The Context

A number of key policy areas have been developed by the Scottish Government and statutory agencies over the past decade - all dovetailing towards outcome focused delivery. Working and Learning Together sets the framework for

CLD in Scotland. The three national priorities for CLD are:

The strategy document - Developing Change - outlined the need to say more about the difference that CLD makes to the lives of individuals, groups and communities. The document lists the range of outcomes that CLD contributes to.

Following the Concordat in 2007 between local authorities and Scottish Government, there has been a shift to "localism" in the delivery of services. Through the development of the National Performance Framework, the Scottish Government outlined 15 National Outcomes which they want to see embedded in the work of local authorities and their partner agencies. All local authorities have established Single Outcome Agreements which strategically outline how they are going to work with their partners towards these National Outcomes Her Majesty's Inspectorate for Education (HMIe) undertakes inspection and reviews of CLD provision across Scotland using their framework for self evaluation - How Good is our Community Learning and Development? 2 (HGIOCLD?2). The framework poses high level evaluation questions for practitioners, beginning with:

The four capacities of Curriculum for Excellence are also outcome focussed.
It aims to create:

Together these policy drivers are making it ever more essential to show the impact
of our work and present the evidence of the changes we are making. We believe that Explaining the Difference can assist you to do this easily and with clarity.