Delivering place-based interventions and system change to tackle child poverty: learning and reflections from the child poverty pathfinders' evaluation
This paper presents learning from the evaluation of the child poverty pathfinders in Dundee and Glasgow about key challenges in delivering place-based child poverty interventions. It is intended to support other areas aiming to effect system change and improve support for low-income families.
About this paper
As part of its mission to eradicate child poverty, the Scottish Government has set out a commitment to ensuring that children and families can access the services they need when and where they need them, through the provision of whole family support. The Fairer Futures Partnerships (FFPs) are a key mechanism for delivering this, involving national and local government and partners working together. Targeted funding supports FFPs to take forward locally-driven, place-based ‘tests of change’ to develop new approaches to tackling child poverty, with a view to scaling and spreading successful approaches across Scotland.
FFPs have the ‘place principle’ at their centre. This recognises that place is at the heart of addressing the needs and realising the full potential of communities. FFPs are also key investments in testing and developing the Scottish Government’s public service reform agenda. Informed by the Christie Commission report, this highlights the necessity of “radical change in the design and delivery of public services … to tackle the deep-rooted social problems that persist in communities across the country.”[1]
The place principle and a commitment to ‘system change’ arguably go hand in hand, since many systems are not currently set up in a way that allows the effective tailoring of support to local needs. Both were key to the design and aims of the child poverty pathfinder programmes in Dundee and Glasgow – which are now part of the FFP programme.
This short paper reflects on learning from the phase 2 evaluation of the child poverty pathfinders about what works in delivering support to families in, or at risk of, poverty. It includes learning likely to be of relevance both to other areas considering place-based interventions and to those trying to effect system change, particularly those aiming to improve support to low-income families. A companion paper on learning for evaluating evolving and complex programmes has also been published.
A full and summary report of the phase 2 evaluation are available separately. This paper draws on a number of themes discussed in more detail in those reports. It reflects the views of the external evaluators involved in the phase 2 evaluation. While it is hoped this document will provide useful food for thought, others may have different views on how best to approach the issues identified.