Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has published national monitoring reports on Housing First since 1 April 2021. These monitoring reports are publicly available on the Scottish Government website: Housing First: monitoring reports - gov.scot.

The Scottish Government does not collect or hold information identifying whether participants in Housing First tenancies are neurodivergent.

The Scottish Government has published national monitoring reports on Housing First since 1 April 2021. These monitoring reports are publicly available on the Scottish Government website: Housing First: monitoring reports - gov.scot.

The Scottish Government does not collect or hold information on the number of individual third sector organisations involved in supporting Housing First tenancies.

But Scottish Government monitoring data indicates that approximately 67% of Housing First support is provided by the third and independent sector.

The Distress Brief Intervention (DBI) Programme is live in all 31 HSCPs across Scotland providing timely support to those in distress and easing pressures on frontline services.

In November the programme reached the milestone of 100,000 referrals.

Over the coming months, the Scottish Government will be working with our partners to review how well DBI has been embedded, and what else may be needed moving forward to strengthen it. Our focus will be on the sustainability of the programme, and maintaining the right level of support to frontline services.

Police Scotland have confirmed that there are no active criminal investigations in Scotland relating to any files released by the United States of America authorities relating to Jeffrey Epstein. Neither Police Scotland or the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service are dealing with any reports of criminality in Scotland arising from those files to date.

Through our No One Left Behind approach, we remain firmly committed to strengthening specialist employability support for experiencing structural barriers to entering and sustaining employment. Since July 2025, all 32 Local Employability Partnerships have been required to deliver Specialist Employability Support to disabled people and people with long term health conditions, supported by an additional £5million in 2025-26. Our draft 2026-27 budget protects this investment for the coming financial year.

The Scottish Government has not been prescriptive on the model of specialist support that should be implemented. In line with our partnership working agreement with Local Government, local areas will have the flexibility to design and commission services based on their needs. However, I would expect DFN Project Search to be a consideration when partners are planning their provision.

Through our devolved approach to employability, No One Left Behind, Local Employability Partnerships (LEPs) have responsibility for designing and commissioning services that respond to the needs of the local labour market.

As part of our investment in Specialist Employability Support, all 32 Local Authorities have agreed to implement place and train models of employability support. These models, including DFN Project Search, provide tailored, workplace-based support that helps disabled people and those with long-term health conditions move into and sustain employment. Engagement with employers is a critical aspect of these models, and the Scottish Government would encourage employers to speak to their Local Authority about the opportunities their business can provide, and the support that is available to them.

The Scottish Government also recognises the important role that public bodies can play here as Anchor institutions and in widening access to fair, inclusive and sustainable employment. Health Boards have a strong track record of supporting DFN Project Search and continue to do so. In 2023-24, they offered 59 DFN Project Search internships, providing young people with valuable opportunities to develop skills and gain practical experience across a wide range of NHS roles.

The Scottish Government does not collect or publish data on the total number of DFN Project Search internship places available in Scotland.

However, with the implementation of Specialist Employability Support in July 2025 as part of our devolved employability offer, the Scottish Government agreed amended reporting requirements with delivery partners. These requirements will provide information on different types of specialist support models, including DFN project search. This information will be published in our next statistics publication on 11th February.

As NHS Boards continue to develop work in this area, we will request further information on the PEACE pathway in future self-reporting documents.

The Scottish Government has made clear through the National Specification for the Care and Treatment of Eating Disorders in Scotland that NHS Boards should be supported to accept self-referrals.

We continue to support Boards in implementing the Specification, and the recently completed self-assessment tools have highlighted positive work that several Boards are taking forward with regard to self-referral pathways.

Where responses have identified areas requiring further Scottish Government support, we are engaging with those boards through officials and professional advisors.

As NHS Boards continue to develop work in this area, we will request further information on CAMHS self-referrals for eating disorders in future self-reporting documents.

Through the Eating Disorders National Network, we continue to work with Boards to understand how best to support them, and plan to host webinars on self-referral pathways.