Every year, the Scottish Government publishes a Programme for Government (PfG), which sets out the core priorities, major policy commitments and the legislative programme of Bills that the Government will focus on and set its budget towards.
With the new Scottish Parliament Session in full swing now for 2026 – 2031, this Government has set out a PfG that covers the next five years – with annual updates coming every Spring, in line with the Scottish Budget.
The four main priorities didn’t change much from the last PfG:
- Eradicating child poverty
- Growing the economy
- Tackling the climate emergency
- Delivering a stronger NHS and public services
There is much in this Programme for Government that ties in directly with SYP’s 2026-2031 Manifesto ‘Dear Scotland’s Future’ and we’re really pleased to see some of the key issues most important to children and young people recognised by the Scottish Government.
Some key highlights include:
- Continuing education reform in line with the recommendations from the Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment
- Investing more in prevention and early intervention methods to better support young people’s mental health
- Removing barriers to affordable housing – the Scottish Government has pledged to create a Scotland that is the best place to grow up.
The Scottish Government has highlighted the critical necessity of tackling the climate emergency and promoting a circular economy – and SYP will continue to push for this action to be bold, ambitious and urgent because young people have told us they are scared of the impact that climate change will have on their lives and want it to be a top priority for all decision-makers across Scotland.
The Government has committed to bringing in a Bill on Misogyny as early as 2027 and introducing the Human Rights Bill for Scotland the following year. SYP will continue to ensure that protecting and empowering communities furthest from their rights, and that children and young people are heard by decision-makers. The Scottish Government will also continue their work to fulfil The Promise Scotland by 2030. SYP would call on the Scottish Government to go further on this and ensure all decision-makers have a responsibility to respect, protect and fulfil young people’s human rights and the Scottish Government must proactively and intentionally speak with and listen to children and young people at all points in the design, development and delivery of policy.
What was not included this year, however, was a commitment from the Government to invest in or protect Youth Work Services. SYP’s and the wider youth work sectors call to recognise or talk about the crucial role of youth work for empowering and upskilling young people and upholding your rights to a well-rounded education.
There is a lot of success to celebrate throughout the Programme for Government, and it is encouraging to see so many issues that face children and young people addressed by the Scottish Government. Nonetheless, these key successes do not mean that the campaigning stops now, and there is still much to be done to ensure children and young people are central in all decisions that affect them. The Government has a great opportunity here to be a global leader in empowering children and young people and upholding their rights, so we are calling for this to be included meaningfully within the Programme for Government moving forward.