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The Scottish Government recognises the valuable youth work provided to young people in rural and Island communities.

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

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 assessed needs of young people in their areas.

Since 2021-2022, the Scottish Government have also provided grant funding to Youth Scotland to coordinate the Young Islanders Network which provides young people aged 5-25 years a safe space to express and discuss issues that affect their lives and their islands. Scottish Government are providing £119,400 in 2025-26 to support the network.

Young Islanders Network members have been closely involved in informing both the implementation of the current National Islands Plan, published in 2019, and the development of the new iteration of the plan.

In 2024-25, Scottish Government also provided £125k to the Rural Youth Action Network (RYAN) as a youth-led project, coordinated jointly by Scottish Rural Action (SRA) and Youth Scotland, to consolidate momentum behind a rural youth mobilisation and participation platform in Scotland.

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.

The requested information is not held by the Scottish Government.

We want to ensure families can get the help they need, where and when they need it. That is why we are transforming holistic family support through the Whole Family Wellbeing Funding (WFWF) Programme.

Since 2022, we have invested over £148m in a programme of activity to transform family support. This includes a multi-year commitment to funding Children's Services Planning Partnerships (CSPPs) to drive this work at the local level.

Funding for CSPPs will increase from £32m to £38.1m in 2025-26 and 2026-27.

WFWF is a critical part of how we will keep the Promise – by shifting investment towards early intervention and prevention activities to prevent Scotland’s families reaching crisis.

It is also an essential part of our mission to eradicate child poverty. By ensuring we provide holistic support that meets the needs of the whole family. This is the smarter, more compassionate way to help Scotland’s families, by putting their needs at the centre of our approach.

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-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 /chamber-and-committees/written-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: .

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 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.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. It is the role of the Care Inspectorate to investigate complaints about registered care services, and these can include concerns about the fitness of premises, such as damp, mould, and ventilation issues.

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

Disclosure Scotland have undertaken priority work to ensure future planning for high application volume periods is informed by internal reviews and stakeholder feedback from managing summer 2025's increased volumes. This work did not include assessment of the impact of delays on recruitment in social care, teaching or any specific sectors.

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 of eradicating child poverty and tackling inequality.

Youth work falls within the scope of Community Learning and Development (CLD). The Requirements for Community Learning and Development (Scotland) Regulations 2013, in effect, requires local authorities to identify need and plan 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. However, the Scottish Government published strategic Guidance to Local authorities to support them to develop their CLD plans in 2024 which can be accessed at: .

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: .

The Scottish Government and COSLA accepted recommendation 1.1 to set up a joint CLD Strategic Leadership Group. The group has a broad range of members representing multiple sectors with an interest in youth work as part of CLD. A list of members can be found here: . The SLG have convened on four occasions and are considering the remaining recommendations of the report.