Scottish Government Communications Plan 2016-17

03 Communications Priorities 2016/17

Communications will contribute to the delivery of the Programme for Government by pursuing the following priorities:

Making Our Education System World Class, With Equal Opportunities For All

As part of our work to give Scotland's children the best start in life, improve educational achievement and close the poverty-related attainment gap, we will work proactively to:

• highlight early years support for parents such as the 'baby box' for all newborns and raise awareness and uptake of the expansion of free early learning and childcare;
• support the engagement of parents, young people and the wider population, together with public and third sector partners, to ensure there is a clear understanding of how information-sharing will operate ahead of introducing the Named Person service as part of the wider commitment to Getting It Right For Every Child;
• encourage and support parents to play an active role in their child's development and learning in the crucial early years and then primary school;
• publicise our review of school governance, plans for a new, fair and transparent funding model and actions to de-clutter the curriculum, in order to empower teachers and parents to improve their school;
• promote the role of teachers and teaching as an inspiring and fulfilling career, supporting local and national work to address teacher shortages; and
• illustrate opportunities for all school leavers to pursue their ambitions, outlining our plans for widening access to university and maintaining college places in a reformed, modern further education sector.

We will highlight early years support for parents and the provision of a 'baby box' for all newborns

We will promote the role of teachers and teaching as an inspiring and fulfilling career, supporting work to address teacher shortages

Growing A Productive, Sustainable And Inclusive Economy

To support the development of a sustainable economy across Scotland that is both resilient and inclusive, we will work proactively to:

• ensure business and industry are aware of the resources we have made available to counter the threat to economic recovery from the UK vote to leave the EU, including a £100m capital stimulus package and a post-referendum business network for advice and support;
• promote a new Scottish Growth Scheme worth up to £0.5 billion over the next three years, backing young companies with ambitions to grow and expand into overseas markets;
• highlight opportunities for young people to maximise their talent and skills to help secure meaningful employment, with additional apprenticeship places and the use of new powers to develop a new jobs grant;
• show how we support innovation - the main driver of long-term productivity - through continued investment in world-class higher education and research facilities, an Innovation Prize and the work of the Council of Economic Advisers;
• encourage the growth of world-class companies in Scotland and the development of international trade links by promoting Scotland as a great place to live, work and do business;
• demonstrate how smaller businesses are the lifeblood of Scotland's economy, while raising awareness of our competitive business rates regime and the further expansion of the Small Business Bonus scheme;
• illustrate to employees and employers, through our Labour Market Strategy and Scottish Business Pledge, the gains from investing in and promoting fair working practices such as paying the Living Wage and more workplace innovation;
• underline our focus on creating jobs and sustaining vibrant communities through our infrastructure programme of capital investment across transport, water, health, education and housing;
• motivate and help households to adopt a greener lifestyle as part of wider work to reduce emissions, decarbonise the economy and meet our climate change commitments, supported by a new energy strategy promoting renewables and greater efficiency;
• highlight our support for the rural economy and our investment in infrastructure and connectivity to remote communities such as rolling out superfast broadband and supporting lifeline ferry and air routes; and
• promote and help protect the natural environment and the welfare of animals, including highlighting new measures to tackle wildlife crime and a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses.

Transforming Public Services

To support the development and delivery of high-quality, efficient and collaborative public services that place the needs and aspirations of our people at the centre of their work, we will work proactively to:

• illustrate the benefits of unprecedented investment and reform across health and social care, the transformation of primary care and a 10 year mental health strategy and other work to adapt to the needs of an ageing population;
• support better public health awareness, promote prevention and early intervention and deliver campaigns to increase early detection of lung, bowel and breast cancers;
• publicise the increase in GP and nurse numbers in Scottish communities alongside wider work to enhance the capacity of both the workforce and infrastructure such as expanded elective capacity and new treatment centres;
• promote the role of Scotland's police service and other emergency and public services as they work to keep people safe from harm, including responding to emerging threats such as terrorism and cyber-crime;
• work closely with our emergency services to ensure that Scotland plays its part in securing the UK against the threat of terrorism;
• explain justice system reforms to better support victims and witnesses, tackle underlying causes of offending and improve public safety, including better use of digital and other technology and robust community-based sentencing;
• increase public understanding about the nature of violence against women and girls and challenge harmful attitudes, including highlighting planned legislation to strengthen how we tackle domestic abuse;
• support and encourage use of online resources to help reduce inequalities, increase employability and benefit health;
• enhance the Government's reputation for openness and accessibility by transforming our corporate website and promoting social media best practice; and
• raise Scottish Government staff awareness and understanding of SG2020 and transform the Saltire intranet into a digital workplace that helps staff do their jobs and serve the public more efficiently.

We will support better public health awareness, promote prevention and early intervention and deliver campaigns to increase early detection of lung, bowel and breast cancers

Putting People In Charge And Creating Opportunities

To help build strong, resilient and supportive communities where we all live together in peace, and people from all backgrounds have the opportunities to flourish, we will work proactively to:

• ensure local communities are aware of how they will have a greater say in the decisions that affect them, including new powers for island communities;
• explain how we are supporting greater community ownership and making land ownership more transparent, including creating a mandatory public register of controlling interests in landowners;
• inform the public about our new powers to maximise social, economic and human rights for Scotland;
• unveil a Fairer Scotland action plan, highlighting our commitments across Government to tackle poverty and inequalities;
• increase awareness of newly-devolved responsibilities relating to social security, publicising planned changes and encouraging uptake of benefits;
• show how we are using new tax powers fairly and progressively to meet Scotland's specific needs and to protect those on low and middle incomes;
• raise awareness of better access to good affordable housing as at least 50,000 new homes are built over the next five years; and
• promote opportunities for Scots to save money and have warmer homes through actions to improve energy efficiency and tackle fuel poverty.

We will ensure local communities are aware of how they will have a greater say in the decisions that affect them, including new powers for island communities

We will show how we are using new tax powers fairly and progressively to protect those on low and middle incomes

We will raise awareness of better access to good affordable housing as at least 50,000 new homes are built in the next five years

Scotland On The World Stage

To promote Scotland and our interests outside the UK and on the world stage, to help strengthen international relations, boost our trade, investment, influence and networks, we will work proactively to:

• demonstrate how the Government is protecting the interests of the people of Scotland by exploring all options to secure the country's place in the European Union which includes a consultation on a draft Referendum Bill should a referendum be the best or only way to protect our country's interests;
• support engagement with stakeholders around Scotland, further afield and across portfolios to deal with the various and immediate impacts of uncertainty caused by the EU Referendum result;
• strengthen and enhance Scotland's reputation on the world stage, as an outward-looking country, showing leadership in areas such as climate change, procurement and equality;
• promote all of Scotland as a first choice, year-round destination and promote key sectors such as food and drink, higher education and tourism across the world; and
• promote the development of a confident, successful cultural sector, contributing to the nation's standing on the world stage, with people supported to express their creativity and access to the arts widely promoted.

We will demonstrate how the Government is protecting the interests of the people of Scotland

We will promote Scotland as a year-round destination and promote key sectors such as food and drink, higher education and tourism across the world