Getting evidence into action to improve Scotland’s public services

This working paper sets out how What Works Scotland, at the start of its programme, aimed to address key issues in using evidence to inform change through the development and extension of existing ways of working, and the development of new resources and approaches.

Summary

The overall mission of What Works Scotland is to use evidence to transform public services for all of Scotland’s communities to flourish. The emphasis of What Works Scotland on the use of evidence in planning, service delivery and service reform has led to a stream of work focused on Evidence to Action.

This paper sets out how What Works Scotland aims to address key issues in using evidence to inform change through the development and extension of existing ways of working, and the development of new resources and approaches.

This paper is based on discussions with What Works Scotland partners at an evidence to action Roundtable event held in October 2014, co-hosted by Sandra Nutley and Huw Davies from the University of St Andrews.

The aims of the Roundtable were to:

Engage with the evidence to action work of What Works Scotland
Generate a shared understanding of concepts and processes
Agree key shared ideas and terminology for the evidence to action approach
Explore the implications of the above for the What Works Scotland workplan.

The structure of the day included introductory presentations on current evidence to action thinking from Huw Davies and Sandra Nutley, discussions of issues and challenges surrounding evidence to action experiences by What Works Scotland partners in the Scottish public service context, and discussions of a set of evidence to action-related propositions developed and presented by What Works Scotland collaborators.

This paper develops the outcomes of the Roundtable discussions and provides a foundation for continued evidence to action work within the overarching What Works Scotland initiative.