Ipsos in Scotland Evaluation Centre
The Ipsos in Scotland Evaluation Centre was established in October 2025 to meet the evaluation challenges of today’s policymakers, who are required to demonstrate the effectiveness and impact of their programmes in an increasingly complex environment. As the leading provider of evaluation services in Scotland, we bring two decades’ experience of delivering robust and insightful evaluations for government and public sector clients. Our evaluations bring together our expertise in best practice evaluation methodologies, industry-leading capabilities in data collection and experience across a wide range of Scottish public policy domains, including child poverty, employability, health, criminal justice, the environment, and land reform.
Led by its Director, Susan Mackay, the Centre’s team of evaluators and social researchers combines the experience and knowledge of our Edinburgh-based team with the skills and expertise of our UK-wide Policy and Evaluation Unit. We offer the full spectrum of evaluation services, including implementation, process, impact and economic evaluation, tailoring our approaches and technical methods to meet our clients' needs and expectations. We have particular expertise in:
- Implementation and process evaluations
- Theory-based evaluations (including Contribution Analysis and Process Tracing)
- Quasi-experimental designs (QEDs)
- Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs)
- Economic evaluation (including Cost-Benefit Analysis and Value for Money assessments)
Senior Team
 | Susan Mackay, Director, Ipsos Policy and Evaluation Unit, has over 20 years' evaluation experience. Her work spans all areas of social policy with a particular focus on skills, careers, employment and leadership development. Susan leads multi-disciplinary teams to deliver evaluations of national policies and programmes aimed at addressing complex societal issues. She works with clients, delivery partners, programme beneficiaries and wider stakeholders to co-develop Theories of Change, outcome measurement frameworks, data collection tools and approaches. Key strengths include the selection and implementation of robust evaluation methodologies to understand programme effectiveness and impact, and the analysis, synthesis and reporting of evaluation findings to inform policy and practice. |
 | Jane Eunson, Associate Director, Ipsos Scotland, has delivered numerous evaluations for Scottish public sector clients over the past 19 years. Her experience is primarily in theory-based evaluations, including the design of Theories of Change and causal pathways. She has also led evaluability assessments. Her evaluations tend to involve mixed-methods approaches, including undertaking research with vulnerable groups. Jane’s policy knowledge is wide-ranging but is particularly focused on the areas of children and families, with several recent evaluations on childcare and child poverty. |
 | Lorriane Murray, Deputy Managing Director, Ipsos Scotland, has been involved in evaluations for Scottish clients (particularly the Scottish Government) since 2006, working across a wide range of policy areas including education, child poverty, criminal justice, health and well-being, and various studies relating to school meals and to childcare. She has directed many mixed method evaluations. Lorraine is experienced in theory-based evaluations including the development of Theories of Change and Logic Models. |
Case studies
Early Adopter Communities for Childcare: Evaluability Assessment
Early Adopter Communities for Childcare: Evaluability Assessment (for the Scottish Government). The Scottish Government is using ‘early adopters’ to learn about the delivery of funded childcare, particularly for families at most risk of poverty. As part of early evaluation work, Ipsos conducted an evaluability assessment for the full process, impact and spend evaluation.
Evaluation of the Scottish Mentoring and Leadership Programme
This programme is designed to improve the life chances of care experienced young people and those living in ‘harsh realities’. We are conducting a qualitative process evaluation; a qualitative assessment of impact; a quantitative assessment of impact using a matched control group; and a value for money assessment. The final report is due in 2026.
Phase 2 evaluation of the Child Poverty Pathfinders (CPP)
Our evaluation, for the Scottish Government, of the CPPs in Glasgow and Dundee, explored both learning from the process of implementing the pathfinders to date, and impacts for families and for system change. Methods included workshops to develop theories of change; analysis of monitoring data; qualitative research with participating parents and professional stakeholders; and breakeven modelling to model what would be required for the Dundee pathfinder, or similar place-based holistic interventions, to breakeven in value for money terms. In addition to findings reports, the evaluation produced learning papers for both delivery and future evaluation of similarly evolving and complex programmes.
Aberdeen Problem Solving Approach (APSA)
Our review of the Aberdeen Problem Solving Approach (for the Scottish Government) was conducted in partnership with the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research/University of Stirling. In line with theory and evidence on problem-solving justice, it aimed to reduce the use of short custodial sentences and reduce reoffending by combining the authority of the court with support and rehabilitative opportunities to address the underlying causes of offending. We used a mixed method approach involving primary qualitative research (interviews and focus groups with APSA participants, professionals involved in delivering the APSA and wider stakeholders), court observations, and secondary analysis of routinely collected monitoring data.
