The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers of specialist care and education for vulnerable children and young people, is calling for urgent action from the Scottish Government and local authorities following a record low in the number of legally binding co-ordinated support plans (CSPs) provided to children and young people with complex or multiple additional support needs (ASN).
Recent data from the Scottish Government show that the number of pupils with ASN,* such as autism, dyslexia and mental health problems, has surged to 299,445 in 2025 - representing 43 per cent of Scotland’s pupil population – up from 153,143 (22.5 per cent of pupils) in 2015.
Against this backdrop, there has been a staggering 63 per cent drop in the number of pupils receiving CSPs over the same period. **
In 2015, there were 3,128 pupils with a CSP, but by 2025, this figure had plummeted to just 1,165, representing only 0.4% of those identified with ASN and just 0.2% of the overall pupil population.
So-called co-ordinated support plans (CSPs), prepared by local authorities, are the only education plans that are legal documents. These provide guarantees of entitlement to additional resources and legal redress, placing statutory duties on local authorities to review and ensure that the provisions are met.
The fall comes despite a Scottish Government promise that there would be no reduction in the proportion of pupils receiving them since their introduction through the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004.
A concern raised by the SCSC is that local authorities are reluctant to issue CSPs because they are seen as cumbersome and time-consuming, resource-intensive, and subject to enhanced scrutiny.
This is all set against the backdrop of under-investment in services, with many local authorities now reluctant to provide legally enforceable support due to cuts in health, education, and social work provision.
If the needs of the child or young person are not believed to have been met, non-statutory alternatives are often offered in their place, with families or carers not being offered the option of a CSP.
The SCSC is calling for a number of actions from the Scottish Government and local authorities, including:
A spokesperson for the SCSC said:
“We are calling for urgent action from the Scottish Government and local authorities following figures highlighting a record low in the provision of CSPs, which are designed to support those with the most complex needs. This is despite a Scottish Government assurance that they would not fall, and against the backdrop of a dramatic increase in the numbers of those with ASN, including those with more complex needs.
“This gap between the growing number of children with ASN and the declining number of CSPs is simply not justifiable. The threshold for receiving a CSP is already challenging to meet, and local authorities are using vague terminology to deny children the support they need.
“By not providing this legally enforceable provision, many of these vulnerable individuals are being failed and not getting the support they are entitled to, meaning that they are not achieving their full potential.
“This is of particular significance given the devastating impact of Covid-19 and the cost-of-living crisis. The Scottish Government, local authorities and other agencies need to collaborate to ensure that those requiring a CSP receive it, with the necessary resourcing in place to support this.
“With those with ASN drawn disproportionately from poorer neighbourhoods, if we are to close the educational attainment gap genuinely, they must get the care and support they need, when they need it.”
* Table 1.5 for 2015 and 2025. ** Table 1.6.
-ENDS-
For further information, please contact Alex Orr, Policy Adviser to the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition, on 0131 603 8996 or [email protected].
Notes to Editors
About the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC) is an alliance of leading providers of specialist care and education to vulnerable children and young people, as well as support to their families or carers.
It seeks to improve the lives of these children and young people, and its vision is to make Scotland the best place in the world for them to grow up in.
The SCSC aims to achieve this through campaigning to improve support for these vulnerable individuals. This seeks to ensure that a wide range of high-quality, well-resourced and easily accessible services is provided. Tailored to individual needs, this will help them to achieve their full potential.
Members of the SCSC are:
Further information about the SCSC.
