Questions and answers

Question reference: S6O-04533

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the reported rising childcare costs on families, particularly those on low and middle incomes, in light of recent research by the Coram Family and Childcare charity.

Question reference: S6W-35312

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of youth work on addressing (a) substance abuse and (b) other health-related concerns, and how it supports programmes that focus on promoting such work.

Question reference: S6W-35323

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that youth work initiatives are aligned with national economic priorities and strategies, such as the Young Person’s Guarantee.

Question reference: S6W-35322

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what role local authorities play in assessing and reporting on the economic outcomes of youth work initiatives in their areas.

Question reference: S6W-35319

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that youth work services are accessible in areas of economic deprivation.

Question reference: S6W-35328

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that delegating the delivery of youth work to local authorities does not compromise the quality or consistency of services.

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 to eradicate child poverty and tackle inequality.

The Scottish Government recognise the crucial role councils and their employees play in communities across Scotland. That is why the Scottish Government has made available over £14 billion to local authorities in 2024-25, a real terms increase of 4.3 percent, with a record £15 billion for 2025-26 set out in the Scottish Budget, a further real terms increase of 5.5 percent.

In line with the Verity House Agreement, local authorities have the autonomy to deliver services to meet the needs of young people in their areas.

In addition to block grant funding for local authorities, the Scottish Government funds a range of youth work initiatives, projects and programmes which aim to support diverse youth work models, promote partnership working and enhance the quality of youth work, supporting the best possible outcomes for young people.

Furthermore, HM Inspectors of Education review and report on the quality of CLD provision across Scotland and evaluate the progress local authorities and their CLD partners are making to improve the quality of provision and services in their areas.

Question reference: S6W-35317

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to local authorities to ensure the delivery of youth work services and programmes, and how it works with them to (a) ensure that youth work is integrated into broader economic and social development strategies, (b) measure and report on the impact of youth work on young people’s economic wellbeing, (c) develop a coordinated national strategy for youth work that aligns with its broader priorities and ensures equitable service provision and (d) develop central support mechanisms to assist them in the effective deployment of programmes, and how these mechanisms are monitored.

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.

In Programme for Government, published in September 2024, Scottish Government committed to invest in community-based youth work focused on reaching young people outside the classroom and supporting access to education, training, and employment.

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

In addition to the block grant given to local authorities, and in a challenging fiscal context, the Scottish Government has continued to fund Youth Scotland and YouthLink Scotland in 2024-25 in support of high quality youth work as part of CLD. Overall funding remains broadly consistent with previous years and reflects the priority that the Government attaches to support community-based youth work.

Question reference: S6W-35313

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of youth work on improving employability and skills development, and how it supports programmes that focus on promoting such work.

Question reference: S6W-35324

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it engages with youth workers to assess the effectiveness of its policies in this area on achieving positive economic outcomes.

The Scottish Government recognises the valuable support provided to young people through high quality youth work. The Scottish Government regularly engages with Youth Scotland and YouthLink Scotland in connection with the grant funding provided to each organisation from the Community Learning and Development budget. Funding is focused on supporting the workforce to deliver high quality youth work and its role in eradicating child poverty and tackling inequality, particularly at the grassroots level.

In addition, the Minister for Higher and Further Education commissioned an independent review of the Community Learning and Development (CLD) landscape in December 2023. As part of this review, evidence gathering and consultation was undertaken with key stakeholders, learners, potential learners, practitioners and partners across the CLD sector.

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: www.gov.scot/publications/learning-life-report-independent-review-community-learning-development-cld/documents/.

The Scottish Government and CoSLA accepted recommendation 1.1 to set up a joint CLD Strategic Leadership Group. The Group will consider the remaining 19 recommendations of the report, including those relating to youth work.

Question reference: S6W-35311

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of youth work on improving (a) mental health, (b) physical health and (c) wellbeing, and how it supports programmes that focus on promoting such work.

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 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 to meet the needs of young people in their areas.

The Scottish Government published guidance to assist education authorities in producing their 3 year plan for CLD, as required by the 2013 Regulations. The guidance can be accessed at: www.gov.scot/publications/community-learning-development-guidance-2024-2027/documents/.

Current CLD plans, covering the period 2024-2027, can be found on Education Scotland’s website at: education.gov.scot/learning-in-scotland/education-sectors/community-learning-and-development-cld/local-authority-community-learning-and-development-plans/. As the 2013 Regulations place the duties on education authorities and the 3 year plans are published, the Scottish Government does not collate information on youth work programmes centrally.

I commissioned an independent review of CLD 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: www.gov.scot/publications/learning-life-report-independent-review-community-learning-development-cld/documents/.

The Scottish Government and CoSLA accepted recommendation 1.1 to set up a joint CLD Strategic Leadership Group. The Group will consider the remaining 19 recommendations of the report, including those relating to youth work.

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