Funding and Support for Children’s Services: FOI release
Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
Information requested
1. Details of Funding Allocated to Third Sector Organisations
In the comments, the minister stated that £18m has been allocated to 137 organisations to support aims such as tackling child poverty, providing family support, promoting Children’s Rights, and supporting mental and physical health. Please provide a list of the 137 organisations that have received funding, including the amount allocated to each organisation.
2. Breakdown of Local Authority Funding
The minister also mentioned that over £65m has been provided to local authorities for community mental health and wellbeing support for children, young people, and their families. Please provide a breakdown of how this funding has been distributed, including the amounts allocated to each local authority and the specific services being supported.
3. Monitoring and Evaluation of Funded Programs
Please provide details of any monitoring or evaluation frameworks in place to assess the effectiveness and impact of the funding and services provided.
4. Details on the National Network of Support for Children and Families
The minister referred to a national network of support for children and families. Please provide more detailed information about the structure, scope, and reach of this national network, and how it is being implemented in practice.
5. Exploitation of Organisations and Volunteers
Please highlight any potential consequences of local authorities exploiting community groups and volunteer led organisations, particularly when they disregard fair work guidance and expect volunteers to undertake work that should be expected of paid employees? Additionally, could you clarify where any complaints regarding such unfair, unethical and unlawful practices should be directed, and what mechanisms are in place to address these concerns?
In a letter dated 16th June 2023 (Ref 202300359324-JD2626) received via MSP namely Jackie Dunbar - I would also like to request some further information regarding claims made by Natalie Don-Innes.
1. Details of the investment of the program of work to support early intervention of speech and language.
Please provide further details on this program, including details of any monitoring or evaluation frameworks that have taken place to assess the effectiveness and impact of the service and how many children have had access to it - please provide details of where in Scotland these programs took place.
2. Details of Funding Allocated under CYPFEI & ALEC
Please provide a list of the 115 organisations who received a share of the alleged £100 million core funding and for what purpose, do you have data on how many children benefited from the allocation of this fund? How was this spend and outcomes monitored?
3. Details of Funding Allocated under the Outdoor Community Play Fund.
Please provide a list of the orginistions who has recieved an allocation of these funds and how many children benefited from each award, how was this monitored?
Response
1. Details of Funding Allocated to Third Sector Organisations
In the comments, the minister stated that £18m has been allocated to 137 organisations to support aims such as tackling child poverty, providing family support, promoting Children’s Rights, and supporting mental and physical health. Please provide a list of the 137 organisations that have received funding, including the amount allocated to each organisation.
Scottish Government Response. Through the Children, Young People, Families Early Intervention and Adult Learning and Empowering Communities (CYPFEI & ALEC) and the Children, Young People, Families and Adult Learners (CYPFAL) third sector funds, we are providing up to £18.3 million in annual core funding to 137 organisations contributing to our policies on Keeping the Promise, tackling child poverty, family support, Children’s Rights and promoting positive mental and physical health and wellbeing.
We consider that most of this information request falls within the scope of the exemption in Section 25(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 which provides that a Scottish public authority may refuse to make information available where it is otherwise accessible.
The full list of funded organisations can be viewed here:
Children, Young People, Families & Adult Learning Fund
2. Breakdown of Local Authority Funding
The minister also mentioned that over £65m has been provided to local authorities for community mental health and wellbeing support for children, young people, and their families. Please provide a breakdown of how this funding has been distributed, including the amounts 3RTallocated to each local authority and the specific services being supported.
Scottish Government Response. On distribution of funding, we consider that this information request falls within the scope of the exemption in Section 25(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 which provides that a Scottish public authority may refuse to make information available where it is otherwise accessible.
This information is already in the public domain and can be viewed here:Written question and answer: S6W-30123 | Scottish Parliament Website .
Regarding the supports and services, please see table within the attached document titled “Breakdown of Local Authority Funding - Children and Young People’s Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Supports and Services 2023-24 - For Release - 27 March 2025” containing the information requested.
It might be useful to note, as local authorities decide which supports and services to implement on the basis of locally-identified need in line with our supporting Framework, some areas may have opted for one larger hub-type service while others have commissioned numerous smaller supports. The details in the table are from 2023-24 as this was the latest time local authorities were required to submit plans to the Scottish Government under the terms and conditions of the funding.
3. Monitoring and Evaluation of Funded Programs
Please provide details of any monitoring or evaluation frameworks in place to assess the effectiveness and impact of the funding and services provided.
Scottish Government Response. The CYPFEI & ALEC third sector fund is supporting 115 organisations, providing core funding of up to £14.4m annually. The CYPFAL third sector is supporting 22 organisations, providing core funding of up to £3.6m annually. This funding aims to improve outcomes for children, young people, families and adult learners through the following policy priorities: Child Poverty, Mental and Physical Health, Equalities and Wellbeing, Family Support, The Promise and UNCRC
As part of Scottish Government’s grant conditions, we ask all our CYPFEI & ALEC and CYPFAL funded organisations to monitor and report their progress towards delivery of their funded activities to ensure appropriate use of public funds and value for money. Organisations are currently required to submit a six month and an annual report to the Scottish Ministers via the Corra Foundation. These reports summarise the overall progress made towards achieving agreed outcomes, number of people supported to date as well as recent successes and unexpected challenges.
The most recent CYPFEI & ALEC and CYPFAL progress report (October 2023-March 2024) showed that 1.3 million people – children, families and adult learners - across Scotland were directly supported as a result of this funding. The report highlights common themes of the benefits and importance of this funding, such as how organisations offering services to children, young people, families and adult learners have improved their health and wellbeing through work that aligns with the fund’s criteria and objectives.
In 2025-26, our CYPFEI & ALEC and another third sector fund (Children, Young People, Families and Adult Learners (CYPFAL)) will continue to provide £18 million in core funding to 137 organisations to contribute to our policies on Keeping the Promise, tackling child poverty, family support, Children’s Rights and promoting positive mental and physical health and wellbeing.
With regards to what monitoring and evaluation has been done on Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Supports and Services for children, young people and their families funding, we consider that this information request falls within the scope of the exemption in Section 25(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 which provides that a Scottish public authority may refuse to make information available where it is otherwise accessible.
This information is already in the public domain and can be viewed here: Written question and answer: S6W-30297 | Scottish Parliament Website.
It may also be helpful to note the independent evaluation of the services conducted by the Scottish Youth Parliament and published in August 2023, which is available at
4. Details on the National Network of Support for Children and Families
The minister referred to a national network of support for children and families. Please provide more detailed information about the structure, scope, and reach of this national network, and how it is being implemented in practice.
Scottish Government Response. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) Information not held of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not hold the information you have requested.
The Scottish Government supports a range of work that can be described as a network of support for Children and Families. This covers a whole range of issues that affect children and families. Further information can be viewed here: https://www.gov.scot/children-and-families/
5. Exploitation of Organisations and Volunteers
Please highlight any potential consequences of local authorities exploiting community groups and volunteer led organisations, particularly when they disregard fair work guidance and expect volunteers to undertake work that should be expected of paid employees? Additionally, could you clarify where any complaints regarding such unfair, unethical and unlawful practices should be directed, and what mechanisms are in place to address these concerns?
Scottish Government Response. The Scottish Government encourages the use of the Volunteer Charter as best practice. The Volunteer Charter was developed by Volunteer Scotland and the STUC and sets out 10 principles that provide the foundations for a good volunteer experience. It also provides clarity about appropriate volunteer engagement, preventing the exploitation of workers and volunteers so that volunteers should complement paid professionals in place to deliver any event or service – not replace them. It is essential that volunteers benefit from their volunteering experience and are treated fairly.
There are over 250 Volunteer Charter Champions, ranging from Volunteer centres/TSIs, MSPs, volunteer involving organisations, volunteer-run groups, councils, NHS Boards, and more. This milestone reflects a growing commitment across Scotland to uphold and promote the best practices in volunteer management and engagement. The Scottish Government has signed up as Volunteer Charter Champion.
Local authorities are independent corporate bodies with their own powers and responsibilities and are entirely separate from the Scottish Government. As long as they act lawfully, it is up to each local authority how it manages its day-to-day business and decision making processes.
In the event of a complaint about a council, the first course of action is to contact the council directly through their formal complaints procedure. If the matter remains unresolved the complaint can be referred to either the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (for services) or the Accounts Commission through Audit Scotland (for financial matters).
Details are available through the links below:
https://www.spso.org.uk/how-to-complain-about-public-service
http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/contact-us
In a letter dated 16th June 2023 (Ref 202300359324-JD2626) received via MSP namely Jackie Dunbar - I would also like to request some further information regarding claims made by Natalie Don-Innes
7. Details of the investment of the program of work to support early intervention of speech and language
Please provide further details on this program, including details of any monitoring or evaluation frameworks that have taken place to assess the effectiveness and impact of the service and how many children have had access to it - please provide details of where in Scotland these programs took place.
Scottish Government Response. The Scottish Government have supported the secondment of a team of Speech and
Language Therapists for 23 months from October 2023 to August 2025. The National Early Language and Communication (NELC) team have a specific remit from pre-birth to primary 1 transition and are dedicated to creating national and supporting local conditions to improve outcomes for early language and communication. They seek to integrate efforts and align strategies across strategic leaders in health, education, and the broader early years workforce.
The team are focused on supporting a whole systems approach to early speech, language and communication. This work is focused on prevention and early intervention for all babies and children with recognition that these approaches may also support children with identified additional support needs.
The team have met with representatives from all 32 Local Authorities and 14 Health Boards and all areas have been supported to consider their local multi agency system of support and identify actions to meet the early communication needs of their populations. Additionally, the team are strengthening early communication messaging through existing family supports and workforce training and have created key early language and communication messages for Scotland (Chatting Together).
8. Details of Funding Allocated under CYPFEI & ALEC
Please provide a list of the 115 organisations who received a share of the alleged £100 million core funding and for what purpose, do you have data on how many children benefited from the allocation of this fund? How was this spend and outcomes monitored?
Scottish Government Response. Since its launch in 2016, the CYPFEI & ALEC third sector fund has provided just over £112 million in core funding to 115 organisations. This funding aims to improve outcomes for children, young people, families and adult learners through the following policy priorities: Child Poverty, Mental and Physical Health, Equalities and Wellbeing, Family Support, The Promise and UNCRC.
As part of Scottish Government’s grant conditions, we ask all CYPFEI & ALEC funded organisations to monitor and report their progress towards delivery of their funded activities to ensure appropriate use of public funds and value for money. Organisations are currently required to submit a six month and an annual report to the Scottish Ministers via the Corra Foundation. These reports summarise the overall progress made towards achieving agreed outcomes and since 2022, we have required organisations to report on the number of people directly supported to date as well as recent successes and unexpected challenges.
The most recent CYPFEI & ALEC and CYPFAL progress report (October 2023-March 2024) showed that 1.3 million people – children, families and adult learners - across Scotland were directly supported as a result of this funding. The report highlights common themes of the benefits and importance of this funding, such as how organisations offering services to children, young people, families and adult learners have improved their health and wellbeing through work that aligns with the fund’s criteria and objectives.
The full list of CYPFEI & ALEC funded organisations can be viewed here: Children Young People and Families Early Intervention Fund and Adult Learning and Empowering Communities Fund
9. Details of Funding Allocated under the Outdoor Community Play Fund
Please provide a list of the orginistions who has recieved an allocation of these funds and how many children benefited from each award, how was this monitored?
Scottish Government Response. The Outdoor Community Play Fund (OCPF) supports 32 charities providing community-based outdoor play opportunities for children and families in disadvantaged areas and offers children with Additional Support Needs (ASN) access to local, outdoor play provision. To alleviate the impacts of poverty, the OCPF charities also offer food, advice, outdoor clothing and a warm space for families in the winter, the play sessions also provide respite and connection for families. Inspiring Scotland provide portfolio support to the charities through bespoke training sessions, as well as best practice and sharing events.
Inspiring Scotland provided a report detailing the work in 2023/24 across the fund from all the organisations which highlighted 10,729 children, 5,463 families and 1,394 ASN children were supported; 3,106 outdoor play sessions delivered across 15 local authorities.
The fund administrator maintains regular contact with Scottish Government officials, including an end of year report and review meeting to cover the fund spend and delivery. This includes detailed reporting on fund allocation and expenditure per organisations within the fund, so officials are aware that all organisations are on track to meet their outcomes, as well as producing a report detailing the impact of the funding.
List of Outdoor Community Play Fund Charities 2023/24
|
Account |
Award |
Location |
|
|
3D Drumchapel |
£ |
11,641.35 |
Glasgow |
|
Belville Community Garden Trust |
£ |
15,580.81 |
Inverclyde |
|
Bridgend Farmhouse |
£ |
15,540.00 |
Edinburgh |
|
Canongate Youth |
£ |
9,452.10 |
Edinburgh |
|
Children 1st |
£ |
15,582.00 |
North Ayrshire |
|
Children 1st |
£ |
15,088.50 |
South Ayrshire |
|
Earthtime For All Ltd |
£ |
5,082.00 |
Moray |
|
East Lothian Play Association SCIO |
£ |
15,571.50 |
East Lothian |
|
Family and Community Development West Lothian |
£ |
9,044.70 |
West Lothian |
|
Getting Better Together Ltd |
£ |
10,353.00 |
North Lanarkshire |
|
Include Us |
£ |
15,474.87 |
Dumfries and Galloway |
|
Jeely Piece Club |
£ |
15,488.55 |
Glasgow |
|
Kingsway Community Connections |
£ |
9,591.75 |
Glasgow |
|
Kirkcaldy YMCA |
£ |
15,400.35 |
Fife |
|
MADE4U IN ML2 |
£ |
15,541.81 |
North Lanarkshire |
|
North Edinburgh Arts |
£ |
14,504.70 |
Edinburgh |
|
OutLET Play Resource |
£ |
13,695.41 |
South Lanarkshire |
|
Parent Action for Safe Play |
£ |
15,286.95 |
North Lanarkshire |
|
PEEK - Possibilities For Each and Every Kid |
£ |
15,582.00 |
Glasgow |
|
Play Scotland |
£ |
15,090.60 |
Dundee |
|
Project 31 SCIO |
£ |
15,267.00 |
South Lanarkshire |
|
Renfrew YMCA SCIO |
£ |
15,369.90 |
Renfrewshire |
|
Royston Youth Action |
£ |
15,545.25 |
Glasgow |
|
Smart Play Network |
£ |
14,374.50 |
Edinburgh |
|
Concrete Garden |
£ |
13,602.75 |
Glasgow |
|
The Ecology Centre |
£ |
9,711.45 |
Fife |
|
The Urban Roots Initiative |
£ |
15,153.60 |
Glasgow |
|
The Venchie Children and Young People's Project |
£ |
15,424.50 |
Edinburgh |
|
Under The Trees |
£ |
12,762.12 |
Falkirk |
|
YMCA Edinburgh SCIO |
£ |
13,778.10 |
Edinburgh |
ASN Charities
|
Account |
Award |
Location |
|
|
East Lothian Play Association SCIO |
£ |
16,275.00 |
East Lothian |
|
Include Me 2 Club SCIO |
£ |
18,900.00 |
Renfrewshire |
|
Scotland Yard Adventure Centre |
£ |
18,900.00 |
Dundee |
|
Scotland Yard Adventure Centre |
£ |
5,783.21 |
Edinburgh |
|
Under The Trees |
£ |
18,900.00 |
Falkirk |
About FOI
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Contact
Please quote the FOI reference
Central Correspondence Unit
Email: contactus@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000
The Scottish Government
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