Scotland's children's services plans 2023-2026 review: improving outcomes for children, young people and families

1. Introduction

This is the third national report on Children’s Services Planning in Scotland.

The report provides an overview of findings from the analysis and review of all 30 Children’s Services Plans (CSPs) for the 2023-2026 planning cycle, situating this in the context of current policy developments and improvement activity, as well as key themes highlighted through stakeholder and policy engagement^[1].

Background

The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 outlines a wide range of duties and responsibilities of Scottish Ministers and public authorities to uphold children’s rights, and to safeguard, support and promote the wellbeing of babies, children, young people and families across Scotland.

Part 3 of the Act requires local authorities and health boards to work with specified service providers, key stakeholders in third sector organisations and public bodies, and local communities, to develop and publish a Children’s Services Plan (CSP) every three years. Plans must set out how Children’s Services Planning partners will work together to plan and deliver services and supports to improve outcomes for children, young people and families living in their area. The scope of a CSP includes provision of services provided directly to children and young people, as well as services with an impact on child wellbeing. This includes community-based supports such as recreation facilities, libraries, or housing, as well as adult services which provide support to parents or carers in relation to e.g. mental health, disability, or drug or alcohol use. Partners are required to report on how and where progress is being made annually.

A list of external links to Scotland’s Children’s Services Plans for 2023-2026 can be found in Appendix A.

The Scottish Government, on behalf of Scottish Ministers, undertakes a review of Children’s Services Plans in line with legislative requirements to monitor the effectiveness of Children’s Services Planning arrangements across Scotland and the extent to which the information provided in Children’s Services Plans met the statutory review criteria. Required features of a CSP include a focus on rights and wellbeing, evidence-based strategic priorities, a sense of shared ownership and joint decision-making, as well as clear articulation of how Children’s Services Planning Partnerships (CSPPs) are working collaboratively to improve outcomes for children, young people and families through the provision of services, supports, and improvement activity.

This report presents key findings looking across all 30 Children’s Services Plans, highlighting areas of strength and potential areas for improvement activity. These findings will inform and support policy development and decision-making at the national and local level.

Methods

In 2023, the Scottish Government commissioned social research agency, The Lines Between, to undertake an independent review of Children’s Services Plans covering the 2023-2026 period.

Analysis was structured around the 15 statutory criteria which set out the requirements of Children’s Services Planning regarding the content, format, and process of developing a Children’s Services Plan. These inform local planning of services and supports in such a way that these achieve the overall aim of improving outcomes for children, young people and families living in each area of Scotland. The criteria are outlined in Children's Services Planning Statutory Guidance, with a summary list provided in Appendix B.

To provide a basis for a consistent and robust approach to the analysis, The Lines Between worked collaboratively with the Scottish Government’s Children and Families Analysis Team and Strategy Unit to design an analysis framework based on the 15 criteria. Each Children’s Services Plan was then read in full and individually reviewed against the analysis framework.

Additional Policy and Engagement Context

While the analysis of Children’s Services Plans provides valuable information on the ways in which Children’s Services Planning is contributing to improved wellbeing outcomes for children, young people and families, this alone does not provide the whole picture. These findings are supplemented by additional information from scrutiny, inspection, self-evaluation and improvement activity.

The report follows a similar approach to the previous national report, which was published in 2022. For each of the statutory review criterion, relevant improvement activity, legislative, or policy developments are referenced, highlighting ongoing opportunities for collaborative work to find solutions which will help overcome the barriers to improving outcomes for children, young people and families, which have been identified by Children’s Services Planning partners. Themes from stakeholder and policy engagement across Scotland are also discussed, in particular drawing on discussions at the Children’s Services Planning Strategic Leads Network, Children and Families National Leadership Group, and Whole Family Wellbeing Funding Learning into Action Network.

Report structure

The review criteria are grouped into broad categories, with the report structured as follows:

• Chapter 2 provides information on the policy, legislative, and delivery context for Children’s Services Planning, at national and local level.
• Chapters 3 to 13 are structured around the statutory review criteria, presenting the findings from analysis of the Children’s Services Plans, and where relevant, additional context from policy developments and stakeholder engagement.
• Chapter 14 provides a summary of key points and reflections for next steps.

Examples of good practice identified from Children’s Services Planning Partnerships are highlighted in this report. This is an illustrative rather than exhaustive list, and other CSPPs not mentioned may also have fully met the criteria in question.