First Minister: “Qualifying for the World Cup was a landmark moment”
First Minister John Swinney has met the Scotland men’s national team in Glasgow to celebrate the squad qualifying for their first World Cup finals since 1998.
The Scotland men’s national side, managed by Steve Clarke and captained by Andy Robertson MBE, will face Haiti, Morocco and Brazil in Group C this summer, with matches taking place in Boston and Miami.
The Scottish Government has announced £2 million for a “Summer of Sport” football fund to support clubs across the country to deliver new opportunities for children and young people by using the power of football.
First Minister John Swinney said: “Football is woven into the fabric of life in Scotland. The men’s team qualifying for the World Cup was a landmark moment, and the reaction to the dramatic win against Denmark illustrated how important football is to this country.
“Thousands of fans will make the journey to the USA, but the whole country will be right behind the team. The Scottish Government will build on the excitement surrounding the World Cup and Glasgow’s hosting of the Commonwealth Games to deliver new sporting opportunities for young people across the country.
“Qualifying for the finals is an incredible achievement and I’m very proud of the team – tonight was an opportunity to recognise and celebrate that success.”
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 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.
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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.”
Routemap to realising economic and social gains for people across Scotland
People will be able to benefit from warmer homes, lower bills, greater job opportunities and be less exposed to volatile fossil fuel prices under plans to cut emissions published today.
Scotland’s Climate Change Plan: 2026-2040 sets out over 150 actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next 15 years, bringing over £42.3 billion in financial benefits and cost savings to the economy over the same period.
Scotland is already over halfway to net zero having reduced emissions by 51.3% since 1990 – the largest reduction in the UK and faster than the EU average, using comparable statistics.
Climate action is not only essential to protecting our future.
When done correctly, it offers one of the greatest opportunities to create jobs and prosperity for our communities.
The final plan details how Scotland will meet our next three carbon budgets, along with a range of delivery indicators. These include:
setting a target to decarbonise heat in buildings by 2045
phasing out the need for new diesel and petrol cars by 2030
increasing woodland creation so that by 2029-30, 18,000 hectares are planted every year, with 21% woodland cover in Scotland by 2032
increasing peatland restoration by 10% each year to 2030
Actions in the Climate Change Plan will also contribute to both the Environment Strategy, and the Circular Economy Strategy, also published today.
The new Environment Strategy creates an integrated framework for environment and climate policies, while harnessing the powerful synergies between the health of our environment, the well-being of Scotland’s people and the success of our economy while the Circular Economy Strategy underpins delivery of our climate goals by cutting the amount of waste produced in Scotland, and managing our resources more sustainably, to reduce emissions.
Climate Action Secretary Gillian Martin said: “The Climate Change Plan is Scotland’s pathway to net zero and outlines the action we will take to meet our first three carbon budgets.
“However it is also a routemap to realising economic and social gains for people across Scotland as part of a fair and just transition. It highlights the potential of growth areas ranging from renewables to heat networks to the circular economy, and sets out our commitment to increase investment in areas that will simultaneously decarbonise Scotland and improve our lives.
“Together with the Environment Strategy and Circular Economy Strategy, our Climate Change Plan forms a blueprint for how we will use this once-in-a-generation opportunity for transformation to reduce emissions while ensuring that our economy prospers, our communities are supported to become more resilient to the effects of climate change and to redress the issues of poverty and energy security that affect individual households.”
Thousands of families to gain new opportunities to learn, earn and thrive
As a result of £21 million of new, targeted investment in colleges and skills, families at risk of poverty will receive additional support to train, to help them enter stable, well-paid work or progress in their career.
The Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan includes £9 million for a Raising Income through Skills and Education (RISE) Fund, which will give parents and carers practical help to build new skills – offering training they can fit around family life, along with essential support with childcare, travel, and study costs.
A £2 million Training Access Fund will support working adult learners most at risk of poverty to access skills training, to give them the chance to earn more and build a stable career.
A new £10 million Flexible Workforce Development Fund will aim to incentivise businesses to offer training opportunities to parents earning low incomes in a way that meets employer needs while helping working parents and carers increase their earning potential and progress in their careers.
Further Education Minister Ben Macpherson said: “We are committed to making sure that education and training works for everyone, especially those who need it most, as part of our wider efforts to eradicate poverty in Scotland.
“Every person deserves opportunities to build a better future for themselves and their household. This £21 million package of targeted investment in skills will help remove barriers to training, such as childcare and transport costs, which can too often stand between parents and the skills that they need to get on in work.”
Gavin Donoghue, Chief Executive of Colleges Scotland, said: “Colleges are strong community anchors across the country, and the funding pledged kick starts a range of ways that colleges can accelerate and expand programmes that support people to leave poverty.
“The investment into more anti-poverty programmes is welcome recognition of the huge part that colleges play in making people’s lives better.
“Colleges are an opportunity that works, serving learners from some of Scotland’s most deprived communities and are a driving force for social good in every part of the country.”
Jacqui Brasted, Scottish Funding Council Director of Access, Learning and Outcomes, said: “Every child should have the opportunity to flourish. Scotland’s colleges can play a vital role in transforming lives by providing a lasting route out of poverty.
“They offer access to the skills and education needed to support families enter, remain and progress in work. We are delighted to be working with Colleges Scotland to ensure that the welcome funding provided by the Scottish Government is targeted where it is needed most.”
New maternity standards to improve consistency and quality of care
Clear information about the standards women and their families can expect during their maternity care has been published by Healthcare Improvement Scotland.
The standards set out that patients should receive safe and compassionate care throughout pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period, regardless of where they live or their individual circumstances, and that care should be responsive to each woman’s individual needs.
The standards cover all aspects of maternity care, from antenatal appointments through to postnatal support, emergency care, mental health and wellbeing, and bereavement care. They apply across all settings, including hospitals, community services, midwifery units, and home births, and support NHS boards to actively work to reduce health inequalities and improve outcomes for women and their babies.
Once implemented, Healthcare Improvement Scotland will use the standards to drive this improvement, informing inspection and assurance activities across NHS boards.
Public Health and Women’s Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “The safety of women and babies is paramount.
“We commissioned Healthcare Improvement Scotland to develop the Maternity Care Standards, and I am grateful for their work to improve the quality and consistency of maternity care for women, babies, and families across Scotland.
“Every woman deserves to feel safe, supported and listened to during pregnancy and beyond. These standards recognise that some women face additional barriers to getting the care they need and set out a clear commitment to making sure maternity services work equally well for everyone — whatever their background or circumstances.”
Melissa Dowdeswell, Director of Nursing and Integrated Care, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, said: “We are pleased to have published maternity care standards that set clear expectations for how maternity care should be delivered in Scotland.
“The standards aim to promote consistency and improve the quality of maternity services across the country. They set out a blueprint for what good maternity care looks like and detail the levels of high-quality care and support that all women should expect to receive before, during and after birth.
“During the development of the standards, we spoke to women from many different backgrounds, who shared their experiences of being pregnant and giving birth in Scotland. Their voices were central to the creation of the standards.
“We heard that women need to feel confident that a high-level of safe, effective and person-centred care will be consistently delivered in all maternity units across Scotland regardless of individual circumstances or needs.
“The development of these standards is a commitment to making sure this happens.”
Young people across Scotland studying for Senior Phase qualifications will have access to free online Easter Study Support.
The webinars provided by e-Sgoil are delivered by secondary teachers covering multiple subjects over National 4, National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher levels.
Registration for the extensive programme of webinars is now open, with sessions scheduled to run throughout the week beginning 6 April.
The Easter programme, now in its fifth year, has been developed as part of the Scottish Government-funded National e-Learning offer and continues to grow in both reach and impact.
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Jenny Gilruth, said: “I welcome the continued success of e‑Sgoil’s Easter Study Support programme, and I’m pleased the Scottish Government has been able to continue to support the provision of high‑quality revision opportunities for senior phase pupils at a crucial point in the school year.
“Last year’s participation and overwhelmingly positive feedback show the real value of this national offer in building confidence and reducing anxiety ahead of exams. The programme reaches young people in every local authority and strengthens the wider support available in Scotland’s schools.”
Last year 4,287 registered for a total of 18,100 webinar places, representing an increase of 689 learners on the previous year.
Commenting, e-Sgoil Study Support Programme lead Rhona Johnstone added: “We are delighted to offer the Easter Study Support programme to Senior Phase learners across Scotland yet again this session and pleased to see the programme reaching more learners year on year.
“The evidence of the impact that both the Easter and Evening Study Support programmes has on the learners ahead of assessments and exams can be seen in the feedback received from those who have participated in previous years.”
Senior figures from across Scottish public life have been appointed to develop proposals for a permanent memorial in Scotland to remember Queen Elizabeth.
The Scotland Legacy Group brings together specialist expertise and subject matter experts to make recommendations to the First Minister who will then discuss the fitting permanent memorial project with His Majesty The King.
Appointees to the Group are:
Dr Joseph Morrow, The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms (Chair)
Dr Anna Keay OBE; Member of the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee, and Director of the Landmark Trust
Professor Chandrika Kaul, Professor of Modern History, University of St Andrews
Lt Col (retired) Johnny Stewart, Lord Lieutenant of Clackmannanshire
Leonie Bell, Director of V&A Dundee
Anne Lyden, Director General, National Galleries of Scotland
Helen Webster, Deputy Director for Cabinet, Parliament and Governance & Secretary for Commissions, Scottish Government
Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said: “Queen Elizabeth meant so much to so many people in Scotland and it is right that we pay tribute to her remarkable 70-year reign and life of public service.
“The scenes as Her Majesty’s cortege made the journey from Balmoral Castle, where she died, to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, demonstrated how much she was loved in the country where she spent so much of her private time.
“I am very grateful to the Group for taking this opportunity to deliver a fitting tribute from the people of Scotland to Her Majesty The Queen.”
Dr Joseph Morrow, Lord Lyon and Chair of the Scotland Legacy Group said: “I am honoured to have the opportunity to develop and advise on a Scottish memorial to Queen Elizabeth to celebrate her extraordinary reign and dedicated life of public service.
“I am determined to create the space for a truly Scottish memorial and delighted to be working alongside such a talented group of individuals to do so.
“The group will engage with communities across the country to allow us to envisage a Scottish memorial and a lasting symbol of remembrance and gratitude for the late Queen.
“Queen Elizabeth had a deep affinity for Scotland, and it is a privilege to create a legacy that can inspire generations to come.”
£500,000 funding of digital development for world’s largest performing arts festival
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society will receive £500,000 to help support ongoing digital transformation work, Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes has announced.
A new website is being developed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the Fringe next year. The funding will also ensure the Fringe Society can continue its work supporting Scottish artists and the sector, while promoting international opportunities for artists at the Fringe.
The Deputy First Minister said: “The Scottish Government has an ongoing commitment to safeguard the future of the Edinburgh Fringe and support it to flourish, built on the principle of free access for all.
“As one of Scotland’s signature events the Fringe has grown to become the world’s largest performing arts festival – a major economic contributor to Edinburgh, and Scotland as a whole, and one of our country’s most significant national and international cultural assets.
“As we approach the 80th anniversary of the Fringe next year, this investment will provide a foundation to expand its global reach and the ongoing work with organisations who play an important role in making the Fringe the annual success it is – in particularly collective efforts focused on long term sustainability to both the Fringe Society and the Fringe as a whole.”
Tony Lankester, Chief Executive, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society said: “The ongoing support for the work of the Fringe Society from the Scottish Government will go a long way to shoring up our resilience and builds on their previous investment.
“The Society’s work in future-proofing the Fringe with world-class digital and data infrastructure is a critical imperative – with this foundation, these ambitions can be more readily realised and the future more secure.
“We’ve made giant strides over the last year and this announcement helps us build on that work, delivering even more for the Fringe community, ensuring the festival remains a jewel in Scotland’s creative crown.”
This funding builds upon £300,000 of support provided by the Scottish Government in 2025/26.
