Chamber and committees

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. This is a matter for local authorities. The member may wish to contact local authorities directly for this information.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41191 on 7 November 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

I have asked Gerard Hart, Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

The Scottish Government recognises the valuable support provided to young people through high quality youth work. This work contributes to the Scottish Government’s priority of eradicating child poverty and tackling inequality.

Youth work falls within the scope of Community Learning and Development (CLD). The Requirements for Community Learning and Development (Scotland) Regulations 2013, in effect, requires local authorities to identify need and plan provision of CLD. In line with the Verity House Agreement, local authorities have the autonomy to deliver services that meet the needs of young people in their areas. However, the Scottish Government published strategic Guidance to Local authorities to support them to develop their CLD plans in 2024 which can be accessed at: Supporting documents - Community learning and development: guidance for 2024 to 2027 - gov.scot.

An independent review of CLD was commissioned in December 2023. The Scottish Government welcomed the Learning: For All. For Life. report published in July 2024, which made 20 recommendations varying in complexity and scope. The report can be accessed at: Supporting documents - Learning: For All. For Life. A report from the Independent Review of Community Learning and Development (CLD) - gov.scot.

The Scottish Government and COSLA accepted recommendation 1.1 to set up a joint CLD Strategic Leadership Group. The group has a broad range of members representing multiple sectors with an interest in youth work as part of CLD. A list of members can be found here: Community Learning and Development Strategic Leadership Group - gov.scot. The SLG have convened on four occasions and are considering the remaining recommendations of the report.

The Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) monitors the 1140 expansion infrastructure programme on behalf of the Scottish Government, and collects progress data periodically from local authorities. The 2025 data collection exercise commenced in September and is expected to conclude in November. The most recent completed data collection showed that in October 2024, 877 (98%) of projects in the programme were complete, and 16 projects were either in construction or had not yet commenced construction.

I have asked Gerard Hart, Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

From October 2024 to October 2025, Disclosure Scotland received 74 complaints regarding applications delays.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. This is a matter for local authorities. The member may wish to contact local authorities directly for this information.

The Scottish Government and COSLA are continuing to progress the longer-term reforms to the sustainable rates setting process as set out in the 2023 joint Sustainable Rates Review.

The joint 2025-26 sustainable rates guidance, published 20 February 2025, reflects the recommendations of the Review – in particular by encouraging local authorities to introduce greater standardisation in the rate setting process. Local authorities are expected to make progress towards reflecting the changes outlined in this guidance during 2025-26.

Full implementation of these changes requires more robust and reliable data to improve the sustainable rate setting process, as recommended by the Review. To support this new national ELC cost surveys are being undertaken independently by the Diffley Partnership. When the survey data is available the Scottish Government and COSLA will consider carefully with the sector its potential implications for policy, guidance and funding in future years.

The Scottish Government recognises the valuable and high quality support provided to young people by youth workers.

The Scottish Government regularly engages with Community Learning and Development (CLD) Managers Scotland, Youth Scotland and YouthLink Scotland in connection with the grant funding provided to each organisation. These organisations represent large parts of the CLD youth work sector, and the meetings provide a valuable opportunity for the Scottish Government to receive feedback on youth work.

As part of the independent review of CLD, Kate Still engaged and consulted with a broad range of CLD stakeholders, including youth workers as well as learners accessing youth work. Findings from this engagement are reflected in the Learning: For All. For Life. report which can be found here: Learning: For All. For Life. A report from the Independent Review of CLD.

In addition, HM Inspectors of Education review and report on the quality of CLD provision across Scotland and evaluate the progress that local authorities and their CLD partners are making to improve the quality of provision and services in their areas. Individual reports can be found here: CLD Inspection Reports.

The Fostering_and_adoption_statistical_bulletin_2024-2025.pdf were published on 28 October 2025.

At 31 December 2024, there were 133 children and young people who had been approved for adoption across 23 local authority services and were waiting to be matched with approved adopters.

Of the children waiting to be matched in 2024, 36 (27%) had been waiting for over one year, down from 47 (36%) the previous year.