Children waiting for an autism or ADHD assessment still need help with everyday life. Guidance published by the Scottish Government on 15 October explains how local authorities can use the Children and Young People’s Neurodevelopment Support Fund for 2026/27 to strengthen that help.
Its main aim includes support for children and young people who have a diagnosis, are waiting for one, or are not seeking or requiring one. The funding sits within wider work already under way. This publication explains potential uses; it does not announce a fresh allocation to every provider or guarantee every family a particular service.
Possible support includes family coaching, groups and individual work on sleep, communication, sensory needs, routines and managing emotions. Funding can also help make environments more accessible and improve staff skills across services. The guidance calls for a neuro-affirming approach: understanding and respecting different ways of thinking and processing the world, with support shaped around the person.
That gives children’s care and support managers a useful next step. Our practical recommendation is to check the local offer with commissioning partners, identify where families can get help while assessments are pending, and make those routes clear to staff. A referral pathway earns its keep when someone can actually follow it.
Training deserves the same attention. The guidance says support should come from people with appropriate skills. It also calls for safeguarding thresholds and escalation routes to be built into service planning, and for children and families to help design and evaluate support.
Keep expectations realistic. Local provision will vary, and the fund is not expected to cover every possible type of support. Specific reporting requirements will follow separately. For now, providers can review access, workforce readiness and family feedback without treating this guidance as a new UK-wide legal duty.