16 December 2025

Member Spotlight: “We have a voice, and we can and must use it to influence change”

In this video, CrossReach CEO Viv Dickenson talks about the organisation’s wide range of services, and the importance of speaking up for those in need of support.

CrossReach delivers care and support across Scotland. Through specialist teams in Children and Families, Adult Care and Older people, they operate over 70 services as the social care arm of the Church of Scotland.

The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Rt Rev Rosie Frew recently spent time with CrossReach, visiting a number of services. The short film series ‘Love from CrossReach’ captures these visits. The series explores the motivation behind work of CrossReach, meets staff who work for the organisation, and introduces some people who receive support.

In this latest episode, ‘It’s Complicated’, the challenges within the social care system are explored. Hear from Viv Dickenson, CEO of CrossReach, about the importance of working together with other social care providers, so that we can ensure those in government are well informed about the challenges being faced in Scotland today.

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24 September 2025

“It is only by standing together that we can ensure our sector is heard:” CCPS members gather at 2025 AGM

This week our membership community came together to share their experiences from the past year, discuss priorities, and speak with Scotland’s new Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing

On Monday, CCPS hosted its AGM and members’ meeting in Edinburgh, bringing together representatives from our member organisations to reflect on the previous year and feed into our vision and priorities moving forward. 

As our Board Convenor Andrea Wood noted on the day, CCPS’s role in establishing a collective voice of not-for-profit social care providers in Scotland “has never felt more vital”. At an extremely uncertain and challenging point for members, “it is only by standing together that we can ensure our sector is heard.”  

The AGM and members’ meeting presented an important opportunity for members to come together to share their concerns and learning from the past year, while also giving them a chance to speak directly with the new Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing, Tom Arthur MSP. 

Andrea Wood opened the AGM by celebrating the resilience and strength of CCPS members during a challenging year for the sector, and reflecting on the busy year CCPS has experienced. 

Welcoming two new member organisations who have joined CCPS since our last AGM, she thanked members for their high levels of engagement throughout the year, which has enabled CCPS to speak with credibility and authority in our advocacy work.  

CCPS’s CEO Rachel Cackett echoed these remarks, celebrating the strength of our community, which has supported CCPS to engage in meaningful and impactful advocacy over the past year. 

Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, she opened up a discussion on CCPS’s renewed vision and priorities. She emphasised that investment will be foundational to our vision of a thriving social care system in Scotland, as will ensuring CCPS and its members are seen as strategic partners by policymakers.  

Given the importance of this partnership between members and decision-makers, the new Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing, Tom Arthur MSP, was invited to speak with members. 

The Minister emphasised his commitment to working closely with the sector as he embarks on his new role. He recognised that members are pushing both for increased investment in the sector as well as a seat at the table in decision-making, and said that he takes this very seriously. 

Members raised a number of significant points with the minister, including the need for policymakers to have a firm understanding of the benefits of not-for-profit social care, the importance of sector representatives having a seat at the table in decision-making, and providers being seen as key strategic partners by the government.  

The Minister said he recognised the vital work members are doing within a very challenging landscape, and that he is committed to keeping this dialogue open to ensure government and parliamentary priorities address the needs of the sector.  

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26 September 2024

Not-for-profit social care sector united at CCPS AGM

The event brought together social care and support organisations to talk about challenges facing the sector

A photograph taken outside at the 2024 CCPS AGM, showing CCPS CEO Rachel Cackett meeting with Neil Gray MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care.

Last week we hosted our AGM, bringing representatives from more than 30 of our member organisations together in the same room.

For many, this was a rare and welcome opportunity to connect with other social care and support providers in person, and reflect on recent experiences and challenges.

Neil Gray, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care joined us and presented on the Scottish Government’s commitments to social care. He then fielded questions from members on various challenges the sector is currently facing.

During the session, members raised a number of points, including:

  • Staff wellbeing
  • Capacity and sustainability
  • Tensions in the current culture around commissioning
  • Managing risk
  • The NCS and sector reform

Board Convener Andrea Wood took the opportunity to recognise the honest conversations facilitated by CCPS with membership organisations. Andrea thanked members, the CCPS Board and staff for their work across this last year.

Looking to the future for our sector, CEO Rachel Cackett focused on the CCPS priorities launched in May, and how we will need to think differently about our tactics to implement our strategic goals in the current climate.

Reflecting on the day, Rachel said:

“It was great to see so many familiar faces in person at our AGM, and to hear members’ thoughtful contributions, ideas and challenges when things are so tough.

“We represent such a fantastic community of not-for-profit providers, and the team at CCPS left feeling energised to continue our collective work with our members across Scotland. We know there is much to do.”

CCPS CEO Rachel Cackett addresses members gathered in Edinburgh for the AGM:

A photograph taken at the 2024 CCPS AGM, showing CCPS CEO Rachel Cackett addressing members. A slide projected on a screen reads: "It is not difference which immobilises us, but silence. And there are so many silences to be broken." This quote is attributed to Audre Lorde.

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29 May 2024

“Our new priorities will define how we tune our collective voice for the next 18 months”

Rachel Cackett marks 25 years since CCPS became a registered charity – and says that continuing to be a successful membership body means being creative, focused and holding on to hope

We are the organisation we are today because for over a quarter of a century we have built on the strength and passion of our membership and our staff. I’d like to thank all those who have made CCPS – past and present – and a particular shout-out to the legendary CCPS powerhouse and rockstar, our former CEO Annie-Gunner Logan.

But in the here and now, times are tough for our members, for the people they support, for CCPS. Already in the last 18 months we have had to pivot this organisation from Covid crisis response to a sustainability crisis response to address the reality our members face. It’s not always been a comfortable ride.

Lurching from crisis to crisis without seeing the hope is not a place for any of us to effect good change. It’s been time to take stock.

For the last year we have been working with our members, our stakeholders, and our staff to hear how CCPS can best support our membership and change social care and support for the better. What you want of us, where we can have biggest impact, how we can rekindle hope.

Given that we are small team and we are not rich I need us to be incredibly focused and creative. That’s how we will continue to be a successful membership body.

CCPS priorities reflect what we have heard and define how we will tune our collective voice for the next 18 months – a deliberately short time for a song in a tumultuous world.

We will take stock again and refresh our priorities with you before the Holyrood elections where we hope that all parties will present manifestos that demonstrate their commitment to the true value of social care.

Read our Priorities for 2024-25

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28 May 2024

2024-25 Priorities launched

We will focus our work on persuading decision-makers to ‘Recognise the true value of social care’. Today also sees the introduction of an updated logo and new animation, reflecting human stories and member voice

Today, following extensive engagement with members, stakeholders and staff over the past year, we launch our organisation Priorities for 2024-25.

Read our 2024-25 Priorities

We will be focusing our work on persuading decision-makers to ‘Recognise the true value of social care’, with an emphasis on four key areas:

  • Secure sustainable, equitable investment for not-for-profit providers of social care and support
  • Ensure the reform of social care and support realises people’s human rights
  • Advocate for the expertise of not-for-profit providers in shared planning and decision-making
  • Demonstrate the positive impact of valuing social care on lives and communities.

Rachel Cackett, CEO of CCPS, said:

“As we celebrate 25 years as a registered charity, these new Priorities will continue to build our collective voice moving towards the important point of the 2026 Holyrood elections.

“We look forward to using these Priorities as the framework for all our activities over the next 18 months, on behalf of our membership.”

“We will refresh our Priorities in autumn 2025 to ensure our messages are honed by our members for the greatest possible impact with the next Scottish Government.”

Today also marks a change in CCPS’s communication, with an updated logo emphasising a less corporate and more people-focused style, and an animation restating of our role as the voice of not-for-profit social care providers.

Later this week we’ll be sharing reflections from Board members about the contribution CCPS has made over the past 25 years.

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