Evidence to Action in public service delivery: an overview of What Works Scotland knowledge partners

This report explores the What Works Scotland knowledge partners’ Evidence to Action activity in the context of public service delivery to provide an overview of the evidence approaches provided.

Summary

What Works Scotland has a range of knowledge partners who have a role in improving the use of evidence in public service reform. The Evidence to Action workstream includes a working group which brings together representatives from What Works Scotland national partner organisations and others with an interest in the delivery of evidence.

We explored these knowledge partners’ evidence to action activity in the context of public service delivery to provide an overview of the evidence approaches provided, specifically:

target audiences/participants
broad topics (relating to public service reform)
what resources they use
the types of activity (mechanisms) involved in those services
what gaps currently exist.

The Evidence to Action workstream carried out a mapping of What Works Scotland knowledge partners’ evidence to action activity, and the ways they deliver that activity, in the context of public service delivery.

It aimed to:

Produce an overview of the evidence service/s provided, for whom, on what broad topics (relating to public service reform), and with what resources.
Specifically, to identify the types of activity (mechanisms) involved in those services (e.g. providing tools, facilitating networks, brokering evidence).
Explore what gaps may currently exist in providing evidence.

This is a summary of a more detailed report which offers a broad map of our knowledge partners’ evidence to action in the context of public service delivery. It is not an exhaustive map of What Works Scotland knowledge partners or of evidence to action activity in the public sector, and does not examine the impact of those activities.