Figure 8 Consultancy Services Ltd successfully awarded as DLS Evaluation Partner
DLS is pleased to announce Figure 8 Consultancy Services Ltd was successful in a recent competitive procurement exercise to identify an evaluation partner for Phase 3 of Digital Lifelines Scotland.
Over the past five years, the programme has evolved its delivery model although maintaining the ambition to impact people, services and the sector. It is timely to now assess whether the programme is impacting on sustainable change at the sector and system level. The focus on system change was the rationale for Phase 3 moving to a place-based model and funding through Alcohol and Drug Partnerships in distinct localities.
As the programme matured, attention increased towards understanding how organisations, services, and the wider ecosystem could adapt to ensure digital approaches were embedded within the design and delivery of services. This phase retained individual impact and increased capability of frontline services but identified digital inclusion not as a standalone outcome but recognising it as a key enabler of equitable access to modern public services.
The emphasis is on identifying the conditions, approaches, and interventions that support organisations and sectors to integrate digital thinking into mainstream service delivery, ultimately enabling more equitable access to services that are increasingly delivered through digital channels.
The evaluation will also consider how the DLS programme is aligned and contributing to the implementation of Scotland’s Alcohol & Drugs Strategic Plan 2026-2035 Preventing Harm, Promoting Recovery: Scotland's Alcohol & Drugs Strategic Plan 2026 – 2035. With particular consideration given to the contribution made by DLS in enabling partners to uphold and apply the Charter of Rights for People Affected by Substance Use.
The evaluation will assess all Phase 3 activity, including the recently completed Phase 3 Year 1 cohort (East Ayrshire and Angus) and the current Phase 3 Year 2 cohort (Aberdeenshire, Moray and Dundee). This will provide insight across different stages of delivery and implementation, including learning from projects at different levels of maturity and, where possible, evidence of impact beyond the intervention period.
Figure 8 will lead on the development of an impact framework to support long term sustainability beyond the lifespan of the programme. They will build upon but not replicate the Theory of Change developed in DLS Phase 2 and maintain a Contribution Analysis model to assess the programme’s impact.
