Artificial intelligence is moving fast from buzzword to everyday tool in Scotland’s public services. With tight budgets and rising demand, councils, the NHS, central government and the third sector are all looking for smarter ways to work.

This conference takes place online.

Scotland’s social care system is at a turning point. Demand is rising, needs are becoming more complex and the sector is being asked to do more. Supporting people to live independently. Preventing avoidable hospital admissions. Sustaining communities. All while operating under intense financial pressure. Recent warnings from providers and commentators underline how quickly financial strain translates into service instability, delayed discharge pressures and reduced capacity on the ground.

This conference takes place online.

Human rights and equality duties are becoming central to public service delivery in Scotland. Equality and human rights mainstreaming is not a single policy area. Public bodies now need to show how rights, equality, accessibility and inclusion are built into decisions, services, communications, procurement, complaints and accountability.

This conference takes place online.

Scotland’s post-school education and skills system is entering a major period of reform. The Tertiary Education and Training (Funding and Governance) (Scotland) Act 2026 changes how funding is provided, while colleges, universities, training providers and employers face urgent questions about sustainability, workforce supply and economic need.

This conference takes place online.

Transport is now a central test of affordability, accessibility, climate policy and public service delivery in Scotland. The question is how national commitments on fares, buses, rail, active travel, accessibility and emissions can be delivered in ways that work for passengers, public bodies, business and communities.

This conference takes place online.

Violence against women and girls remains one of Scotland’s most serious public policy and service delivery challenges. It affects justice, policing, health, housing, education, employers, councils, social work, children’s services, digital safety and the specialist support services women and children rely on.

This conference takes place online.

Care of older people in Scotland is no longer only a health and social care issue. It is now a test of dignity, capacity, workforce resilience, public finances, unpaid care, housing, hospital flow, community support and the ability of public services to respond to an ageing population. The Scottish Government’s Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework sets a 10-year direction around prevention, access, quality, person-centred care, community support and digital enablement. The aim is a transition towards preventative healthcare, increased community support and strategic integration of technology. Is aspiration being met with delivery?

This conference takes place online.

Scotland’s housing emergency is now a delivery pressure for every council and many public sector partners. Local authorities are challenged to respond amid a bewildering context. Rising homelessness, soaring housing need, acute affordability pressures, distinct rural and island challenges, child poverty need, restrictive planning constraints, and regeneration demand. An expectation too that empty homes, short-term lets and equalities delivery will also be addressed in the face of limited public finances. The question is, can we connect all of these themes in a way that is genuinely deliverable, affordable and swiftly available?

This conference takes place online.

The Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Act 2026 is now law, but the real test will be delivery. It changes the law around children’s care, care experience, children’s services planning, aftercare, advocacy, kinship care, foster care, residential care, continuing care and the Children’s Hearings System. It is explicitly part of Scotland’s attempt to keep The Promise after the Independent Care Review. 

This conference takes place online.