Scottish Government Prevention Unit Plan

Ensuring Impact

The Prevention Unit has been established to help deliver tangible improvements in outcomes and support a long-term shift towards prevention across Scotland. Its work spans the full prevention agenda, from strategy and policy development through to budgeting, investment and delivery, with the aim of reducing preventable harm, improving outcomes and reducing avoidable demand on public services. This impact may be realised through better-informed budget decisions, more effective preventative investment, stronger policy development, or improved coordination and action across partners.

Demonstrating impact will be a core priority for the Unit. To support this, we will develop a monitoring and evaluation framework, underpinned by a clear theory of change and aligned with the wider Public Service Reform Monitoring and Evaluation Framework. This will combine quantitative and qualitative measures to assess progress against the Unit's objectives and understand how its work is contributing to outcomes over time.

The Prevention Unit will publish an annual progress report setting out achievements, learning and progress against its objectives. We will continue to engage with partners and stakeholders to ensure our approach to measurement, reporting and continuous improvement evolves over time.