The Opportunities and Challenges of the Changing Public Services Landscape for the Third Sector in Scotland: A Longitudinal Study: Year Two Report

APPENDIX E: AGENDA FOR FOCUS GROUPS

AGENDA FOR GROUP MEETINGS

Second Meeting October/November 2010

1) General discussion topics

The agenda for group discussions will be flexible and driven by the participants. However, the following are among the issues that we would like participants to consider.

Topic 1: Responses to the Changing Policy Environment

• What changes have there been in the last six months in the policy environment that have/are going to change how your organisation delivers public services?
• What are the drivers of these changes?

• What has been the impact on the TSO (e.g. on service delivery, clients and staff)?
• How has your organisation adapted/responded?
• How does your organisation plan to respond in future?
• What do you think are the key lessons you have learned in the last 6 months?
• Do you have any examples you consider to constitute 'good practice' in adapting to the changing environment?

Topic 2 Responses to the Changing Funding Environment

• What changes have there been in the last six months in the funding environment that have/are going to change how your organisation delivers public services?
• What is/will drive these changes?

• What has been the impact on the TSO (e.g. on service delivery, clients and staff)?
• How has your organisation adapted/responded?
• How does your organisation plan to respond in future?
• What do you think are the key lessons you have learned in the last 6 months?
• Do you have any examples you consider to constitute 'good practice' in adapting to the changing environment?

Topic 3 Measurement and Evaluation

• Have there been any changes in the last six months to the way performance has been measured and evaluated by funders?
• What have these been?

• Why have these changes occurred and what has been the impact on the TSO?
• Have you adopted any arrangements independently in order to ensure that the benefit delivered by the TSO is evidenced and rewarded?
• What have these been and why did you adopt them?

Topic 4: Relationship with Local Authorities and CPPs

• Have you experienced any changes in your organisation's relationship with local authorities and CPPs?
• How and why have these changes taken place?
• How does this affect how your organisation operates?

Topic 5 Partnership Working

• Have you experienced any changes to partnership working? Eg. new partnerships formed, existing partnership dissolved?
• What are the reasons for these changes?

Topic 6 Place and Rural Issues

Have the challenges of delivering public services across a range of geographical contexts (e.g. disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods; remote rural areas) changed in the last six months? If so, how and why?

Topic 7 Future Opportunities and Challenges

Do you think the opportunities and challenges for your organisation over the next 12-16 months have changed since the last meeting? What has changed and why do you think this has been?