Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested.

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

From January 2022 to September 2025, there have been four permanent vacancies at Disclosure Scotland that were unfilled for more than six months (from when advert went live to start date). We cannot access data for the period May 2021 to December 2021 as the iCIMS system that stored this data has been discontinued.

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-41194 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.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the proportion of early learning and childcare facilities that have no access to an outdoor play space.

The Care Inspectorate assesses settings’ access to outdoor play space at the initial registration stage and on an ongoing basis through their inspection and scrutiny work. The space-to-grow-and-thrive.pdf design guidance for early learning and school age childcare settings outlines that children should have access to suitable and safe outdoor space adjacent to and that is part of the premises-based environment. However, some settings will operate a dispersed or satellite model where they will access an outdoor environment in the nearby community. The Care Inspectorate evaluates these models through their inspection process.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41190 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 refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41194 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/questions-and-answers.

The Scottish Government does not collect this information. However, the Care Inspectorate collects and publishes data on service cancellations and registrations, available on the Care Inspectorate’s website: Statistics and analysis.

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 to eradicate child poverty and tackle inequality.

Each education authority is responsible for securing Community Learning and Development (CLD) in their area under the CLD (Scotland) Regulations 2013.

The 2013 Regulations require local authorities to plan and arrange the 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.

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.

Publication of the report places our focus firmly on removing barriers caused by inequality and poverty, and presents opportunities for meaningful collaboration between Scottish Government, CoSLA and organisations across the sector.

The report clearly articulated the lifechanging role that CLD, including youth work, can play in supporting individuals impacted by health issues, inequality, poverty or opportunity barriers, to reach their full potential. This was also highlighted in the detailed literature review published alongside the review report which can be found here: Community Learning and Development in Scotland and internationally: literature review - gov.scot.

The Scottish Government and COSLA accepted recommendation 1.1 to set up a joint CLD Strategic Leadership Group (SLG). The Group are considering the remaining recommendations of the report, including those relating to youth work.

The SLG have agreed immediate priorities for 2025-26 which includes establishing a Strategic Delivery Group to progress actions linked to the identified priorities of the SLG.

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.