Local Outcomes Improvement Plans (LOIPs)

A requirement of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, is that a Local Outcomes Improvement Plan (LOIP) is produced to outline how community planning partners will work with communities to improve outcomes for individuals, families and communities. The LOIP is not an aspirational statement for the future but a document which takes into account the needs of communities.  

The Improvement Service, together with Audit Scotland and NHS Health Scotland have created a summary of the emerging themes from a recent stock-take of all available Local Outcomes Improvement Plans (LOIPs).

The findings now provide a basis from which the Improvement Service, working with relevant stakeholders, will commit to work with Community Planning Managers and partner organisations to continue to develop and deliver appropriate support for CPPs.

Additional Information:

The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (CE Act) introduced Local Outcomes Improvement Plans (supported by Locality Plans) as a replacement for existing Single Outcome Agreements (SOAs), i.e. the CE Act requires CPPs to:

  • Prepare and publish a Local Outcomes Improvement Plan (LOIP) which sets out the local outcomes which the CPP will prioritise for improvement
  • Identify smaller areas within the local authority area which experience the poorest outcomes, and prepare and publish locality plans to improve outcomes on agreed priorities for these communities (the outcomes prioritised for improvement in a locality plan may differ from those in the local outcomes improvement plan)
  • Review and report publicly on progress towards their LOIP and locality plans, and keep the continued suitability of these plans under review.

With specific reference to the LOIPs, the guidance supporting the Act states that a LOIP:

  • Should set out clear and agreed priorities for improving local outcomes and on tackling inequalities, and demonstrate a robust link between these and the CPP’s understanding of local needs, circumstances and aspirations.
  • Identify those geographical communities / communities of interest that experience significantly poorer outcomes
  • Outline how participation with communities, businesses and third sector has helped to develop and influence this understanding.

With the clear focus of the LOIPs on reducing inequality and improving outcomes for the most disadvantaged communities, LOIPs should identify those areas where CPPs will have the greatest impact, rather than the more general over-arching focus of SOAs.

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