Social Security Charter measurement framework: co-design process

6. Conclusion and next steps

Following the co-design and publication of Our Charter, work started on using similar methods to design a framework that can measure the extent to which the commitments in the Charter are being fulfilled.

Co-design work of this type represents an innovative and people-centred approach to public service design, empowering people who use services to set priorities and shape how things are done. Designing Our Charter gave people the chance to communicate what the principles of a human rights based approach to social security would look like in practice; producing the Charter Measurement Framework has given people the chance to make sure this approach is being realised, and demonstrated in a way that is meaningful to users.

Central to the co-design process was the input of people with lived experience of social security – Core Group 2. Several members of this group made considerable effort to attend and participate in workshops and took responsibility for developing their understanding of measurement and data-collection. The group thought carefully about the best ways to measure the Charter commitments and, with support from researchers, came up with a robust set of measures which were collectively agreed upon. This work has been supplemented by feedback and advice from social security stakeholders, including SCoSS, whose comments have been incorporated into the framework, with the approval of Core Group 2.

Methods for collecting much of the data needed for the framework will be developed over the next year. The framework will be published annually and each publication will contain more data as it becomes available, and as new benefits are rolled-out.

The Measurement Framework will be fully enacted by 2022/23, when the last of the devolved benefits will be being delivered by Social Security Scotland. The framework will be subject to review once the new social security system in Scotland is fully operational.