Tackling child poverty delivery plan 2022-2026 - annex 2: child poverty evaluation strategy - updated

Improvement To Governance Structure

The Scottish Government's governance structures are underpinned by assurance, which is defined as an evaluated opinion, based on evidence.

The structure established for the first years of the evaluation strategy relied on a technical working group providing evidence for a Delivery Group. Although this structure was reasonable, the lack of resources during the pandemic years meant that some of the seniority and drive to ensure that child-poverty needs were adequately incorporated and addressed in individual policy development and analytical plans was restricted.

Looking ahead

Governance processes within the Scottish Government are currently being refreshed and adapted to take account of the learnings from the first Delivery Plan. The refreshed governance aims to ensure that the processes required to support the implementation of the Plan for 2022-26, to meet the targets and to break the cycle of poverty, are in place.

Data, analysis and evaluation are critical to the success of this approach, if we are to ensure that our policy interventions, pathfinder approaches and investments are having a positive impact on the drivers of poverty and the priority families, and we can take evidence-based decisions on where improvements and adaptations need to be made based on learning. Embedding data, analysis and evaluation into governance is therefore a priority over the course of this strategy and this will be reflected in the revised framework.