The ‘second wave’ of Welsh Government consultation on its National Milestones ended last month. The Milestones relate to a set of National Indicators, articulated under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, which enable the measurement of progress towards the seven Well-being Goals for Wales.
These National Milestones deliberately align with milestones operating at an international level: the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Wales is the first country in the world to legislate for the well-being of current and future generations in a way that ties in with the SDGs.
The question of how to realistically project and then accurately measure global – or even national -progress on any policy-related or development issue inspires much debate. For example, experts warn that most countries are falling short of the 2030 SDG targets and that these international milestones might not now be reached until 2073.
High quality research and data and how these are communicated and mobilized into policy have an important role to play. For example, Nesta has commented specifically, in relation to the National Milestones, on the importance of this opportunity to use ‘data that’s already out there’ and to make ‘data more available’ to others.
Milestones need to be informed by the best available evidence and in consultation with leading experts – this gives them the greatest chance of setting realistic expectations and telling a meaningful ‘status story’. Or, in other words, setting a clear target and enabling the status of progress against this to be clearly measured and communicated over time.
The Wales Centre for Public Policy (WCPP) evidence briefings have informed the Welsh Government’s thinking on National Milestones relating to three National Indicators for measuring the health of Wales’ population
- the percentage of children with two mor more healthy lifestyle behaviours;
- the percentage of adults with two or more healthy lifestyle behaviours; and
- healthy life expectancy at birth including the gap between the least and most deprived.
This follows on from earlier work conducted by WCPP for the Welsh Government in 2015 informing the development of the National Indicators themselves. The report produced drew on existing evidence to provide a framework for identifying appropriate indicators based on the Well-being Goals. It also provided a draft narrative for communicating this, and some proposed indicators for consideration, as well as recommendations for the set of indicators as a whole.
This collaboration with the Welsh Government through an evidence-based approach has continued with WCPP’s research to inform the three Milestones, feeding evidence into round tables with Welsh Government officials, policy leads and other key stakeholders. We also drew in leading academic voices – for example, Professor Sir Michael Marmot , expert in the social determinants of health and Professor Ben Barr, expert in applied public health – to support robust, current, and nuanced debate around how these Milestones might most effectively and realistically be set. Discussion points and expert recommendations from the round tables were recorded and used to reflect further on and, where additional sources were suggested, revise the evidence briefings.
This activity combined has played a major role in enabling Ministers to draft credible, evidence-based Milestones for wider consultation.