Scotland’s youngest children are still being failed by slow and fragmented care decisions, writes NSPCC Scotland’s Joanne Smith, who warns during Infant Mental Health Awareness Week that infants face the greatest risk from delay in finding a permanent home.

Scotland still needs to go further for its youngest, most vulnerable members of society – infants.

Last year, during Infant Mental Health Awareness Week, we asked a simple but urgent question: who is holding the baby in Scotland’s Children’s Hearings System?

A year on, that question still needs an answer.

Through The Promise the Scottish Government made a commitment to reform the care system for looked after babies, children and young people, recognising they must experience safe, loving and consistent care in their earliest years.

Progress has been uneven. Many of the significant changes have been directed at care-experienced adults and have not focused on the specific needs of babies and very young children, although there is growing recognition that the Children’s Hearings System must better reflect the developmental needs of infants.

Infants are not only more likely to come to the attention of health and social services, but they are also more vulnerable to serious harm.

On July 31, 2025, 2,087 children were on the child protection register, and almost half (45%) were under one. And infants under one are at greater risk of being killed by another person than at any other age.

This heightened vulnerability means that delays in........

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