Secure care: joint progress report between Scottish Government and COSLA

5. Progress Against Key Action Areas

Although there is still work to do in advancing the joint priorities outlined below, several key areas of progress have been achieved over the past year, including:

• Strengthened joint working arrangements between the Scottish Government, COSLA and Social Work Scotland to provide clearer national-local alignment on secure accommodation.
• Appointment of a Professional Lead at Social Work Scotland, fully funded by the Scottish Government, to strengthen the Local Government voice and practice, working closely with national and local partners.
• Funding of up to £8.4 million being made available by the Scottish Government to cover the placement of sentenced and remanded children, and up to 16 beds across the secure care estate to maintain capacity in 2025-26 and 2026-27 (subject to Parliamentary approval).
• Establishment of a new four bed national contingency resource Annan house in Rossie, to help immediate capacity restoration, which opened in April 2025.
• Establishment of a further four bed national contingency resource, Esk House, in Rossie, which opened early 2026.
• Funding of up to £1.5 million being made available by the Scottish Government to support secure care providers to undertake capital improvements, helping to enhance sustainability and future-proof the sector.
• Detailed refreshed practice guidance on alternatives to secure care published by the multi-agency Youth Justice Improvement Board, chaired by the Scottish Government in March 2025.
• Establishment of the National Social Work Agency that will have oversight of social work in Scotland, providing national leadership, coordination and support for the social work profession. It will strengthen coordination of improvement priorities and activity and promote collaboration across the sector.
• Establishment of the Scottish Social Work Partnership, a new collaboration between COSLA, Social Work Scotland and the National Social Work Agency. Together they will share responsibility for a joint strategic plan to address issues affecting the social work workforce.