Improving local support for families

Services providing local support for families will receive additional funding in the Scottish Budget, First Minister John Swinney has announced on the fifth anniversary of The Promise.

Following an agreement with COSLA, the share of Whole Family Wellbeing Funding (WFWF) provided to Children's Services Planning Partnerships (CSPP) will increase by £6 million in the next financial year and remain at that level the following year.

The WFWF Programme aims to transform how families are supported so they can get the right help, at the right time, for as long as they need it. As part of the Programme, every CSPP receives funding for their local area and can use their share to improve support in a way that best meets the needs of the families in their communities, such as more holistic support for parents with mental health or substance abuse issues, providing welfare rights advice and delivering community-based family support hubs.

Transforming the way families are supported is part of the Scottish Government’s work to keep The Promise to children and young people with care experience by 2030. The First Minister made the announcement ahead of a visit to the University of Glasgow to meet students with care experience, hear about their views on The Promise and discuss their hopes for the future.

The First Minister said:

“It is now five years since Scotland made its Promise to children and young people with care experience, a landmark moment when we all committed to improving the support they receive and ensuring they have every opportunity to thrive. I am glad progress is being made across the country, with the latest statistics showing a 15.6% reduction in the number of looked after children since 2020.

“The work we have undertaken has meant that a number of changes have been made in justice, in education and in health to support those with experience of care and the people who work with them, but I am very aware we need to do much more to address the complex challenges that still exist. As part of that, we need to create the conditions for innovation and change that best meet the needs of our communities – change that ensures families receive the right support, at the right time, and for as long as they need that support.

“Whole Family Wellbeing Funding is making an important contribution to the work that will help us deliver on our commitment to keep The Promise by 2030. Children's Services Planning Partnerships are receiving more of that money over the next two years because of their understanding of the services that will best support families in their local areas.

“Since becoming First Minister, and in my previous roles in the Scottish Government, I have spoken to so many wonderful people and visited a wide-range of projects supporting The Promise. I feel privileged to continue to do this and I look forward to hearing more from care-experienced young people about their hopes for the future.”

Background

Since 2022, the Scottish Government has invested more than £110m in activity that is transforming family support through the Whole Family Wellbeing Funding Programme. 

The share of Whole Family Wellbeing Funding provided to Children's Services Planning Partnerships will increase from £32 million to £38 million in the 2025 to 2026 and 2026 to 2027 financial years.

The Promise: letter to the care-experienced community - gov.scot