Dumfries & Galloway faced a familiar challenge: fragmented poverty, health and community data spread across multiple systems. Working with Wallscope, the region created a Fairer Futures platform that connects information into clear, consistent local insight for Scotland’s public sector.
To address this, Dumfries & Galloway Council partnered with Wallscope to design and deliver its Fairer Futures Poverty Dashboard — a scalable, data‑driven platform aligned to the Scottish Government’s Fairer Futures approach. The dashboard brings together key datasets in one accessible location, enabling clearer insight, more consistent interpretation and a shared evidence base across services.
Fairer Futures Partnerships (FFPs) are funded by the Scottish Government and support their ambition to eradicate child poverty. They focus on place‑based, collaborative approaches that streamline services supporting priority families to improve income, health and wellbeing, and employment opportunities.
A unified view of poverty and place
The dashboard integrates data from the Department for Work and Pensions, Public Health Scotland and Scottish Government open data. Once logged in, system admins can add references to data sets of interest. Data is captured from the relevant APIs and used to provide interactive maps, charts and tables.
Users can explore:
- Patterns of poverty, with a focus on child poverty
- Rural and urban classifications
- Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) areas
- Differences in outcomes across communities
By aligning datasets to common geographies such as Data Zones, the dashboard supports meaningful comparison and helps practitioners understand how need varies across local areas.
From fragmented data to connected insight
Wallscope worked with Council teams and partners to turn dispersed datasets into a single, structured evidence base. Using linked data approaches, the dashboard makes relationships clear and ensures information can be interpreted consistently.
Designed for accessibility and future readiness
By embedding meaning directly into the data, the dashboard is easy to navigate and supports a wide range of users. This structured foundation also enables future analytical and AI‑driven development.
Governance, quality and alignment
Strong governance and ongoing validation kept the solution aligned to Fairer Futures priorities. While some datasets from national sources are not yet available in dashboard‑ready formats, the platform is designed to expand as more structured data becomes accessible.
Impact
The Fairer Futures Poverty Dashboard has delivered:
- A functional, scalable platform integrating multi‑source datasets
- Clearer and more consistent understanding of data across services and organisations
- Stronger place‑based insight aligned to Fairer Futures priorities
- Reduced reliance on manual data collation and improved analytical efficiency
- Improved accessibility and usability of data across roles and contexts
- A future‑ready data foundation supporting ongoing development and AI‑enabled analysis
You can explore the dashboard here and examine how poverty and community outcomes vary across Dumfries & Galloway.
Supporting a fairer future for Dumfries & Galloway
By bringing together previously fragmented information into a single, coherent view, the Fairer Futures Poverty Dashboard strengthens the region’s ability to understand local need and make informed, partnership‑led decisions. It represents a significant step toward a more connected, data‑driven approach to tackling poverty and improving outcomes for communities.
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