Former social worker becomes Children’s Minister in Scotland

Qualified social worker Angela Constance has been appointed minister for children and young people in the Scottish government. The Livingston MSP replaced Adam Ingram in the post as the SNP formed the first ever majority government since Scottish devoiution in 1999.

A specialist mental health officer, Ms Constance spent much of her career working with offenders. Her career in social work included positions with HMP & YOI Glenochil, HMP Perth and The State Hospital, Casters.

The move was welcomed by the Scottish Association of Social Workers (SASW) manager Ruth Stark who said: ” We hope Ms Constance would continue to place social work at the forefront of government policy and use her previous experiences to raise the profile of the profession within parliament.”

The health brief in the Scottish government went to Michael Matheson, who takes over from Shona Robson. Ms Stark welcomed Mr Matheson’s appointment too, highlighting his previous working relationship with SASW’s Forth Valley Branch on a number of issues.