Current status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 20 September 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to build partnerships and effective working relationships between NHS teams and providers of BSL language and support services to children and young people, as set out in action 10 of the British Sign Language National Plan 2023-2029, since the publication of the plan in November 2023.
The Scottish Government is committed to making Scotland the best place in the world for BSL users to live, work, visit and learn.
The BSL National Plan 2023-29 is a cross government plan containing 45 actions under the 10 priority themes. This is a six year plan and the actions within it are designed to address barriers faced by BSL users in their daily lives. Ensuring equal access, opportunity, representation and inclusion are key components of our plan stemming across areas such as education, health, justice and culture.
We recognise the importance in building effective partnerships and effective working relationships between NHS teams and providers of BSL language, that is why our work to date has focused on understanding the landscape better and identifying possible next steps in helping us deliver action 10 with the BSL National Plan.