For the past two decades the Improvement Service has worked alongside councils, public sector partners, and national organisations to drive transformation across Scotland.
To mark this milestone, we turned to those who know us best – our trusted partners.
We asked them to reflect on their experiences working with the IS, and we’re proud to share their stories here as part of our 20th anniversary celebrations.
Mandy Sheridan, Service Improvement Officer at Argyll and Bute Council, described how the IS helped facilitate the Rural and Island Child Poverty community:
“The Improvement service has certainly assisted local efforts in Argyll and Bute to tackle child poverty over the last several years.
“For me it is not only the skills and information that they bring, but the emphasis that they place on listening to the local areas and what their needs are.
“This has led to additional support/organisational groups being set up, like the one for remote, rural and islands poverty leads.
“Another example might be the development of cross interest working that they facilitated, for example, with employability partnerships.
“The employability service has ensured that local areas have linked up, shared ideas and innovations, funding information and resources.
“A key example of this has been in their facilitating of the data work that was so badly needed.
“I would also say that there has been very real value in the Improvement Service providing opportunities to share the emotional journey of tackling child poverty; the triumphs and frustrations.
“Working in this area is not just about turning up and doing the job, people invest themselves in it and the progress they very much want to make happen.”
Craig Morris, Head of Quality Improvement and Participation, Care Inspectorate, said:
“As I approach my sixth year with the Care Inspectorate, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with the Improvement Service on high-impact collaborative initiatives that continue to strengthen the quality of care and outcomes across Scotland.
“Our partnership reflects not only shared goals but also a deep, reciprocal commitment to improvement and innovation.
“The Care Inspectorate and Improvement Service share a deep-seated belief in the power of improvement as levers for public sector reform, more notably within social care, social work and early learning and childcare sectors.
“The professionalism, dedication, and expertise of Improvement Service colleagues have made them exemplary partners in this work.
“Our collaboration has grown stronger and more sustainable over time, reaching every level of our organisations from project delivery, senior leader communication and board engagement.
“This was clearly demonstrated in the joint presentation of our long-standing partnership work and intelligence sharing to both organisational boards in late 2023.
“Ultimately, the real-world impact is reflected in the lives of individuals and communities who have benefited from the change and improvement we've delivered together.”
Jay McDonald, Team Leader in the Building Standards Division at the Scottish Government, worked with the IS on the Building Standards Power BI dashboard development Building Standards National Customer Survey Platform.
"Our partnership with the IS has been both strategic and very hands-on. IS have brought strong expertise in new technologies and they’ve worked directly with our stakeholders to design tailored solutions, supporting us all the way from the initial scoping through to implementation and beyond.
“IS have the ability to turn complex technical ideas into practical solutions which has been crucial to make sure our proposals work for local authorities on the ground, but also align with our strategic goals at a national level.
“IS have directly supported our priorities, especially around continuous improvement, evidence-based decision-making and improving the quality of public services.
“Thanks to the dashboards, we now have clearer data insights that help Scottish Ministers make better-informed decisions at a national level.
“Our work with IS has supported our collaborative working with local authorities and ultimately, this leads to better outcomes for people and communities across Scotland.
“Coming from a local authority background myself, I can see the huge impact IS have had on transforming local government over the last 20 years by providing that national perspective to local issues.
“IS commitment to collaboration, innovation and building capacity in the public sector is second to none. They tailor solutions to meet often unique and complex requirements and we’re really fortunate to have them here in Scotland. We do have a lot to thank them for over the last 20 years for delivering both local and national initiatives that make a real difference to our public services.”
Dominic Cuthbert, Strategic Development Manager, Ordnance Survey for 23 years, has worked with the IS on a number of projects, most notably the One Scotland Gazetteer, OSMA, ScotLIS, and the Data Hub.
“We truly value our partnership and the incredible work we've done together. Our partnership, I hope, is one of mutual trust based on long-established working patterns.
“We immensely value the insights and access IS brings us to working with Scottish Local Government, and we hope that we have supported you with ever-adapting terms to allow you to develop your current services.
“We are immensely grateful for your unwavering support and collaboration.
“IS provides us with invaluable access to Local Government, allowing us to include Scotland in our GB approach to the core assets they develop and maintain (addressing, Streets, and hopefully the wealth of further datasets available via the Data Hub).
“The delivery of a GB Addressing and Streets dataset has been a significant achievement. We hope we have taken the feedback IS has provided and developed our terms and conditions to better meet their requirements, especially around wider data access and sharing.
“IS has demonstrated exceptional leadership in the management of data standards and the delivery of services that bolster Local Government.
“The Data Hub stands as a stellar example of how local government can pool its resources to enhance data utilisation and, over time, establish best practices. This model is highly regarded and envied by our colleagues south of the border and warrants widespread acclaim.
“The achievements facilitated through the Data Hub not only underscore the importance of collaboration but also highlight the potential for future innovations and improvements.
“I’m looking forward to many more successful projects together.”
Ruth Glassborow, Director of Population Health and Wellbeing Public Health Scotland, said:
“Public Health Scotland values its strong and collaborative relationship with the Improvement Service. Since its inception in 2020, PHS has worked with the Improvement Service on a number of joint initiatives including Shaping Places for Wellbeing.
“The Improvement Service brings deep expertise in local government and place-based approaches, which has been instrumental in advancing our shared goals around health equity, climate resilience, and community empowerment.
“They are always generous in bringing their knowledge, skills and relationships to the table and this, combined with their values based approach, enables strong collaborative working on areas of common interest.”
Aidan McCrory, Quality Improvement Manager at the Care Inspectorate, said:
“Our partnership with the Improvement Service has been a consistently valuable and impactful collaboration. From supporting the ELC improvement programme and national integration huddles to delivering key reporting for our safe staffing programme, the IS has proven to be a reliable and insightful partner.
“Their expertise in data and evaluation has strengthened our strategic objectives, particularly in advancing the 1140 hours ELC work and developing the national driver diagram.
“Through initiatives like the JAM meetings, we’ve been able to engage directly with local authority chief officers, raising awareness and delivering targeted support.
“The IS brings a unique blend of analytical rigour and collaborative spirit, and their contribution to local government over the past 20 years - especially in self-evaluation and quality improvement—deserves recognition and celebration.”
Nahid Hanif, West Lothian Council’s Anti Poverty Manager, said:
“The Improvement Service have helped West Lothian Community Planning Partners and the council to evidence the impact of the Tackling Poverty Strategy has had by providing robust analytical support, facilitating data-driven evaluation, and enabling a clearer understanding of outcomes to inform future decision-making and enhance strategic planning.
“The knowledge and dedication of the Improvement Service staff have been instrumental in helping build local capacity, fostering collaborative working, and ensuring the insights gained are both meaningful and actionable.
“We’ve been working closely with the Improvement Service since late 2022, particularly around the use of data to better target resources in relation to child poverty.
“Across Scotland, local authorities use data in different ways. In West Lothian, we were particularly keen to harness data to target resources more effectively and address unmet need - especially among the six priority family groups identified in the national child poverty agenda.
“Together, we developed a project that used DWP’s Children in Low-Income Families data and overlaid it with our local education payments data.
“The project has shown how combining the council’s local knowledge and datasets with the Improvement Service’s expertise - particularly in data analysis, cleaning, and digital innovation - can lead to more effective use of existing resources. Their support in developing a dashboard has helped us visualise where unmet needs exist and how best to respond.
“Crucially, working with the Improvement Service has also helped us connect with other local authorities doing similar work. This peer learning element has been invaluable.
“Being part of a national conversation means we’re not working in isolation, and we’ve been able to share experiences, successes, and challenges, including those around data access and sharing.
“In today’s financial climate, with limited budgets and growing demand, it’s essential we make the most of the resources we have. This partnership has helped us do exactly that - by putting data to work, reaching communities in need, and learning from others along the way.”
Erin Murray, Research and Policy Officer People, Scottish Borders Council, said:
“The Improvement Service has been instrumental in development of LARIA (Local Area Research and Intelligence Association) in Scotland. Recently there was an online event in partnership with ONS Local with more than 100 participants.
“The Improvement Service has really helped to understand and helped to address child poverty in Scotland. Especially with the Rural and Island Child Poverty peer support network which addresses child poverty in a rural context that can be different for child poverty experienced in urban environments.”
Julie Welsh, Chief Executive Scotland Excel, said:
“The Improvement Service is one Scotland Excel’s closest partners, and we have had great joint success with our Project Management Training and our joint working on procurement.
“The Academy and the Improvement Service co-delivered 23 project management cohorts over the period August 2018 to October 2022.
“Scotland Excel would like to wish the IS team the very best on their 20th Anniversary. Here’s to the next 20!”
Jamie Brogan, Strategy Director at the Scottish Climate Intelligence Service and Head of Climate Partnerships at the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute, said:
“The Edinburgh Climate Change Institute (ECCI) has partnered with the Improvement Service to set up and run the Scottish Climate Intelligence Service, a national programme helping all 32 local authorities across Scotland to monitor and deliver area-wide programmes for emissions reduction, as part of Scotland’s Climate Change Plan.
“ECCI had worked with the Scottish Cities Alliance (SCA) to understand the needs of local authorities and what most would help them with delivery of their climate commitments. When COSLA and Scottish Government agreed that a national capacity building programme for local authorities would have the most impact, the Improvement Service were put forward as a natural partner.
“The Improvement Service have been a great partner to work with. “They’ve been flexible, responsive, and supportive when we needed them. They have great people, and they’ve added more to the team and as we’ve built our programme together.
“They’ve helped us to make connections across the different policies and programmes and programmes, and have elevated support for tacking climate change within their own mission and purpose.
“Their range of programmes gives them deep understanding of the needs of local government, and of the challenges and opportunities they face in balancing different local priorities.
“These insights have really helped us to build effective engagement and real impact in local authorities, and in establishing the SCIS as a collaborative, coordinated programme that is helping Scotland and its local authorities to lead the way in responding to climate change.”