Where do we want to be?

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Thinking about outcomes

The participation request form asks you for the outcome you want to improve. This quick guide explains what an outcome is and helps you to think about the outcomes that are relevant to your participation request.  

What is an outcome? 

Outcomes are the effect or the difference that has been made because of a service, an activity, or a policy decision.

Sections 3.47 – 3.50 of the Statutory Guidance for participation requests provide more detail on this:

“The Act sets out that the community participation body must specify an outcome that results from the provision of a service provided to the public by the public body. The Act does not define what an outcome is. Typically, outcomes are the changes, benefits, learning or other effects that result from what the public service authority makes, offers or provides. This is often compared to outputs which are the products, services or facilities that result from an organisation's activities.” (Scottish Government Statutory Guidance on participation requests, section 3.47, p30-31)

 

What isn’t an outcome? 

Some community groups will have something specific in mind that they would like to influence. For example, they might want to see a new bus route put in place. A new bus route would be a product, or output, rather than an outcome.

To turn them into outcomes it will be helpful to think about what difference they make. For instance:

  • People have access to low-cost bus travel

  • People in our community can get to where they want to go

  • People can access health care from trusted local services 

 

So, which outcome should I use? 

To get to an outcome it is often useful to ask yourself “what difference will this make to people in my community?” The answer you get to that question will help to form your outcome. 

The outcome must be relevant to the public service authority that you are making the participation request to. If you want, you can use an outcome that the public service authority says it is working towards (e.g. on its website or in a plan). The important thing is that the outcome is relevant to both the public service authority and the service you want to see improved and that your participation request proposes how involvement from communities or service users will help. 

Examples 

Example 1: Your group wishes to see an area of waste ground developed for community use. 

Q.      What difference will this make to our local community? 

A.      Communities benefit from an improved environment, and an increase in access to spaces for physical activity.

Outcome

The outcome that you state in your participation request form could therefore be worded as follows:

As a result of regenerating the waste ground identified for local use as green space or for leisure and recreation, our community will have an improved environment and increased access to spaces for physical activity.

Example 2: The local community would like an extension of opening hours of a community library. 

Q.      What difference will this make to our local community? 

A.       We will have more access to local community facilities which will help to reduce social isolation and improve opportunities for learning and educational opportunities.

Outcome

By extending the opening hours of the library, the outcomes our community will experience are reduced social isolation and improved access to learning and educational opportunities.

 

Links to more information