The Cross-border Placement of Children (Requirements, Effect and Enforcement) (Scotland) Regulations 2026: Island Communities Impact Assessment

Step four – assessment

Does your assessment identify any unique impacts on island communities?

This assessment does not identify any unique impacts on island communities. To date, there is no evidence of any cross-border placements into residential care located on Scottish islands. The majority of residential placements have been into privately operated services on the mainland, and there are currently no private residential care homes on Scottish islands. Therefore, it is unlikely that such placements would occur on an island.

Although these placements may occur in future, there would be limited impact on Scottish Island communities should they occur. This is primarily because the Regulations will require that Scottish local authorities are notified in advance of such a placement for recognition of the placement’s underpinning (enabling effective planning) and Scottish local authorities will be able to recover any costs associated with these placements (i.e. health/education).

Does your assessment identify any potential barriers or wider impacts?

No barriers or wider impacts have been identified that would uniquely affect island communities.

How will you address these?

N/A

Does the evidence show different circumstances or different expectations or needs, or different experiences or outcomes (such as different levels of satisfaction, or different rates or participation)?

No. This is because there is no data to suggest that cross-border placements have taken place in residential or foster care on a Scottish island. In addition, it is unlikely that such placements would occur in the future.

Are these different effects likely?

N/A

Are these effects significantly different?

N/A

Could the effect amount to a disadvantage for an island community compared to the mainland or between island groups?

N/A