A Culture Strategy for Scotland: draft for consultation

5. Monitoring the impact of the strategy

It will be important to monitor and evaluate the progress of the ambitions, aims and actions set out in the strategy. The Scottish Government is in the process of establishing a Measuring Change Group consisting of key stakeholders from across the sectors; academics from the Academic Roundtable group that was set up to advise on the development of the strategy; analytical leads from the relevant stakeholder organisations (represented on the SCENe group); and Scottish Government analysts. The Measuring Change Group will be responsible for developing an appropriate approach to monitoring and evaluation, taking into account the many challenges associated with attempting to evaluate cultural activity that were highlighted during the engagement phase, such as the problem of attributing wider societal change or policy outcomes back to specific strategy interventions over the medium and long term. There is also a desire to avoid a restrictive evaluation approach, that might stifle the independence and creativity of cultural activity.

The emphasis will be on extracting learning from what works well in the implementation of the strategy commitments. The approach will avoid reducing impact evaluation to simplistic target and output indicators.

The Group will explore a range of methodologies and data requirements for evaluation and work together to identify an approach that will reflect the needs of different sectors/groups and allow for creative independence. It will also consider whether logic modelling could be used to map out a range of intermediate outcomes that sit below the strategy vision and ambitions, that will focus on longer-term change rather than immediate impacts. The Group will assess the data that is currently available and consider if new data are needed and options to obtain it. One area requiring more consideration is the need for longitudinal, qualitative data.

The work will be aligned with the new national outcome for culture, and indicators on the refreshed National Performance Framework. The work will be done collaboratively with key partners across the sector, and will draw on evidence from a wide range of sources.

Impact assessments

This strategy has been pre-screened as having no or minimal effects on the environment and the relevant information has been submitted to the Consultation Authorities as part of the statutory Strategic Environmental Assessment process.

Partial assessments have also been carried out to consider how the strategy may impact on equality, the rights and welfare of children, business (including third sector) and regulation. This consultation seeks views on whether the partial assessments have identified all areas where there may be an impact and invites comments on any amendments or additions which will inform the final assessments.

What do you think success for the strategy will look like?

What is your view of the proposed approach to monitoring and evaluating the strategy?

Do you think the partial Equality Impact Assessment has identified where the strategy might impact on people differently depending on characteristics such as age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation or gender identity?

What would you add or change?

Do you think the partial Children’s Rights and Welfare Impact Assessment sets out how the proposals presented in the strategy might impact on the rights and welfare of children?

What would you add or change?

How do you think this strategy might impact upon people on low incomes, people living in deprived areas, people in material deprivation, people with no/low wealth and people from different socio-economic backgrounds?

Do you think the partial Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment identifies how the proposals presented in the strategy might impact on businesses, the third (voluntary) sector or have any regulatory impact?

What would you add or change?

Title: Dryburgh Abbey, Scottish Borders
Credit: Historic Environment Scotland