Consultation open for views on proposals on the future of secure care
Proposals to strengthen the sustainability of secure care and enhance the support available to vulnerable children are being consulted upon.
The consultation seeks views on a range of proposed reforms to future secure care services, which will continue to be a critical part of Scotland’s child welfare and justice systems.
Among the proposals are:
whether secure care should be nationalised or nationally coordinated
models from the ‘Reimagining Secure Care’ report, including community-based hubs that are designed to deliver early intervention, crisis support and ongoing care within a child’s own community
new models for the funding and commissioning of secure care settings
standards for the safe transport of children to and within secure care.
The proposals will ensure that children’s rights are at the centre of secure care services, aligning further with the incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law and the Scottish Government’s commitment to The Promise.
Promise Minister Natalie Don-Innes said: “This national consultation marks a significant moment in our journey to reimagine how we care for and support some of the most vulnerable children in Scotland.
“Every child in secure care deserves support that is therapeutic, understanding of their experiences, and tailored to their individual needs. This consultation explores how we can create a system where children receive the right care, at the right time, in in environments that support their recovery and rehabilitation, keep them connected to family and community, and prepare them for positive futures.
“Your views will help shape a secure care system that places children’s rights at its heart, ensures secure care remains a last resort, and gives every child the best chance to thrive.”
The consultation on the future of secure care is open for views until 16 April 2026.
In November the Scottish Government published a new draft Climate Change Plan, a critically important document which should explain how it plans to reduce emissions across all parts of the economy and society.
But it doesn’t contain the ambitious, fair action we need to tackle the climate crisis and deliver real benefits to our lives. We need your help to put pressure on the Scottish Government to improve it.
A proper climate plan should contain full details of the steps that will be taken to stop damaging the climate and to make our homes warmer, improve buses, trains and cycling, and enable us all to access healthy, sustainable food. It shouldn’t rely on unproven, expensive technologies to capture emissions that aren’t currently working at scale anywhere in the world.
You can answer as few or as many questions as you like, you don’t need to be a technical expert. What is valuable is for you to share your experiences and and what climate action would benefit your household and community.
Sending an email allows you to write what you care about without being constrained by the consultation questions and to make your MSP aware of your concerns.
If you are part of climate action happening in your community, explain what you are doing and how the government could support this.
What sort of action needs to be in the Climate Change Plan to make a real difference to the climate, your life, your local community, and to people around the world. For example, action to help make your home warmer and bills lower, public transport easier to use, or access to local, healthy food.
Don’t worry if you’ve not been able to read the draft Climate Change Plan – it’s just important that you share your views on climate action.
2. It’s essential that you complete this form and attach it to the email, to make sure your views are taken into account.
3. You could include your MSPs in the email so they are aware of the climate action you want to see – you can find their email addresses by clicking ‘find MSPs by postcode’ here. You could also ask them for a meeting to discuss the issues you are raising.
Thank you for taking part – public pressure has forced politicians to deliver more ambitious climate action in the past, and this is a critical moment to do so again.
‘The Future of Council Tax in Scotland’ consultation has launched.
People are being invited to register their interest in being one of around 150 selected to take part in workshops to discuss options for council tax reform.
Proposals to provide consistent and fair support for families caring for children unable to live with their parents have been published.
Kinship care – where a child lives with a relative, close family friend or other trusted person rather than their parents – is now the most common placement away from home for looked-after children in Scotland, accounting for 35% of such placements.
Views on a draft Vision for Kinship Care will be sought from organisations and individuals in a public consultation launched today.
The draft Vision sets out a consistent baseline of support, proposed for all kinship families across Scotland. It focuses on improving accessibility and transparency around financial support, strengthening advice and advocacy services, and ensuring children in kinship care can access independent advocacy support, while allowing local partners to tailor delivery to families’ needs.
Kinship carers, children and young people helped shape the draft Vision as part of the Scottish Government’s work on ‘The Promise’ – which commits to ensure that all care-experienced young people grow up loved, safe and respected by 2030.
The consultation on the draft Vision will be open until the end of February 2026.
Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise Natalie Don-Innes said: “Kinship carers make an extraordinary contribution to our society, often stepping in at a moment’s notice to provide care and stability for children within their family network.
“Their contribution is vital to wider efforts to keep The Promise, and they deserve our recognition and support.
“Kinship families face numerous complex challenges, including financial pressures, and it is crucial that they are able to access the right help when they need it.
“Through our draft Vision for Kinship Care, we want to work with kinship families and partners to shape a system of support that is fair, consistent and grounded in children’s rights, aligned with our commitment to Keep The Promise and tackle child poverty.
“This Vision builds on the Scottish Government’s previous work to update kinship care guidance and roll out the Scottish Recommended Allowance, further strengthening the rights of kinship families.
“I encourage everyone with an interest in kinship care to share their views and help us shape a final vision that delivers real improvements for children and families.”
Mary Glasgow, Chief Executive, Children First, Scotland’s national children’s charity said:“The draft Vision for Kinship Care is an important step in recognising the scale of support needed for kinship families to thrive and upholding every child’s right to family life.
“We welcome the Minister’s commitment to ensuring that kinship children and their families have all the easily accessible, tailored practical, emotional, financial and legal advocacy and support they need to stay safe and well together.
“As providers of the Kinship Care Advice Service for Scotland, we are determined to help every kinship family to succeed. Families can contact our friendly, expert team every day of the year by calling 0808 800 0006 for free or by visiting www.kinship.scot.”
Joanne McMeeking, Head Improving Care Experiences, CELCIS, said: “Kinship care is at the heart of families and communities, enabling children to stay connected and feel loved.
“The Scottish Government’s ambition with this proposed vision for kinship care in Scotland, acknowledges the unique challenges for kinship carers and their families and is both timely and essential.
“By focusing on widening access to support, with sufficient resources and a realistic deliverable plan, the proposed vision has the potential to improve the experience of kinship families.
“This would resonate with Scotland’s commitments to both The Promise of the independent care review and upholding children’s rights. We look forward to working with others on the development of the vision.”
Views sought on extending Freedom of Information provisions
Private and third sector providers of care home and ‘care at home’ services may be made subject to Freedom of Information laws.
Following the Covid pandemic, ministers agreed to look at extending provisions in the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) to cover care services. The Act enables the Scottish Government to extend Freedom of Information rules to cover organisations delivering ‘functions of a public nature’.
A consultation will seek views on whether providers of care homes and ‘care at home’ fall under that definition and if so, whether and how the Government should exercise its power to extend FOISA to cover them.
It will also cover other issues, including whether services should only be covered if they receive public funding, whether services for children and young people should be included and how a change in the rules might affect organisations of different sizes.
Minister for Parliamentary Business Graeme Dey said: “Care home and ‘care at home’ services are of the utmost importance to people, including some of our most vulnerable citizens.
“There is a good argument that these services can be considered to be public functions, and that statutory FOI obligations should therefore be extended to private and third sector providers in this area. Doing so would put the same obligations on those providers to be open and transparent that we already place on public sector providers of similar services, such as local councils.
“We will therefore publish a public consultation to gather the views of people who rely on these services for the care of themselves, their friends and family and the wider community. We also want to hear the views of people who work in and with the sector, and from provider organisations.
“This government recognises the significant pressures that the social care sector is facing and to be effective, any future roll out of Freedom of Information will need to take place in partnership with the sector, taking this into account. Therefore I hope as many people as possible will engage with this consultation.”
The consultation will open on January 5th 2026 and close on March 30th 2026.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) are calling on Scots to have their say on the future of the nation’s water environment.
The environmental regulator has launched a public consultation, Safeguarding Scotland’s Water Environment, about what it calls Significant Water Management Issues – issues that are having a significant adverse impact on the condition of the water environment and that it seeks to tackle.
The water environment is one of Scotland’s most precious natural assets. It supports a rich diversity of wildlife, contributes to people’s health and wellbeing and provides for the sustainable growth of Scotland’s economy.
Water experts at the agency have identified seven key focus areas for the next six-year water management cycle:
rural diffuse pollution (the release of potential pollutants from a range of activities such as agricultural run-off)
the physical condition of rivers
artificial barriers to fish migration (physical modifications to rivers built for water storage, navigation, water abstraction and crossings for road and rail transport)
sea lice from marine fish farms
water use (ensuring our water resources are resilient to a changing climate and managed within environmental limits)
wastewater and sewer networks
chemicals in the water environment
The consultation outlines the targeted work already underway to address these complex issues and sets out a recalibrated approach to achieving further vital progress with partners over the next period, in line with the evolving context.
Input from members of the public and communities is essential to ensure plans reflect local experiences, practical solutions and a wide range of perspectives across Scotland.
Respondents can have their say on the Significant Water Management Issues and offer their thoughts on the role this work could play in supporting climate adaptation, nature recovery and health and wellbeing.
Rachel Harding-Hill, Head of Environmental Resilience and Enhancement at SEPA, said: “Protecting and improving our water environment as a vital natural asset is fundamental to Scotland’s efforts to build resilience to climate change and to ensure that the needs of wildlife, people and the economy can be met and safeguarded into the future. This requires ongoing effective management of the issues that are having a negative impact in a catchment-wide approach.
“Our current proposals are at a formative stage, and we want to gather valuable evidence of the range of experiences and opinions, knowledge and ideas on this pivotal issue to inform our decision-making.
“We know people across Scotland share our respect and aspirations for our water environment and we look forward to engaging with them at this key stage of our planning.”
The consultation will feed into Scotland’s River Basin Management Planning (RBMP) – Scotland’s six-yearly framework for protecting and improving the water environment – which will be further consulted on in December 2026. The current RBMP cycle ends in December 2027.
Views are being sought on whether the law on Football Banning Orders (FBOs) should be updated to crack down on pyrotechnics use and other forms of football-related disorder.
Community Safety Minister Siobhian Brown has launched a public consultation seeking views and evidence on the legislation around FBOs and whether it needs to be improved so it meets current needs.
FBOs are court orders that prevent individuals from attending all regulated matches in the UK, and they can be imposed for engaging in violence or disorder.
The consultation will explore whether extending the reach of FBOs could be an effective deterrent against disorder such as pyrotechnics misuse, online abuse and other emerging challenges associated with the game.
The consultation was informed by an expert group including football authorities and justice agencies, set up by the Scottish Government last year.
Ms Brown said: “Football fans are passionate about the sport, supporting their club and of course our national team.
“The vast majority of supporters are well-behaved and want to enjoy football safely. However, the behaviour of a small minority can put others at risk and spoil their enjoyment of the game and have consequences for the football club.
“Whilst we have significantly strengthened the law to tackle pyrotechnic misuse in recent years, so that those who carry fireworks and flares into football stadia can face fines and up to six months in prison, pyrotechnic misuse at games remains an issue.
“The legislation governing Football Banning Orders in Scotland was introduced in 2006, when the use of flares at matches and harmful social media behaviour associated with the game were much less common.
“While FBOs can already be imposed on conviction for pyrotechnics offences that involve violence or disorder, we want to hear from people whether the law needs to change so these orders could be used more widely for pyrotechnics possession and misuse – ultimately to become a more effective deterrent and keep people safe.
“We have worked with football authorities, fans’ groups and justice partners on this consultation and I would encourage anyone with an interest to give their views.”
Alan Marshall, Chair of the Football Safety Officers Association Scotland, said: ““The Football Safety Officers Association Scotland welcomes the launch of this consultation.
“Safety officers across the country see first-hand the evolving challenges in ensuring a safe environment at football matches, including the increased misuse of pyrotechnics, which are illegal and becoming a bigger issue at football matches across Europe.
“Football Banning Orders are an important tool in helping prevent disorder, and to help stop the actions of a small number of supporters negatively impacting the experience of law-abiding football fans. It is appropriate that the legislation is reviewed to reflect modern realities.”
What do you think of the proposals laid out in the Scottish Government’s draft Climate Change Plan? Do they go far enough? Are they detailed enough? What more can be done to help ensure Scotland reaches its net zero targets?
The Scottish Parliament is keen to hear the views of individuals, community groups and organisations on the draft Plan for 2026-2040, by Sunday 25 January 2026.
The Plan sets out how the Scottish Government intends to meet emission reduction targets across all portfolio areas and sectors of the economy, as Scotland looks to be ‘net zero’ in carbon emissions by 2045.
Holyrood’s Net Zero, Energy & Transport Committee will lead the cross-parliamentary scrutiny.
Edward Mountain MSP, Convener of the Committee said:“Climate change affects us all, so it’s crucial that the voices of the people of Scotland are heard on this pivotal local, national and global issue.
“The Scottish Parliament is now scrutinising the Plan, and this is your chance to get involved to tell us what you think should be done to improve it.
“Do the proposals make clear the changes we all need to make in our lives to help Scotland reach its net zero targets? Is the approach being taken transparent, so that we can see where progress is being made? Is there enough detail?
“Only credible and transparent policies, with public buy-in, will drive the emissions reductions needed to secure Scotland’s success.”
Parliamentary committees will focus on areas such as buildings (residential and public); transport; waste; energy supply; business and industrial processes; agriculture; land use & land use change; forestry; nature & biodiversity, and marine.
Committees are now set to engage in formal evidence sessions, community outreach and visits, before reporting on their findings by 5 March 2026.
Thereafter, the Scottish Government has committed to publishing its final Climate Change Plan in advance of the dissolution of Parliament for the 2026 election.
What would you change or add to the Park? We really want to hear from the Community. We would use the responses to shape what we focus on & to evidence any funding grants we apply for.
It takes 3 mins & can be anonymous if you want.
Its also simple, short & suitable for all ages! Please help any children or young people to fill out the survey so that we can hear from all age groups.
