The Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Needs Assessment Tool has been developed by the Scottish Government and COSLA, with support from the IS, to support a more robust, evidence-informed understanding of need across Scotland.
During 2025/26, 10 local authority areas from across Scotland participated in a test phase to explore how the draft tool could be applied in practice. The test areas generated valuable insights into the strengths of the tool, challenges encountered, data and evidence considerations, and the support required for future implementation. This learning is now being used to refine the tool, guidance and supporting resources ahead of wider rollout and adoption. The second test phase began on 1st October 2026 with a new cohort of 10 local authority areas and will build on the initial learning and continue to refine the approach with a new group of local areas.
On Tuesday the 6th of October, the Improvement Service hosted the first National Learning Event for the VAWG Needs Assessment Tool. The event brought together local and national partners working to improve outcomes for victims and survivors across Scotland to:
- Share emerging learning from the test phase, highlighting different local approaches to undertaking the VAWG needs assessment.
- Explore key findings and challenges, and discuss how the tool, guidance and supporting resources can be refined to support future implementation.
- Provide an opportunity for reflection on how the VAWG needs assessment can strengthen local planning, commissioning and partnership responses.
The full learning report and toolkit resources are now available.