Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Act 2026

2026 asp 16 · Enacted 15 May 2026 · Extends to Scotland

Contents

1. Part 1: Children’s care system
2. Chapter 1: Support etc. for persons in or with experience of children’s care system
3. Aftercare Not yet in force
4. 1Aftercare Not yet in force
5. 2Assessment of needs Not yet in force
6. 3Types of assistance Not yet in force
7. 4Other duties Not yet in force
8. 5Financial assistance towards expenses of education or training etc. Not yet in force
9. 6Co-operation between authorities Not yet in force
10. 7Consequential modifications of enactments Not yet in force
11. Advocacy services for care-experienced persons
12. 8Advocacy services for care-experienced persons
13. 9Independence of care experience advocacy services Not yet in force
14. Duties in relation to care experience
15. 10Duties of public authorities etc. in relation to care experience
16. 11Regulations under section 10: further provision
17. Review of permanence
18. 12Review of permanence
19. Interpretation
20. 13Interpretation
21. Chapter 2: Support etc. for persons in or with experience of children’s care system: modification of enactments
22. Family group decision-making
23. 14Right to request family group decision-making services Not yet in force
24. 15Promotion of family group decision-making services Not yet in force
25. 16Guidance on family group decision-making services
26. Kinship care assistance
27. 17Kinship care needs assessment Not yet in force
28. 18Guidance in relation to kinship care assistance functions
29. 19Kinship care assistance: power to require information-sharing by local authority Not yet in force
30. Provision of accommodation Not yet in force
31. 20Duty to provide accommodation for children in need Not yet in force
32. 21Provision of accommodation for care-experienced persons Not yet in force
33. Continuing care Not yet in force
34. 22Continuing care: persons eligible and accommodation to be provided Not yet in force
35. 23Power to continue provision of continuing care up to person’s 26th birthday Not yet in force
36. 24Return to continuing care Not yet in force
37. Corporate parenting Not yet in force
38. 25Corporate parenting: application to persons looked after before age 16 and planning Not yet in force
39. 26Guidance on corporate parenting Not yet in force
40. Chapter 3: Provision of children’s care services
41. Requirements on certain care providers
42. 27Children’s residential care services: profit limitation Not yet in force
43. 28Fostering services to be charities Not yet in force
44. 29Services taking cross-border placements
45. Register of foster carers Not yet in force
46. 30Register of foster carers Not yet in force
47. 31Register of foster carers: further provision Not yet in force
48. 32Disclosure of information Not yet in force
49. 33Establishment and maintenance of register by person other than Scottish Ministers Not yet in force
50. 34Pilot scheme Not yet in force
51. 35Register of foster carers: interpretation Not yet in force
52. Allowances and other payments
53. 36Allowances and other payments
54. 37Uprating of allowances Not yet in force
55. Guidance on use of restraint and seclusion in relevant care services Not yet in force
56. 38Guidance on use of restraint and seclusion in relevant care services Not yet in force
57. Report on deaths of care-experienced persons
58. 39Report on deaths of care-experienced persons
59. Chapter 4: Support for adoption Not yet in force
60. 40Peer support services Not yet in force
61. Chapter 5: Children’s hearings Not yet in force
62. Composition etc. of Children’s Panel, children’s hearings and pre-hearing panels Not yet in force
63. 41Single member children’s hearings and pre-hearing panels Not yet in force
64. 42Remuneration of Children’s Panel members Not yet in force
65. Child’s attendance at children’s hearings and hearings before sheriff Not yet in force
66. 43Child’s attendance at children’s hearings and hearings before sheriff Not yet in force
67. Grounds hearings Not yet in force
68. 44Role of Principal Reporter and grounds hearing Not yet in force
69. Relevant persons Not yet in force
70. 45Powers to exclude persons from children’s hearing Not yet in force
71. 46Relevant person’s right to require review of compulsory supervision order Not yet in force
72. 47Removal of relevant person status Not yet in force
73. Timescales Not yet in force
74. 48Timescale for determination of application to sheriff Not yet in force
75. 49Reports on timescales in children’s hearing system Not yet in force
76. Other changes Not yet in force
77. 50Tests for referral to Principal Reporter and making of compulsory supervision order or interim compulsory supervision order Not yet in force
78. 51Information about referral, availability of children’s advocacy services etc. Not yet in force
79. 52Children’s advocacy services: non-instructed advocacy Not yet in force
80. 53Children’s advocacy services: notification of hearings Not yet in force
81. 54Period for which interim compulsory supervision order or interim variation of compulsory supervision order has effect Not yet in force
82. 55Making of further interim compulsory supervision orders Not yet in force
83. 56Principal Reporter’s power to initiate review of compulsory supervision order Not yet in force
84. 57Family group decision-making: information to be provided to Principal Reporter Not yet in force
85. Children’s legal aid Not yet in force
86. 58Children’s legal aid Not yet in force
87. Chapter 6: Place of safety for children who have been arrested Not yet in force
88. 59Power to require that arrested children be taken to a place other than a police station, etc. Not yet in force
89. Part 2: Children’s services planning
90. 60Lead children’s services planning bodies
91. 61Aims of children’s services planning Not yet in force
92. 62Children’s services plans: process and review Not yet in force
93. 63Reporting on children’s services plans
94. Part 3: Reports and reviews
95. 64Report on family group decision-making services
96. 65Review of the Act
97. 66Report on fulfilment of the Promise
98. Part 4: Final provisions
99. 67Ancillary provision
100. 68Regulation-making powers
101. 69Meaning of “child”
102. 70Commencement
103. 71Short title