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Information about Ministerial engagements is proactively released on the Scottish Government website . The spreadsheets include a wide range of information including details of the organisation/individuals Ministers met along with the subject discussed.

Scottish Government Officials from the Directorate for International Trade and Investment have regularly met with the SDI since May 2021 as key partners to showcase Scotland’s strengths globally, boost inward investment and to achieve our export growth ambition. In addition, officials across a range of portfolios engage with the SDI as part of the policy development process and this will continue.

The effectiveness of Project Bank Accounts is monitored and reviewed on a regular basis. Applicability was expanded in 2019 and the current considered position is that further expansion is not justified at this time. Scottish Government actively facilitates PBA use beyond mandated applicability in two main ways (1) flexibility to use a PBA on projects which are marginally below threshold (2) organisational freedom to use a PBA on lower value projects where they consider it appropriate.

Expanding PBA coverage would increase the number of applicable projects but risks upsetting the current fine balance of commercial viability, corporate capacity, skilled capability and budget affordability. Keeping those factors in a reasonable state of equilibrium is fundamental to ensuring PBAs remain a viable means of delivering prompt and insolvency-protected payment to supply chain firms.

Despite facing one of the most challenging fiscal environments since devolution, the Scottish Government has extended funding under the Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention fund. All organisations in receipt of these funds received a 5% uplift in 2022-23. This has been continued in 2023-24 and committed to in 2024-25.

The Scottish Government recognises the vital role organisations across the third sector play in improving outcomes for disabled children and is providing core funding to a number of third sector organisations which provide services for disabled children and their families.

Despite facing one of the most challenging fiscal environments since devolution, we are maintaining the level of funding through the Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention and Adult Learning and Empowering Communities Fund (CYPFEI & ALEC). All organisations in receipt of these funds received a 5% uplift in 2022-23. This has been continued in 2023-24 and committed to in 2024-25.

The Children, Young People, Families and Adult Learners (CYPFAL) third sector fund is also providing core funding to a number of organisations which support disabled children and their families.

As set out in the Ministerial Code, the Scottish Government publishes ministerial engagements, travel and gifts three months in arrears, and publishes the whole month at one time, taken from the end of the relevant month. The Scottish Government plans to publish the information relating to April's ministerial engagements, travel and gifts by the end of July 2023. No breach of the Scottish Ministerial Code has occurred.

The National Trauma Training Programme (NTTP) provides freely available and evidence based trauma training resources for the whole workforce, including education and health professionals, supported by over £8 million investment since 2018. This is key to ensuring that children, young people and their families are supported effectively by workforces and services that recognise the impact of adverse and traumatic experiences, and provide support which is centred around relationships and causes no further harm.

In 2023, the Scottish Government will publish a long-term delivery plan for the NTTP which will include an outline of future commitments and priorities for supporting trauma-informed practice across the children and families workforce.

Education Scotland has also developed a Keeping Trauma in Mind professional learning programme to support education practitioners across Scotland with their knowledge, understanding and skills required to support children and young people (including adoptees) who may be impacted by trauma.

The Scottish Government's recently published National Innovation Strategy identifies Scotland's Health and Life Sciences sector as an innovation priority area, and outlines a tailored cluster approach to each of the innovation priority areas in order to scale innovative activity to drive economic outcomes, attract additional investment and elevate Scotland's impact on a global stage. The National Innovation Strategy further outlines encouragement and support for the breadth of Scotland's businesses to innovate, helping our business base to adopt the innovative technologies and processes that will help increase their resilience and capacity for growth. The Standing Committee on Pandemic Preparedness has also underlined the importance of continued support for innovation in life sciences and public health research in its Interim Report, published in August 2022. A strong and resilient life sciences sector, with highly innovative clusters involving our business and research base, will help Scotland be able to respond to upcoming challenges including any potential future pandemics.

In 2023-24, the Scottish Government has allocated over £480,000 directly to organisations delivering support for adoptive families, including parents. This funding supports a range of initiatives, including: a national helpline; services for practitioners; an Adoption Contact Register; Adoption Week Scotland; and Adoption UK’s PATHways service which provides therapeutic and peer support.

Future funding commitments are subject to the outcome of any spending review by the Scottish Government and approval of the annual Budget Bills by the Scottish Parliament.

The Scottish Government’s Care Experienced Children and Young People’s Fund (CECYPF) has provided over £50 million to local authorities since 2018 to support children and young people’s attainment and wellbeing. The Fund is for care experienced children and young people, including those who have been adopted.

CECYPF has been used for a range of work, for example inclusion support teams who provide direct trauma-informed help to young people to be fully included in educational settings. The Fund has also supported extensive staff training, including for primary and secondary school teachers, to develop more trauma informed educators, to enable care experienced children to learn efficiently and effectively.

Education Scotland has also developed a Keeping Trauma in Mind professional learning programme for education practitioners, including primary and secondary school teachers, across Scotland. The programme develops the skills, knowledge and understanding required to support children and young people (including adoptees) who may be impacted by trauma.

Under The Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007, local authorities have a duty to assess someone’s needs for adoption support services and then provide that support. This applies to a wide range of people affected by adoption, including all adoptees irrespective of their age.

As part of our commitment to Keep the Promise, the Scottish Government is looking at the package of support available to all care experienced people, regardless of their age. We recognise that the impact of care experience can be lifelong and we are working to ensure that all care experienced people, including adoptees, irrespective of their age, are given the support they need to realise their full potential.