The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 is designed to further the Scottish Government’s ambition for “Scotland to be the best place to grow up in by putting children and young people at the heart of planning and services and ensuring their rights are respected across the public sector”. The Act’s key provisions, and related guidance, are detailed below.
Key documents related to the Bill’s passage include:
- Policy Memorandum
- Delegated Powers Memorandum
- Education and Culture Committee’s Stage 1 Report on the Bill
- Scottish Government response to the Stage 1 Report
- Summary of passage of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill
- Scottish Government impact assessments
The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act:
- Places requirements on local authorities and health boards to prepare a three-year ‘children’s services plan’ for each local authority area, reporting on this each year. These should be in place from April 2017, covering the period up to 2020.
- Establishes a ‘Child’s Plan’ for every child that is deemed to need one, to be prepared by the health board for pre-school children and the local authority for school-aged children.
- Establishes a ‘Named Person’ for every child up to age 18, to be provided by the health board for pre-school children and the local authority for school-aged children.
- Places a definition of ‘wellbeing’ on a statutory footing, referring to the SHANARRI indicators.
