Bairns' Hoose - pathfinder phase: delivery plan 2025 to 2027

3. Phased approach

We have refined our approach to implementing Bairns’ Hoose in Scotland to two distinct phases: an extended Pathfinder phase, followed by incremental national rollout.

3.1 Phase one: Pathfinder (October 2023 to spring 2027)

The Pathfinder phase brings together different types of partnerships across Scotland to test the Bairns’ Hoose Standards and inform the development of the Bairns’ Hoose blueprint. Six Pathfinder and four Affiliate partnerships are working to test the Bairns' Hoose Standards across diverse geographical and organisational contexts. This phase focuses on quality improvement, service design, and testing implementation in various settings, including remote and island areas.

The Scottish Government has, to date, supported Bairns’ Hoose with an investment of almost £10 million during 2023 to 2025, and up to £10.5 million invested towards the programme during 2025-2026. The Scottish Government continues to engage constructively with stakeholders to ensure that the funding streams and mechanisms are streamlined and do not place disproportionate reporting requirements, while recognising the need to gather the rich learning from Bairns’ Hoose partnerships.

The work of the Bairns’ Hoose partnerships is supported by a robust national programme plan, co-produced with partners and aligned with key priorities for delivery, including analysis, knowledge exchange, quality improvement, engagement with children and young people, and funding. Through close working with partnerships and key national partners, this approach ensures that crucial evidence is gathered to inform the development of the Bairns’ Hoose blueprint.

The Bairns’ Hoose blueprint will be developed towards the end of the Pathfinder phase and will provide key guiding principles and a resilient framework for national rollout while preserving the flexibility to respond to local needs. The blueprint will consider the infrastructure, information, processes, resources, governance and technology required to ensure a coherent and holistic Bairns’ Hoose model for Scotland, implemented at the local level. The blueprint will look to address key areas of implementation including governance structures, multi-agency operational processes, workforce requirements and information sharing guidance.

The Bairns' Hoose blueprint will be collaboratively developed with delivery partners, drawing on the rich learning from the Pathfinder phase. This development process will involve Pathfinder and Affiliate partnerships, the National Bairns' Hoose Implementation Group, children and young people's representatives, third sector organisations, and other key stakeholders. This collaborative approach will ensure the final blueprint reflects both operational reality and strategic ambition, providing a solid foundation for national rollout while maintaining the flexibility to meet local needs.

3.2 Phase two: incremental national rollout (from summer 2027)

From summer 2027, we will begin the incremental national rollout of Bairns' Hoose across Scotland.

This phase will be fundamentally shaped by the comprehensive learning gathered during the Pathfinder phase, ensuring our approach is both evidence-based and practical. The detailed planning will be developed in close consultation with delivery partnerships, drawing on their expertise and understanding of local needs and capabilities. During this phase, we will consider the best way of evaluating how partnerships apply the Bairns’ Hoose blueprint.

We will seek to understand how Bairns’ Hoose is improving experiences for children and young people, ensuring the blueprint evolves in line with evidence and learning from implementation.

The incremental rollout of Bairns' Hoose across Scotland will support a managed and sustainable expansion of services, informed by the evidence and experience gained through the Pathfinder and Affiliate partnerships.

Throughout the rollout, we will remain committed to stakeholder participation and ensuring the voices of children and young people remain central to implementation planning. This carefully structured approach ensures we maintain momentum while allowing sufficient time for learning, evaluation and appropriate workforce development.