We would not want to see financial pressures making it harder for local authorities to make the case for building evaluation and learning into their future ways of working.53 The Local Government Association stresses the need to build on the success of the Innovation Programme as councils deal both with financial pressures and children requiring support for more complex needs, citing the need for the best evidence to be used to support ongoing improvement.54 It is vital that the Department tracks the use and impact of evidence-based policy in children’s social care to ensure the opportunities created by the Innovation Programme are not lost. 51 Qq 31, 43 52 EPC0003 p.2 53 Q 46 54 EPC0002 p.3 14 Evaluating innovation projects in children’s social care