Measuring Impact Task and Finish Group: final report and recommendations

4. Measuring what matters

The Task and Finish Group developed the EHT Monitor taking account of the background, context, data gaps and limitations as summarised above.

4.1 Intentions of the Ending Homelessness Together Monitor

The EHT Monitor intends to:

• Demonstrate whether we are making progress toward ending homelessness in Scotland.
• Measure what matters to people who experience homelessness.
• Indicate the impact of policy and practice decisions.
• Create a shift from reporting activity to measuring outcomes.
• Reduce unnecessary data and reporting burdens on local authorities.

4.2 Criteria for Selecting Indicators

The criteria to select indicators for the EHT Monitor draw on international best practice and are the criteria used by Scottish Government to monitor key policy areas, including the National Performance Framework and Wellbeing Economy Monitor. They are:

• Relevance: there must be a clear relationship between the indicator and the strategy outcome.
• Validity: the indicator must measure what it is supposed to measure.
• Distinctiveness: the indicator must not measure something already captured under other indicators.
• Practicality: the indicator must provide value for money, and it must be feasible and affordable to obtain data.
• Clarity: the indicator must be straightforward to interpret by the intended audience. It must clearly communicate the measure that it is trying to assess.
• Credibility: the indicator must be based upon impartial, reliable data that is precise enough to show change over time.
• Public interest: indicators must be engaging and relevant for members of the public.

4.3 What we will measure

The EHT Plan describes a set of commitments to act upon:

• Embed a person-centred approach.
• Prevent homelessness from happening in the first place.
• Prioritise settled homes for all.
• Join up planning and resources to tackle homelessness.
• Respond quickly and effectively whenever homelessness happens.

The EHT Monitor will determine the impact of those commitments by measuring progress toward the following 10 outcomes:

a. Structural Outcomes

The wider structural change needed to end homelessness, and which rely on levers that are not fully held by partners of the EHT Plan:

1. Sufficient social and affordable homes.

2. Fewer households experience poverty which drives homelessness.

3. Fewer children grow up in households experiencing low income and material disadvantage.

4. Fewer households experience a shortfall between welfare benefits and housing costs.

5. More public sector bodies ask about housing and act to prevent homelessness earlier.

b. Strategic Outcomes

The highest-level change that can be reasonably attributed to the programme. Levers are held by partners of the EHT Plan and outcomes directly linked to it:

6. Fewer people become homeless.

7. Time spent homeless is reduced.

8. More equality in housing outcomes.

9. People have more choice and control if they experience homelessness.

10. More equipped and enabled workforce.

4.4 How we will measure

The EHT Monitor is intended to provide the framework for the Scottish Government’s annual report to Scottish Parliament and for this to be reported at a local level through the planning and decision-making structures for housing, homelessness, health and social care. It is also intended for the Board and executive teams of third sector partners.

The EHT Monitor is a new and combined framework that will:

a. Use measurable indicators from existing data sets

The EHT Monitor will use a clear set of indicators that draw from existing data sets (see section 2 above) and report on them annually.

b. Improve existing data sets

The identified gaps or limitations on the existing data sets (see section 3 above) will be progressed through the Scottish Government’s review of HL1 data monitoring. Improvements to PREVENT1 should be considered alongside the development of new core data on the prevention duties in the forthcoming Housing Bill.

c. Fill data gaps

The better use of existing data will be supplemented with the development of two methods to fill key data gaps:

• Annual Survey of Housing and Homelessness Sector

A survey of organisations to be developed by Scottish Government and/or a relevant intermediary, network or membership organisation. It will span the indicators specified in the EHT Monitor.

• Peer Research Programme

Peer research delivered by All in For Change and co-designed with I-SPHERE at Heriot-Watt university to span specific indicators identified in the EHT Monitor focused on the experiences of people and services. A team of Change Leads will receive specialist training, support and mentoring to undertake a peer research role. The role will include co-designing research questions, research tools, fieldwork management, co-analysis of findings and reporting against specific indicators.