

What the project will involve

We’re working with two large, non-profit care organisations to identify practical pathways to change - ways to improve people’s protection from poverty while working in social care. This includes exploring how better pay, secure hours, pensions, and other Fair Work standards can be achieved in practice. A key focus will be understanding how ready employers are to implement Living Hours.

To ensure worker voices are at the heart of this project, we are speaking directly with frontline care staff about their day-to-day experiences. We want to understand how low pay and job insecurity affect their lives and use their insights to shape meaningful change.

We are carrying out eight case studies with small and medium-sized care providers from both the voluntary and private sectors. These case studies highlight a range of approaches, challenges, and successes, including examples from organisations working towards Living Wage Scotland accreditations.

Throughout the project, we’ll be gathering evidence on what works (and what gets in the way) to help others make improvements that enhance job quality across the social care sector.

Our work is guided by a Social Care Expert Group, who provide advice, strengthen the project’s direction, and support the sharing of learning across the sector.

Sharing Learning

We’ll share the insights and resources developed through this project with employers, workers, and others across the social care sector. The findings will also inform our wider work, including policy influencing at The Poverty Alliance and employer engagement through Living Wage Scotland.

You can find out about our project resources here

View our Resources

Team Roles

Lynn Anderson

Project Manager
Lynn is the Living Wage Scotland manager and is responsible for the effective delivery of the Pathways to Progress project.
Dr. Laura Robertson

Research Manager
Laura is the research manager at the Poverty Alliance and oversees the research elements of the Pathways to Progress project.
Dr. Laura Jones

Research Officer
Laura is responsible for the research elements of the project, including supporting workers involvement and overseeing monitoring and evaluation activities.
Anna Hirvonen

Engagement and Learning Officer
Anna is responsible for employer engagement within the Pathways to Progress project as well as overseeing knowledge exchange and dissemination strategies.
Seth Reynolds

Systems Change Consultant
Seth is a leading expert in complex methodologies associated with systems change and will be guiding employers through a set of workshops.
Expert Group

The project Expert Group is comprised of key stakeholders from within the social care sector. The members of this group will be published here in due course.