There are a number of existing frameworks and legislative measures that already facilitate better joining up of activities across sectors, including:

• the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 and associated Regulations
• the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014
• the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014
• the Getting it Right for Every Child and the Getting It Right for Everyone approaches

There are also a number of specific actions within the National Transitions to Adulthood Strategy to improve communication and collaboration across sectors which include:

• Updating the Additional Support for Learning statutory guidance by the end of this parliamentary term (May 2026), including the section on co-ordinated support plans to provide clarity on the relationship between co-ordinated support plans and other types of child plans.
• Delivering an enhanced offer of practical support to Children’s Services Planning Partnership Strategic Leads as they begin to develop their 2026-2029 Strategic Plans. This will include a joint workshop with Children’s Service Planning Partnership Strategic Leads and the Integration Joint Board Strategic Planning and Performance Officers Group focused on best practice for transitions between children’s and adult services as well as the role of planning and commissioning in transitions.
• Working with participating areas and the Association for Real Change (ARC) Scotland to gather a full picture of what local agencies are already doing to collectively improve transitions in their area in order to share effective and innovative practice. This will build on the examples collated within the Principles into Practice Impact Report published in May 2023 and the Spotlight Examples hosted on the Principles into Practice website.