Chamber and committees

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

From January 2022 to September 2025, there have been four permanent vacancies at Disclosure Scotland that were unfilled for more than six months (from when advert went live to start date). We cannot access data for the period May 2021 to December 2021 as the iCIMS system that stored this data has been discontinued.

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

Since 2022, seven permanent Disclosure Scotland employees have left their job within their first year of employment.

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 refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41194 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 https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

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 space-to-grow-and-thrive.pdf 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 collect this information. However, the Care Inspectorate collects and publishes data on service cancellations and registrations, available on the Care Inspectorate’s website: Statistics and analysis.

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.

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 https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

To date, £148.1 million has been allocated through the Whole Family Wellbeing Funding to support transformational change in how services are delivered for families across Scotland.

The Scottish Government has sought to balance value for money with a clear commitment to allocating the full amounts available. This approach ensures that investment is both impactful and aligned with the strategic priorities of government.

Despite the tight fiscal position, we have increased Children’s Services Planning Partnerships (CSPPs) funding from £32 million to £38.1 million per annum in 2025-26. This investment will safeguard the progress already being made, and as set out in our Investment Approach, the Scottish Government’s commitment to CSPPs will continue through to the financial year 2026–27. Funding levels are based on a careful assessment of CSPP readiness and capacity for spend, ensuring that the pace of spend matches CSPP need. This long-term investment reflects our belief in the importance of early intervention and holistic support.

Looking ahead, our investment is being shaped by work across the Scottish Government to explore how preventative investment can be brought together to help Scotland tackle child poverty and Keep the Promise.

The Care Inspectorate has provided the following information: