Freedom of Information in Scotland is entering a pressure-test year. Reform proposals are live in Parliament. The question being asked is not only whether the law should change, but whether day-to-day FOI practice is keeping pace with how modern public services are delivered – through arms-length bodies, contracted provision and increasingly complex partnerships.

This conference takes place online.

The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025  - DUAA - marks the UK’s most significant round of post-Brexit data reform to date. Its impact is now moving from 'what’s in the Bill?' to 'what do we need to change on Monday morning?'. Commencement is now under way and further provisions will bed in through 2026. Scottish data practitioners now have to keep pace with shifting regulatory expectations while continuing to deliver safe, lawful services under real operational pressure.

This conference takes place online.

Scotland’s essential services are now a constant target for increasingly sophisticated cyber attackers. While the public sector is often the primary victim, the impact of these attacks cascades far beyond councils, health boards and emergency services. They can disrupt private sector supply chains, voluntary organisations and critical national infrastructure. The challenge for organisations in Scotland is to build a unified, cross-sector approach to defending the digital front line to minimise future major breaches.

This conference takes place online.

The Freedom of Information (FOI) landscape in Scotland is at a crossroads. The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 enacted twenty years ago put in place a commitment to transparency and accountability as a cornerstone of Scottish governance. However, the rise of the digital age and the evolution in public services delivery has led to calls for FOI legislation to be extended. What needs to be changed in FOI law and in best practices to ensure they remain robust and effective?

This conference takes place online.

Antisocial behaviour in Scotland features regularly in news reporting in a variety of different contexts. That it is taking place and is causing significant damage to the quality of life for both individuals and communities is not in dispute. The question is, who has the responsibility to tackle it, when should they be addressing it and how can this be given priority for both cure and prevention?

This conference takes place online.

Data protection requirements for all organisations in the UK and Scotland are governed by law setting out what needs to be complied with and how.  However, the new Data (Use and Access) Bill is moving swiftly through Parliament and will conclude during 2025.  This Bill contains a range of changes with implications for all data practitioners and data protection officers, impacting on when, how and why compliance is needed.  Do you know what data practitioners and organisations need to understand about what will be in the new Act, what changes and responses will be required and what the impact will be of the other wider drivers of change in the data environment?

This conference takes place online.

Scotland is at a pivotal moment in the reform of its mental health and capacity laws. The Scottish Government is responding to calls for change, driven by the findings of the Scottish Mental Health Law Review (SMHLR). This includes an urgent need to address the complexities of Adults with Incapacity (AWI) legislation, ensure mental health practices are aligned with human rights, and improve accountability and support mechanisms across the care and treatment landscape.

This conference will take place online.

Conference supported by Together (Scottish Alliance for Children's Rights)

This conference will take place online. 

Emergency planning, resilience, business continuity and risk reduction are the activities we plan, practice and train for in the hope they will never be needed.  They mitigate the worst when it happens and bring assurance and stability when it does not.  However, the threats presented to normal order are magnified by local, national and international events which can bring instability to our own front door. So how do we plan for the unexpected, ensure that we learn from every opportunity, collaborate to maximise best practice and keep our emergency planning and resilience practitioners, and our responders at every tier, well-resourced and able to prevent and react?

This conference will take place online.

Freedom of Information in Scotland has become both an effective tool for public accountability in Scotland and a growing demand on the resources of our public sector bodies. However, questions over compliance, scope, operation and cost have increasingly come to the fore. What do Scottish bodies covered by FOI – and others that may be pulled into its reach – need to know about where we stand and what may be coming next?

This conference takes place online.