What further action is planned to address gaps in access to childcare, community provision and family support services, particularly in rur…

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that families can access the support they need, including those living in rural and deprived communities, and recognise how vital childcare and family support services are in rural and island areas, both in relation to giving children the best start in life and supporting families to work.Through our Whole Family Support and the Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) approaches, the Scottish Government seeks to create the conditions for partners to deliver person-centred services that interact seamlessly so that children and families across Scotland can get the right support, at the right time, in the right place, for as long as they need it, whether those needs are simple or complex.The Scottish Government’s Third Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, Bringing Hope, Building Futures, sets out a range of actions that we will be delivering to ensure families have access to the services and support that they require, including:investing £20 million in a new Whole Family Support Third Sector Delivery Fund, allowing third sector organisations to provide more support that wraps around families in their communities, with specific consideration given to the extent to which applications to the Fund include a focus on rural or island communities.continuing to invest £50 million through the Whole Family Wellbeing Funding Programme .continuing to invest over £1 billion in 2026-27 in funded ELC, providing 1140 hours of funded childcare for all three and four year olds and eligible two year oldsdelivering a national breakfast club offer for primary school aged children with provision in all primary and special schools by August 2027investing £15 million in a Childcare Support Fund to help address childcare cost barriers for families most at risk of living in poverty across Scotlandinvesting an additional £2.5 million to increase wrap-around activity clubs for primary school age children.Since the publication of the plan, the Scottish Government has gone further, committing to expanding childcare support to children from nine months through to the end of primary school over the course of this Parliament. As this work progresses, we will take into account the needs of families across Scotland, including the challenges of delivering childcare in rural and island settings, and the needs of priority family groups at risk of, or living in, poverty.