The latest gathering of the Evaluation Task Force (ETF) 2026 brought together over 370 civil service leaders, policymakers, and evaluation experts to champion an evidence-led approach to government, sparking a call to action for improved public outcomes through robust evaluation. Held at King's College London on Friday 19 June, the event aimed to embed learning habits that would lead to better services, but will the government take heed of its message?
Juliet Chua, Director General for the Economic and Domestic Secretariat (EDS) at the Cabinet Office, urged civil servants to utilise evaluation as a catalyst for effective reform, echoing the Cabinet Secretary's vision for a rigorous transformation of public services. Levin Wheller, Head of the ETF, outlined the Taskforce's mission to shift focus from evaluating to driving better outcomes through its new strategy and priority workstreams.
The conference highlighted various government projects applying 'test and learn' methodologies to improve service delivery in complex areas such as homelessness, reoffending rates, and victim support services. Notable speakers included former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, HM Treasury's Conrad Smewing, Department for Work and Pensions' Catherine Hutchinson, and King's College London's Jen Rubin, who participated in a panel discussing the sustained cultivation of an evidence-based culture.
In a key address, Minister Satvir Kaur reframed evaluation as a vital engine for government reform, advocating for a cultural shift towards evidence-led policy-making that benefits taxpayers, improves public services, and empowers civil servants to innovate. She stressed the need to move from 'measuring what happened' to 'learning how to improve in real-time', ensuring effective spending of taxpayer money.
Jonathan Slater, former Permanent Secretary at the Department for Education, shared insights on applying evidence in diverse contexts, while Michael Sanders, Director of the School for Government, provided a behavioural science perspective on why governments resist learning and offered strategies to overcome these barriers. The event concluded with Steffan Jones' remarks.