Towards a Scottish Primary Prevention Model

Turning evidence and experience into action for Scotland’s young people

The best way to improve outcomes for children and young people is to prevent harm before it starts. As an Associate with Planet Youth, Winning Scotland, Lorraine Gillies’ work focuses on turning evidence into action — supporting partners to move beyond responding to crisis and towards shaping the conditions in which children and families can thrive. Her guest blog explores why Scotland is at a pivotal moment for primary prevention, what meaningful system change really requires, and how the Planet Youth Scotland Conference 2026 is helping move us from learning about prevention to delivering it in practice.

As an Associate with Planet Youth in Scotland, much of my work sits at the intersection of evidence, practice, and system change — supporting partners to move beyond responding to harm and towards shaping the conditions in which children and young people can thrive.

Scotland is now at a critical point in that journey. With growing recognition that up to 80% of health and wellbeing outcomes are shaped outside of health and care systems, the case for primary prevention is clear. The challenge before us is not whether prevention matters, but how we deliver it in practice — at scale, across systems, and over time.

The Planet Youth Scotland Conference 2026 has been designed as a space to address exactly that challenge.

From caterpillar to butterfly: why incremental change is not enough

There is a simple truth often used to describe real transformation: no caterpillar dreams of becoming a better caterpillar — it dreams of becoming a butterfly.

This metaphor is helpful for understanding Scotland’s current moment. Strengthening existing services is essential — we must build the best possible caterpillar to meet today’s needs. But incremental improvement alone will not deliver the long term change required to reduce inequalities, improve wellbeing, and prevent harm before it starts.

Primary prevention demands something more ambitious: transformation, not tinkering.
Planet Youth provides a clear example of how upstream, data driven, community led approaches can reshape outcomes over time. Its impact internationally has shown what is possible when we design environments around wellbeing rather than responding only once problems emerge. The task for Scotland is now to adapt and embed this approach within our own policy, cultural, and system context.

The cocoon phase: Scotland moving from learning to doing

The Planet Youth Scotland Conference 2026 represents a “cocoon moment” — a necessary space for reflection, co creation, and restructuring as we move from theory into action.

Building on findings from the Planet Youth pilot and evaluation, this conference is intentionally designed as a working, participatory event. It brings together people who not only believe in the why of prevention, but who are actively engaged in shaping the how.

As an Associate, my role has involved supporting partners to:

• Use population level data to understand young people’s lived experiences
• Translate insight into coordinated, cross sector action
• Build shared language and purpose around prevention
• Strengthen collaboration across education, public health, community safety, youth, and third sector partners

The conference is a continuation of that work — creating collective clarity about what a Scottish Primary Prevention Model could and should look like.

What makes this conference different

This is not a traditional conference focused on presentations and passive learning. It is a space for collaboration and co design, shaped around participants’ experience and expertise.

You can expect:

• Interactive sessions where ideas directly influence the development of a Scottish Prevention Model
• Insights from Scottish areas already using Planet Youth data to drive meaningful change
• Global learning from countries adapting the model to different contexts
• Honest discussion about barriers, enablers, governance, and sustainability
• A focus on practical next steps, not abstract concepts
• Participants will leave with new connections, shared actions, and a clearer understanding of how prevention can work in practice.

Thematic strands

The conference is structured around five interconnected strands that reflect the realities of system change:

• Shaping a Scottish Prevention Model: Co designing how Planet Youth is meaningfully adapted for Scotland.
• Data Driven Insights: Using data to guide action, accountability, and long term planning.
• From Insight to Action: Real examples of change already happening in Scottish communities.
• Global Learning: Drawing on international experience without losing local relevance.
• Barriers and Enablers: Addressing what supports — and what limits — upstream change.

Who should attend

This event is for people and organisations committed to prevention and early intervention, and ready to move beyond the “why” into the “how”. It is ideally suited to:

• Local authority and public health teams
• Policy makers and system leaders
• Practitioners in youth work, education, and community sectors
• Researchers, funders, and third sector organisations

No in depth prior knowledge of Planet Youth is required. Light pre reading will be shared in advance to ensure a shared starting point for meaningful participation.

Becoming a butterfly nation

Scotland has an opportunity to make a genuine shift — from reacting to problems, to designing systems that support wellbeing from the start. This is not simply a policy change; it is a cultural one.

The Planet Youth Scotland Conference 2026 is part of that national moment of metamorphosis — a chance to collectively imagine and shape a future where prevention is embedded, data informs decisions, and children and young people grow up in environments intentionally designed for their wellbeing.

As an Associate, I am proud to contribute to this work and to learn alongside colleagues who are helping Scotland move from caterpillar to butterfly — from incremental improvement to lasting transformation.

Tickets available here: Planet Youth in Scotland National Learning Event 2026