Creating a fairer budget process for Scotland

Children in Scotland have responded to an inquiry regarding the Scottish budget process, giving our thoughts on how the process can be improved for the next parliamentary cycle.

This inquiry is of vital importance to Scotland’s voluntary community; funding for the third sector has been lacerated by £177m in recent years, so a strong response from the children’s sector is urgently needed.

The inquiry, due to be published in June 2025, is being carried out by the Finance and Public Administration Committee, which has asked members of the voluntary sector, academics, and members of the public to respond.

How has Children in Scotland responded?

Our Policy, Projects and Participation team have been working hard to deliver a response that covers some of the most important improvements we feel could be made, including a recommendation for earlier engagement with external stakeholders at a point in the process which would allow meaningful influence over budget proposals. This would also increase transparency and communication, allowing for organisations to more effectively plan around possible grants and funding awards.

Similarly, more long-term funding will allow organisations to plan for the future while focusing less time and resources on income generation and more on service delivery. We have seen some progress in this area with the announcement of a two-year funding period for Enquire and the Inclusion Ambassadors, and we would encourage the Scottish Government to consider the benefits this has had and to commit to longer funding cycles going forward.

Perhaps most importantly, we argued the need to include children and young people in the process to ensure their voices are heard and empowered to influence decisions made. The third sector currently engages directly with children and young people, gathering information and opinions that could be used to shape budget decisions, and can inform the Scottish Government on how best to communicate with children and young people at every step of the process.

In a turbulent time for the third sector and society at large, it has never been more important to ensure fair and representative processes, particularly regarding budgets and finance decisions. We commend the Finance and Public Administration Committee for carrying out this inquiry and look forward to working with them to ensure the budget process benefits Scotland’s children and young people and Scottish society as a whole.