Accountability of public services in Scotland: baseline evidence review and analysis

1. Introduction

This report presents the findings of a research study to provide a Baseline Evidence Review and Analysis of the Current Landscape of the Accountability of Public Services in Scotland . The research was commissioned by the Scottish Government’s Consumer and Competition Policy Unit, on behalf of Scottish Ministers.

This report focusses on Part 2 of the research - the citizen’s journey: evidence review. It has been developed to help inform discussions of the Collaborative Working Group that has been established to support delivery against Commitment 4 of Scotland’s Open Government Partnership (OGP) National Action Plan 2018/2020.

Research into the scrutiny bodies and regulators perspective: a review of the public service accountability landscape (Part 1) is the subject of a separate report.

1.1 Context

Scotland joined the OGP in 2016, and the Scottish Government and the Scottish Civil Society Network jointly developed the nation’s first Action Plan (2017/18)^[1].

Scotland’s current National Action Plan 2018/2020^[2] reaffirms the Scottish Government and Scottish Civil Society Network^[3] commitment to valuing openness, accountability, transparency and public participation.

The five commitments for 2018-2020 are: (1) Providing financial and performance transparency, (2) Providing a framework to support overall change in Scottish Government to improve the way people take part in open policy-making and delivering services, (3) Improving how we share information, (4) Improving the accountability of public services - a citizen's journey , and (5) Transparency and involvement as the UK leaves the European Union.

1.2 Research Objectives

The overall aim of the study was to undertake research into the citizen’s journey: evidence review recommendations for taking forward an engagement strategy focused on exploring people’s perspective and understanding of the accountability framework in place for public services.

The research was primarily desk-based, and its outputs were discussed with members of the Collaborative Working Group (i.e. the original signatories) at a workshop on the 2nd April 2019, and feedback has been incorporated into relevant sections of the report.

1.3 Report Structure

The remainder of the report has been structured as follows:

• Section 2 provides an overview of civic society in Scotland, and identifies community anchor organisations (and others) that might be able to support the delivery of an engagement strategy focused on understanding people's experience of the accountability framework for public services in Scotland; and
• Section 3 provides our recommendations for taking forward a public engagement strategy.

Further detail has been provided separately (Microsoft Excel format), including identification of key national and local civic society players that might be able to support public engagement activity^[4].