Scottish Recommended Allowance to increase in line with inflation
Financial support for kinship and foster carers will increase in 2026-27 – helping them meet the cost of living challenges and to provide more for the children and young people they care for.
The Scottish Recommended Allowance (SRA) will be uprated by 3.8% for 2026-27, which is in line with the Consumer Price Index inflation rate recorded in September 2025. This uplift – part of the Scottish Government’s work to Keep the Promise to Scotland’s care experienced young people by 2030 – will be supported by an additional £4.3 million investment.
From April 2026, kinship and foster carers will receive a weekly allowance, based on the age of each child they care for, of:
0 to 4 years: £177.68
5-15 years: £206.71
16-17 years: £283.35
The SRA was first introduced in Scotland in August 2023 to ensure all eligible foster and kinship carers receive a consistent minimum level of financial support, regardless of where they live.
Following a review of the allowance, the Scottish Government agreed in March 2026 to uplift the SRA annually in line with inflation.
Promise Minister Natalie Don-Innes said: “Foster and kinship carers do an extraordinary job in providing safe, stable, and loving homes for some of Scotland’s most vulnerable children and young people. It is only right that the financial support they receive keeps pace with the cost of living.
“This uplift is a clear demonstration of our commitment to Keep The Promise and to ensuring that carers are properly supported in the vital work they do. I am grateful to all the foster and kinship carers, local authorities, and organisations who contributed to the review of the SRA, and look forward to continued partnership working to build on the progress we have made.”
The Scottish Government provides an annual investment of £17.9 million for the allowance. The uplift for this year is backed by an additional £4.3 million.
Children and families across Scotland will soon benefit from expanded outdoor play opportunities, as 41 organisations receive funding to develop local initiatives.
Three Edinburgh projects are set to receive funding:
Bridgend Farmhouse £15,625.00
Smart Play Network £15,972.00
Wester Hailes Growing Communities £19,751.00
The Outdoor Community Play Fund, managed by Inspiring Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government, supports free, child‑led outdoor play in communities where it can have the greatest impact.
Outdoor play is essential for healthy childhoods, stronger families, and thriving communities. Access to this funding ensures that children living in Scotland’s most deprived areas, as well as those in rural and remote communities, can access safe, high-quality and inclusive play opportunities.
Minister for Children, Young People, and The Promise Natalie Don-Innes said: “We want Scotland to be the best place in the world to grow up. Playing outside is great for children’s health and happiness.
“For the first time, local grassroots groups in rural areas will receive funding to create opportunities for children to play outside in rural parts of Scotland, and the fund will also continue to support play charities to create opportunities for children in the most deprived areas to play outside.
“While the funding supports opportunities for outdoor play all-year-round, with the warmer months approaching it’s a great time to find out what outdoor play is on near you. I’m really pleased the Scottish Government can help make this happen.”
Twenty-two Scottish charities working in the most deprived communities will receive funding support to deliver free, child‑led outdoor play.
Outdoor play will be delivered using the Play Ranger model, helping children build confidence, develop social skills, and enjoy nature in a way that supports their wellbeing and development.
A further 19 grassroots groups in rural and remote areas will receive funding to develop sustainable outdoor play provision that reflects the needs, geography, and character of local communities.
The aim of this funding is to help smaller community organisations overcome barriers, build capacity, and commence delivery of outdoor play for children and families.
OutLET: Play Resource, one of the organisations to receive funding, said: “We are delighted to have received Outdoor Community Play funding this year.
“This valuable funding ensures we can continue delivering our Wellwoods programme, providing inclusive, high-quality outdoor play experiences for children and their caregivers.
“Families tell us these opportunities are a lifeline – providing a welcoming space where they can support their wellbeing, and feel confident enjoying their local woodlands and greenspaces for play, connection and growth.”
In addition to managing the fund, Inspiring Scotland plays a central role in strengthening the sector by offering funded organisations a wide range of support to build capacity and share best practice nationally.
Through hands-on guidance, practical tools, and strategic advice, Inspiring Scotland helps enhance the quality and effectiveness of third sector delivery across the country.
Funded organisations also benefit from support to secure match funding, increasing investment in communities experiencing high levels of deprivation as well as those in rural and remote areas.
Julia Abel, Director of Funds at Inspiring Scotland, said: “This welcomed investment recognises what the evidence has long shown: outdoor play is essential for children’s wellbeing, development, and long-term outcomes.
“Inspiring Scotland is proud to continue to collaborate with community organisations nationwide to create high quality, inclusive outdoor play opportunities that build resilience, strengthen families, and improve life chances.”
Funding will support the delivery of outdoor play opportunities and contribute directly to the ambitions set out in the Scottish Government’s Play: Vision Statement and Action Plan.
By investing in locally‑led outdoor play, the fund aims to strengthen community resilience, support parents and families, improve wellbeing, and enable more children to enjoy everyday play in nature.
A man has died following a road crash in Dalkeith which took place on Friday, 20 March, 2026.
Around 1.40pm, police received a report of an electric mountain bike colliding with a white Transit Van on the A6106, Old Dalkeith Road.
Emergency services attended and the 44-year-old cyclist was taken to hospital, where he died on Monday, 23 March, 2026.
Sergeant Mike Nash said: “Our enquiries are continuing to establish the circumstances surrounding this crash. I would urge anyone with information who has not yet spoken to police to contact us.
“Anyone with dash-cam footage from the area at the time is asked to check if it holds anything relevant and please get in touch if you can help.”
Contact Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 1660 of Friday, 20 March, 2026.
Over a quarter of a million pounds has been given to 25 dementia projects across Scotland to support the growth of community-led support for people living with dementia, their carers and family members.
Age Scotland’s dementia ‘Encouraging and Supporting Grassroots Activity’ (ESGA) fund is providing a total of £314,662 in community grants to groups across Scotland.
These grants have been supported by Scottish Government funding, allocated via a National Dementia Resilient Communities Programme Board made up of lived experience voices, local and national partners.
This funding, and the work of the Board, supports the aims of the new National Dementia Strategy, particularly in building resilience and sustainability in community support for people living with dementia and unpaid carers.
Funding decisions were made in collaboration with a lived experience panel of people living with dementia and unpaid carers, ensuring that those with first-hand insight played a key role in shaping the allocation of grants.
The 25 successfully funded projects are:
Beith Community Development Trust (North Ayrshire)
Big Hearts Community Trust (Edinburgh)
Feniks (Edinburgh)
Networking Key Services (Edinburgh)
Boots and Beards (Glasgow)
Wing Hong Chinese Elderly Centre (Glasgow)
Central Wellbeing (Falkirk)
Cobhair Bharraigh (Western Isles)
Community Connectors (Moray)
Connecting Carers (Highland)
Raddery House / Inverness Openarts (Highland)
Craignish Community Company (Argyll and Bute)
Dementia Friendly Aberfeldy (Perth and Kinross)
Dementia Friendly Prestwick (South Ayrshire)
Friends of Dundonald Castle (South Ayrshire)
DG Voice (Dumfries and Galloway)
Forget Me Not Club (Aberdeenshire)
Inchgarth Community Centre (Aberdeen city)
Friends of Kilsyth (North Lanarkshire)
North Lanarkshire Muslim Women & Family Alliance (NLMWFA) (North Lanarkshire)
Inspiring Communities (Stirling)
Lyle Gateway (Inverclyde)
Montrose Connections (Angus)
Past Times (South Lanarkshire)
Peebles Old Parish Church (Scottish Borders)
Grants of between £5,000 and £20,000 will be distributed by April 2026 and will allow communities to deliver projects and realise the benefits and impact of their work as soon as possible.
Anna Clements, Head of Dementia at Age Scotland, said:“We were blown away by the number of applications and are proud to announce the recipients of one of our largest allocations of ESGA funding to date.
“From towns and cities to islands and remote areas in different corners of Scotland, it’s inspiring to see such a diverse range of projects receiving funding to help people living with dementia, their carers, and families stay connected and supported in their communities.
“This year we made a conscious effort to ensure a broad spread of grant holders across Scotland, particularly in rural areas and projects supporting people from ethnic minority communities, where access to dementia services can be especially limited and underrepresented.
“We look forward to seeing the funding in action across the country and are confident the projects will play a vital role in empowering people to live well with dementia.”
Funded grassroots dementia projects thriving:
The Forget Me Notes Project is a singing group which aims to create inclusive choirs for everyone, including people living with dementia.
The organisation is based in Edinburgh and hosts weekly sessions alternating between Saughton Park and The Salvation Army on Gorgie Road.
It also runs an online Zoom choir which attracts participants from across the UK.
While these choirs had already been running for two years, it was only when funding from About Dementia was secured last year that the choirs became weekly offerings, enabling them to recruit new volunteers to provide assistance to members.
Alan Midwinter, chief executive of The Forget Me Notes Project, said: “The grant was used to consolidate our work and make it consistent, we wouldn’t be able to keep it going as much without it.”
On a warm sunny day Alan says between 70 to 80 people usually turn up at the outdoor Choir In The Park, including many people living with dementia and unpaid carers.
On colder or wet days, the group move into the park’s glasshouse to sing.
Alan added: “People with dementia who attend our choirs get a sense of achievement, community involvement, its inclusive for people who might be genuinely isolated.”
FRIDAY 27 & SATURDAY 28th MARCH at NORTH EDINBURGH ARTS
The North Edinburgh Film Festival is this Friday 27 March & Saturday 28 March, and you can now take a look at everything we’ve got lined up for you.
This year we’re in our brand new home at North Edinburgh Arts, and we’ve packed two days with over 60 films from across the world and right here in North Edinburgh, plus art installations, filmmaking workshops for all ages, a community lunch, and an Audience Awards Ceremony where you pick the best locally-made film.
From short films about working-class lives and social activism to animations, family-friendly screenings and special film screenings from Screen Education Edinburgh, there really is something for everyone.
It includes a rolling programme on BBC One Scotland during the day on Friday 8 May to report the breaking news from the declarations across the country
BBC Scotland has unveiled a wide range of television, radio, and digital content to serve audiences throughout the 2026 Scottish Parliament Election campaign.
It includes a rolling programme on BBC One Scotland and BBC Radio Scotland during the day on Friday 8 May to report the breaking news from the declarations across the country.
There will be no overnight declarations, with results instead being announced progressively the day after the 7 May poll has taken place.
Presented by Martin Geissler with Laura Miller and Gary Robertson in Pacific Quay, Glasgow, and Rebecca Curran in Holyrood, the programme will air from 9.30 am on BBC One Scotland, combining live declarations, interviews, and reporting from every count location across Scotland. There’ll also be extended teatime and late editions of Reporting Scotland, presented by Laura Goodwin.
Coverage of the campaign will also include a live leaders debate broadcast from Paisley Town Hall on Sunday 12 April on BBC One Scotland and iPlayer from 7.00 – 8.30 pm.
Hosted by Stephen Jardine, The Debate Night Leaders Special will feature leaders from the Scottish Conservatives, Scottish Greens, Scottish Labour, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party, and Reform UK.
There’ll also be three regular Debate Night editions in the campaign, including one with a focus on hearing from younger voters.
BBC Scotland News online will run a daily live page starting on Tuesday 7 April, with news, features and interviews from the campaigns, and in-depth analysis of the big issues.
Digital content will include short-form pieces themed around explainers, news roundups, and manifesto digests. These will be on BBC digital channels and on a range of prominent social media platforms.
The digital offering will also include an online policy grid – an interactive tool giving a summary of where the main parties stand on the issues that are most important to voters.
BBC Scotland News will also host several hustings events across the country for radio and online, featuring candidate debates in specific constituencies.
On BBC Radio Scotland, Radio Scotland Breakfast will conduct a series of leader interviews, offering listeners the opportunity to hear directly from those seeking election.
The leaders will take calls on Mornings after their Radio Scotland Breakfast interview.
The BBC Verify team in Scotland will contribute specialist analysis and verification throughout the campaign, helping audiences to navigate the information and claims that will be aired in the weeks before polling day.
Coverage will also feature BBC Your Voice, a cross-platform project designed to amplify audience voices. It aims to reflect what audiences are saying to the BBC and will cover the issues that affect them.
Scotcast, the news and current affairs podcast, will continue its series of interviews with the leaders of the larger parties which began last week.
Weekend flagship politics programme,The Sunday Show, which is simulcast on television and radio, will be extended to an hour on BBC One Scotland. Presented by Gary Robertson the programme will focus on the big issues that matter to voters.
There’ll be extensive coverage for Gaelic audiences throughout the campaign on BBC Radio nan Gàidheal’s news programming, on BBC ALBA’s daily news programme show An Là, and online at bbc.co.uk/naidheachdan. On Friday 8 May, there’ll be continuous content on radio and online as the results come in.
Howard Simpson, Head of News and Current Affairs, BBC Scotland, said: ‘The range of programming and journalism we’re announcing today reflects our commitment to serving audiences across Scotland with trusted, high quality election coverage.
“Our principal aim is to be led by the issues that matter most to our audiences.
“The campaign coverage has a level of ambition, scale and geographical reach that will ensure the voting public are kept fully informed as they engage in the democratic process.
‘We’ve built a results service that’s fast, comprehensive, and accessible wherever people are. Our teams across the country will bring unrivalled reporting, sharp analysis and clear explanations as the picture develops.’
A one-off payment of £2,000 will help every young person leaving care or continuing care from next month as they move towards adulthood.
The payment will benefit around 1,300 young people who leave care every year in Scotland. It was co-designed with input from young people with care experience to help support them as they move on from care and into adulthood and independent living, with some suggesting during consultation that it could help them with driving lessons or a new laptop to assist with studies.
The Care Leaver Payment forms part of the Scottish Government’s work to Keep ‘the Promise’ to Scotland’s care experienced young people by 2030.
The Scottish Government is fully funding the payment, and has worked in partnership with COSLA to ensure it will be delivered automatically to young people as they leave care by local authorities.
Natalie Don-Innes, Minister for The Promise, met young people with care experience who stand to receive the payment at Falkirk Champs, a group led by care experienced young people working to drive positive change for their peers.
https://twitter.com/i/status/2036492977694982636
Ms Don-Innes said: “We know that care experienced people do not necessarily have the same informal support network that other young people have during transition points in their lives, and how crucial support during their transition to adulthood can be.
“Through close-working with young people we have designed a payment that will help young people leaving care with additional financial security during this important period.
“This is yet another strand of our work to keep the Promise, alongside wider work including the transformative supports now underpinned by the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) Bill recently passed by Parliament.”
Joseph, 13, is a care-experienced champion at Falkirk Champs who lives in kinship care with his family. He will receive the payment when he leaves care. Joseph said:
“I think the Care Leaver’s Payment is good, and I will probably use it towards driving lessons or to give me a chance to travel. I would also like to be a chef, and it could help me buy tools and equipment that would help me in my career.”
Sarah Stow, Champions Board Coordinator at Falkirk Champs, said: “The Care leavers payment is one of the many small but vital things that need to happen to help Scotland keep its promise to the Care Community.
“These young people are ours and we need to invest in their futures – I think about this payment as the nest egg a grandparent or parent might save for their loved one.
“A wee step up for our children at a time when they are ready to move forward.”
THE Restraint and Seclusion in Schools (Scotland) Bill, known as Calum’s Law, was passed into law in the Scottish Parliament yesterday.
This landmark legislation will put guidance on the use of restraint and seclusion in schools on a statutory footing – the first of the UK nations to do so.
Introduced last year by Daniel Johnson MSP, the Bill attracted cross-party support for its improved protections focused on guidance for education providers, duty to inform parents/carers, duty to record and report and quality assurance of training providers.
The Restraint Reducation Network (RNN) has campaigned for statutory guidance in schools for many years and are delighted to see this commitment to greater protections for children and young people’s rights.
Ben Higgins, RRN CEO said: “Today’s vote is a vital step forward in enacting better protections for the rights of children and young people and to eliminating the misuse of restraint.
“The development of the associated statutory guidance will be key to upholding the intentions of the Bill, and ensuring its implementation is effective.
“We congratulate our Trustee, Beth Morrison, her son Calum, and colleague, Kate Sanger, for their steadfast campaigning on this issue over the past fourteen years.
“They have been the driving force behind Calum’s Law, knowing firsthand the trauma caused by restraint within schools. Their commitment to bringing about change based on the terrible experiences of their children is inspiring.”
The RRN hopes that this legislation sets a powerful precedent, inspiring other UK nations to enact similar statutory protections.
A 39-year-old man has been arrested after a man was found injured in Wardlaw Street, yesterday (Tuesday, 24 March, 2026).
Officers were called to property around 2.40pm and a 50-year-old man was taken to hospital for treatment. Hospital staff describe his condition as serious but not critical.
Detective Inspector Alan Sharp said: “Our enquiries are ongoing in the Wardlaw Street area.We would urge any witnesses or anyone with information which may assist our investigation to contact us.”
Anyone with information should contact 101 quoting incident number 1900 of 24 March. Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained.
View the brochure online and start planning your visit – 
North Edinburgh Arts, 12C MacMillan Square
Friday 27 March 10am–8:30pm
