British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015 - recommendations: SG response
Sets out a range of government actions in response to recommendations made by the Equalities, Human Rights, and Civil Justice report into the BSL (Scotland) Act 2015, the BSL National Plan 2023-2029, and BSL Local Plans by listed authorities.
17. Contact Scotland BSL
17.1 Recommendation 42-44/paragraph 157, 158 & 159
Paragraph 157: The Committee strongly welcomes the positive feedback received on the Contact Scotland BSL service and agrees that it appears to have been “life-changing” for many users.
Paragraph 158: The Committee therefore welcomes the Deputy First Minister’s assurance that there will be no break in service provision and her “regret” that alarm was caused by communications around the procurement exercise to identify the new service provider. We further welcome her confirmation of 1 September that a new preferred bidder has been agreed and is expected to be in place by December.
Paragraph 159: However, the Committee notes the absence of a formal evaluation of Contact Scotland BSL to assess the views of its users on how well it meets their needs, why not all BSL users are comfortable using the service, and other potential areas where it could be improved on and invites the Scottish Government to confirm whether it intends to undertake such an evaluation.
17.1.1 Decision
Partially accept
17.1.2 Scottish Government Response
We recognise what the community told us about the importance of Contact Scotland BSL and that this service is valued by BSL users given it helps maintain their independence.
Following a competitive procurement process, the new supplier, Sign Solutions, took over the operation of Contact Scotland BSL on 1 December 2025.
As with the previous contract, the new supplier of Contact Scotland BSL is required to provide monthly and quarterly reports containing relevant management information and evidence of key performance indicators (KPIs) including call volumes, average queuing time, number of unique agencies contacted, information on complaints and user feedback, marketing and awareness, community engagement, training offered, and more.
As well as this continued engagement with and feedback with the community will be a key part of the new supplier’s activity as the new service progresses, including when piloting Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) into the service for the first time. Sign Solutions have already engaged with key groups including the BSL National Plan Implementation Advisory Group and representatives of the interpreter workforce as well as engaging with the BSL community through a community event on 20 November 2025, with more events planned.
Sign Solutions will also provide support and guidance for users who might not be familiar with how to use the service, including both Deaf and Deafblind BSL users and public service staff. A Community Liaison Officer will deliver a series of community outreach events and online engagement, delivered in BSL, to promote the service, receive feedback on its current operation and encourage uptake of user within the community.
Given the early stages of the new service, we do not think that a formal evaluation would be beneficial at this stage, however we welcome ongoing feedback from the BSL community to ensure the continued success of Contact Scotland BSL. Any evaluation will seek to ensure that the needs of users are met and refined where that might be required. The Scottish Government recognises that continuous improvement and ongoing community engagement are key to the success of this service.