Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government will invest in Changing Places Toilets over this parliamentary term, in order to increase the number of these facilities across the country and to support mobile Changing Places Toilets to allow people easier access to events and outdoor venues.

This investment will be delivered in phases over the course of this parliamentary term. The Scottish Government is progressing the first phase of work to design an investment programme that ensures that the Changing Places Toilets which are built are fit for purpose. We have recently published our Changing Places Toilets: Planning Guide and an accompanying easy read for people who are planning to develop Changing Places Toilets now.

Further details will be available soon.

The Scottish Government will invest in Changing Places Toilets over this parliamentary term, in order to increase the number of these facilities across the country and to support mobile Changing Places Toilets to allow people easier access to events and outdoor venues.

This investment will be delivered in phases over the course of this parliamentary term. The Scottish Government is progressing the first phase of work to design an investment programme that ensures that the Changing Places Toilets which are built are fit for purpose.

Further details will be available soon.

The Scottish Government’s Changing Places Toilets investment will be delivered in phases over the course of this parliamentary term. The Scottish Government is progressing the first phase of work, in order to design an investment programme that ensures that the Changing Places Toilets which are built are fit for purpose and are installed in appropriate locations to meet the needs of those that will use them. We will work with stakeholders to develop eligibility criteria for the fund.

Further details will be available soon.

The breakdown of the 356.1 whole time equivalent posts recruited within GP practices by NHS Health Board is as follows;

The breakdown of the 958.9 whole time equivalent (WTE) posts by NHS Health Board is as follows;

The Scottish Government is committed to investing in Changing Places Toilets over this parliamentary term, in order to increase the number of these facilities across the country and to support mobile Changing Places Toilets to allow people easier access to events and outdoor venues.

Further details will be available soon.

ESOL qualifications are delivered in a number of settings, including schools, colleges and community settings.

The Scottish Government approach to monitoring the uptake of ESOL qualifications across education providers is not sub-categorised into the individuals’ legal status such as refugees and asylum seekers. There are a variety of approaches to delivering ESOL as learning is shaped around learners’ specific requirements. This flexibility enables providers to tailor their provision to best suit learners’ personal circumstances.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) publish data on numbers of people entering SQA ESOL qualifications at schools, colleges and other approved SQA centres including training providers and voluntary sector organisations. The Scottish Funding Council collect data for colleges on enrolments to ESOL qualifications.

Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) data on the number of people entering and passing SQA ESOL qualifications can be found at the following link: Statistics and information - SQA As I have noted, this data is not sub-categorised into individuals’ legal status.

The Scottish Funding Council publish college student data each year and this information can be found at the following link: College Performance Indicators (sfc.ac.uk) . Further detail and information can be made available from The Scottish Funding Council on request.

We acknowledge the immense, highly skilled and unique contribution made by social workers to support individuals and families across Scotland. The Scottish Government is committed to establishing a National Social Work Agency (NSWA), as part of the National Care Service, that will support and invest in the social work profession. However we are not waiting for the NSWA to be established to start this work.

The Scottish Government is committed to developing an advanced practice framework that meets the professional development needs of social workers in Scotland. The Scottish Government is working with stakeholders across the sector to develop a framework which sets out the structures that will support social workers to progress through different career phases.

A sub-group to develop the advanced practice framework has been established and a draft framework for engagement/co-design activity with frontline social workers is due from February 2023. It is important that this work is done with the workforce and not to the workforce. We are committed to getting this right for social workers across the country.

The Scottish Government is committed to working with partners to increase the number of social workers in the profession, as well as developing rewarding career pathways and improving terms and conditions.

The development of a Graduate Apprenticeship in Social Work is currently being considered for investment along with other routes into the profession. Discussions are underway with Skills Development Scotland on requirements to proceed with a pilot scheme.

The Scottish Government’s aim is to support high quality, relevant, appropriate and accessible ESOL provision that meets learner need.

The Scottish Government’s ESOL funding is currently provided through colleges. Colleges are instructed to work with Community Planning Partnerships to determine the level of need for provision and agree with partners how this need can be met.

The Local Government Settlement provides a block grant to local authorities which they can then use to meet the learning needs of refugees and asylum seekers in their areas.

Grant funding awarded to third sector organisations has enabled ESOL providers to use asset based approaches to work with adult learners to plan and co-design their learning.

In 2020-21 colleges received £2,323,504 funding for digital inclusion. Community Learning and Development organisations received £250,000. Devices were distributed to best meet the needs of all learners, regardless of the type of learning or their legal status.

Our Adult Learning Strategy commits to continuing to increase access to digital devices and connectivity for adult learning. In 2022-3, £500,000 of Digital Inclusion funding has been made available to community learning providers through the Community Learning and Development Device Fund. The Fund is supporting over forty community-based projects throughout Scotland to acquire digital devices for learning. These projects support a range of learner groups including refugees and asylum seekers, with several specifically focusing on providing access to ESOL courses.

To tackle student digital poverty an allocation of £2.9 million has been distributed among the college sector by the Scottish Funding Council. Institutions manage these funds and applications for support at their own discretion to best support their learners. ESOL students can apply directly to their college for support with a digital device.