8th April 2026
Having your say on…Scotland’s draft National Performance Framework
“We want Scotland to be a prosperous and fair country where people are doing well, regardless of their start in life, and live in sustainable, thriving communities with access to effective public services. This future cannot be achieved by anyone working alone but instead, requires different people and organisations from across the public, private, and voluntary sectors to work closely together.”
First launched in 2007, the National Performance Framework (NPF) sets the vision for the kind of Scotland we all want to live in.
Updated in 2018, it’s once again under review – and the Scottish Government’s goal is to develop a Framework that:
- empowers communities
- sets the vision for the kind of Scotland we would like to see
- supports public service reform
- helps national and local government work together
The Scottish Government has now developed a refreshed model and refocused
vision for the future of the National Performance Framework. These proposals have
been built on evidence from recent reviews, international sources, and the advice of the NPF Reform Advisory Group – as well as the outputs of a consultative process that began in 2023.
The Scottish Government has been contacting organisations across the public, third and private sectors to get their views. This will help them to make recommendations to the incoming government, following the 2026 Scottish Parliament Election.
Creating and delivering a vision for Scotland
At the launch of the previous National Performance Framework in 2018, we commended Scotland’s commitment to putting humanity, wellbeing and sustainability at the heart of national policy-making.
Our response to the 2023 review restated our view that the National Outcomes represent an ‘‘optimistic and inherently positive approach’ blending Scotland’s vision with the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2015-2030.
A proposed refreshed model and refocused vision for the future of the National Performance Framework has now been published. Our response to this is informed by a hybrid event held on 30 March 2026 in partnership with Scotland’s International Development Alliance, the University of Strathclyde and SDG Network Scotland.