The Finance Committee agreed at the start of this session of the parliament to monitor the progress being made in delivering the decisive shift to prevention. While there is some evidence of progress the Committee has been continually frustrated by the lack of evidence of any large scale shift towards prevention. Despite a political consensus in support of a preventative approach, the progress in delivering change across the public services has been extremely slow. Audit Scotland have questioned whether the prevention work being carried out by Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) will deliver the radical change called for by the Christie Commission.
The Scottish Government has also recognised that the pace of public sector reform needs to be faster. Responding to the Committee’s report on Draft Budget 2015-16 the Deputy First Minister stated that while there is some evidence of change at a local level “we need to see this replicated more quickly and at a greater scale.” He suggested that a “culture change is necessary” which “will only be achieved through greater levels of integration between public service partners.” In particular, the pace of progress being made by CPPs “needs to increase markedly.”
The Committee is interested in hearing views on the progress being made in reforming Scotland’s public services and delivering the decisive shift towards prevention including:
- Why has the progress of reform proposed by the Christie Commission been so slow?
- What are the main barriers to change and how do we address them in order to accelerate the rate of progress?
- How do we ensure that the necessary culture change and greater levels of integration takes place?
- How do we create a culture of innovation?
- What opportunities does digital technology provide in reforming the delivery of public services towards prevention?
- How should community planning be developed to support service integration and the focus on prevention?
- What lessons can we learn from other countries in delivering a preventative approach?
- What are the implications for the provision of public services if the decisive shift to prevention does not take place?
How to submit your evidence
The closing date for responses is Friday 30 October 2015.
All responses should be sent electronically (in Word format – no confirmatory hard copy required) to [email protected]. Written responses will be handled in accordance with the Parliament’s policy for handling written evidence received in response to calls for evidence. All written evidence received may be published by the Parliament and will be treated as a public document. If you wish to submit evidence in confidence or anonymously please read the policy at the link above.
What happens next?
The Committee will be considering those witnesses it wishes to hear oral evidence from in due course, informed by the written evidence received. Oral evidence sessions are likely to be in November and December.
Contact
Should you require alternative formats of this information or further assistance in making a written submission to the Committee, please do not hesitate to contact the clerking team of the Committee via the email address above or by telephone on 0131 348 5451.