Chamber and committees

Part of the package of the 2022-23 pay deal, agreed by the SJC Local Government workers, and requested by the SJC unions in their pay claim, Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) fees will no longer be paid by SJC local government employees who require them for work.

This information is not held by the Scottish Government. The pupil census does not collect any data on nationality of pupils.

There are currently no plans to ban the consumption of alcohol on Caledonian Sleeper services.

Scottish Government works closely with COSLA to ensure children and young people with neurodevelopmental support needs, including those with autism, receive support which meets the standards set out in the National Neurodevelopmental Specification for Children and Young People.

The Specification makes clear that support should be put in place to meet the child or young person’s requirements when they need it, rather than be dependent on a formal diagnosis.

As part of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Joint Delivery Board, which was co-chaired by COSLA and Scottish Government, a Task and Finish Group was established to support the implementation of the Neurodevelopmental Specification. The Group, which COSLA was part of, recommended undertaking Tests of Change to test and implement aspects of the standards and principles of care outlined within the Neurodevelopmental Service Specification.

The tests of change have involved close partnership working between NHS Boards and local authorities. These are ongoing and learning will be shared nationally to help achieve successful implementation of the Specification across all local areas. The work of the Board has now finished and the Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Sport has accepted its recommendations. The Board’s final report will be published in the coming months.

In addition we are providing local authorities with £15 million per year to deliver community-based mental health services for children and young people. A number of councils have used their funding to put in place supports for autism.

For example, in Inverclyde, the Cygnets Programme provides group and peer support for parents and carers with children and young people who are experiencing difficulties due to autism spectrum condition. West Dunbartonshire offers pre-diagnostic and post-diagnostic support and training for families whose child has a new diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.

In March 2021, in partnership with COSLA, we published our Towards Transformation Plan as a follow-on to the Scottish Strategy for Autism and the Keys to Life Learning Disability Strategy. The Plan seeks to shape supports, services and attitudes to ensure that the human rights of autistic people and people with learning/intellectual disabilities are respected and protected and that they are empowered to live their lives, the same as everyone else.

We continue to work on delivering the action in our Towards Transformation Plan and also, are currently consulting on proposals for a Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodiversity Bill which will inform future strategies for neurodivergent communities, including autistic people.

To ensure that Social Security Scotland benefits are accessible to everyone, they have all been designed so that they can be accessed online, by paper or telephone to suit individual preference. Where clients want further support, an appointment can be booked with our Local Delivery service. This service has a locally based team in each of the 32 Local Authority areas across Scotland, including the more remote and rural communities, providing a local, accessible service to the citizens of that area.

Local Delivery teams can provide clients with support to claim Social Security Scotland benefits, with gathering and providing supporting information, reporting change of circumstances or by providing general benefit advice. We can arrange appointments for clients in their home, in local outreach venues or by video or telephone, ensuring that the service is as accessible as possible and meets the needs of the clients that want to use it.

To raise awareness and encourage take-up of Social Security Scotland benefits, we have an ongoing plan of targeted communication activities that not only raises awareness of our new benefits but keeps information on our existing benefits in the public eye. This is done through a variety of channels such as national TV, radio and social media to ensure the messages are as visible and accessible as possible. This is supplemented by a monthly National Stakeholder newsletter that provides the latest information to stakeholders.

Within local communities, our Local Delivery teams are members of local Community Planning Partnership and Financial Inclusion groups ensuring that our benefits and service are part of local plans and initiatives to maximise families' incomes.Through these local networks we can signpost clients to the appropriate help to ensure that clients receive all of the support available to them.

To further maximise our reach, we hold ‘drop in’ sessions and attend local community groups and events, speaking face to face to citizens so they can hear first-hand about our benefits and get the opportunity to ask any questions directly to our specially trained Advisers.

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with ATCO and COSLA in developing the Community Bus Fund (CBF). We are currently running proposals through the COSLA governance process with a view to launch the fund later this year.

We are committed to delivering the Coming Home recommendations to reduce inappropriate out-of-area placements and delayed discharges experienced by people with learning disabilities and complex care needs. We continue to work closely with COSLA and the local partners which have statutory responsibility for providing and commissioning appropriate services to meet their population’s needs.

In terms of progressing the recommendations, Dynamic Support Registers have been developed and launched, and local partners are now populating these. The Registers will provide an overview of the position across Scotland and help local areas to plan for people with learning disabilities and complex care needs to live in their home communities. We know that a number of local areas are already using these registers.

The Practitioner Peer Support Network to support local areas to share best practice will go live soon and we are also progressing work to establish a National Support Panel, to support local areas to share best practice and ensure genuine change is delivered.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of Personal Assistants who offer bespoke, personalised and flexible care, enabling those with support needs to remain healthy and at home for longer.

The Personal Assistant (PA) Programme Board was established in 2021 to provide advice to Ministers on issues and actions needed to support this workforce. The work of the PA Programme Board Training sub group is led and informed by key stakeholders including PA employers. Work underway during 2023 includes funding of up to £91K, to build on the successful leadership in this area by Self Directed Support Scotland, to prepare a national PA training framework which will be developed with consideration of neurodiversity. Further information about the PA Programme Board is available at: Self Directed Support Scotland .

Professor Britton’s 2018 Investigative Review gave 46 recommendations regarding the process of establishing, managing and supporting Independent Reviews in Scotland.

We accepted and agreed with the vast majority of her conclusions and recommendations. The recommendations have already been reflected in a number of inquiries and reviews established in recent years. We are also developing guidance to support inquires and reviews that will build upon Professor Britton’s recommendations and hope to publish that shortly.

The Scottish Government is prioritising investment in a range of support available both pre and post diagnosis.

Our new £1 million Autism Support Fund will soon be launched by Inspiring Scotland. Individual funding awards will be announced following a fair and open application and assessment process based on set criteria.