Early years: speech, language and communication action plan

Executive Summary

This Action Plan sets a bold national vision: to ensure that every child in Scotland has the strongest possible start in speech, language and communication from the earliest stages of life. This vision reflects a clear commitment to a preventative approach, one that challenges the status quo by prioritising early, timely intervention. Such an approach recognises that early support is crucial in mitigating difficulties before these become entrenched, with the potential to improve outcomes for children and their families.

This Action Plan outlines the proactive and collaborative steps the Scottish Government will take to lead and enable the fundamental, system-wide change needed to significantly improve early Speech, Language and Communication (SLC) outcomes for all children across Scotland, from pre-birth through to school. This Action Plan supports a key commitment in our Programme for Government 2025, to reduce developmental concerns at the 27-30 month review by a quarter by 2030, with a particular focus on addressing inequality. SLC is the most common concern seen at 27-30 months, and is an essential foundation of every child’s development. These skills influence a child’s mental health and emotional wellbeing, as well as their ability to learn and build relationships. However, in Scotland, too many children, particularly those growing up in disadvantaged communities, experience preventable delays in SLC development. These delays often contribute to a range of lifelong challenges, including poorer educational attainment, social isolation and increased risk of mental health difficulties. Supporting the development of SLC is key to realising children’s rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), particularly their right to be heard, to express themselves and to reach their full potential.

This Plan seeks primarily to reduce the risk of preventable SLC concerns in the early years. It is recognised that not all SLC needs are preventable, including those associated with biomedical conditions or neurodevelopmental differences, but the actions in this plan may help to support reducing the impact of such needs.

Building on the vital and innovative work of the National Early Language and Communication (NELC) team, the Plan is dedicated to transforming early years support across Scotland, paying particular attention to SLC development. It makes a crucial contribution to delivering our national Early child development transformational change programme, reinforcing the commitment to equity, inclusion and the delivery of services that meet the needs of all children. By emphasising prevention, equity and partnership, the Action Plan aims to ensure that every child, regardless of background, has the opportunity to develop the communication skills that are essential for success in education, relationships and life.

The Action Plan is structured around three key pillars through which efforts are needed to address identified challenges to provide a whole system, preventative approach for early speech, language and communication development:

Leadership and Accountability

• Embedding early years SLC as a national priority through clear leadership, transparent governance and data-driven decision-making. This ensures sustained focus and resource allocation, particularly for communities with the greatest need.

Families and Communities

• Promoting a strengths-based, public health approach that supports families from pregnancy onwards, with knowledge, confidence and access to culturally relevant, community-based resources. This pillar fosters language-rich environments that enable every child to thrive.

Skilled and Supported Workforce

• Supporting the development of a confident, knowledgeable and well-supported workforce across health, education and social care sectors. We will work towards greater alignment of professional learning and practice standards across these sectors, paying attention to implementation, in order to promote high-quality, inclusive support for children’s communication development.