The operation of devolution, the formulation and implementation of policies and the production of policy strategies and rationales has highlighted the commitment of devolved governments, particularly in Scotland and Wales, to a set of values and principles closely related to social policy. Writing of Wales, Chaney and Drakeford (2004, p 121) referred to an explicit set of articulated ideological principles underlying social policy. For the purposes of this analysis, values and principles are categorised under four headings: social and political values, principles for service delivery, nation-building values and principles of social policy.

Social and political values

A number of social and political values have had a central role in the development and justification of social policy in the devolved administrations: formal narratives in policy and strategy documents; in the discourses conducted by governments, the assemblies, parliament and public bodies; and also in the political rhetoric. The main values that underpin social policy narratives can be listed as social justice, equality and collectivism.

Social justice

In one sense social justice was an overarching value justifying the demand for devolution and the setting up of the systems of devolved governance that would be a better guarantor of social justice for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and for disadvantaged individuals, groups and areas. The strong Welsh commitment to social justice has been clearly articulated since 1999, demonstrated originally by the creation of a minister for social justice and social justice annual reports during the first two periods of devolution. It is central to Welsh Assembly policies and initiatives in tackling disadvantage, and was described by the Minister for Social Justice and Regeneration as ‘a thread that has been woven through all the Assembly government's strategic plans’ (WAG, 2005f). A key principle of the Communities First strategy was ‘to promote social justice’, defined by Rhodri Morgan, the First Minister, as ‘to ensure that all communities can share in the increased wealth and prosperity of Wales and the less well-off communities should be at the front of the quest to share in this prosperity’ (WAG, 2007e, para 2). Tackling child poverty was a fundamental component of WAG's strategic plans.

Bransbury (2004) and Egan (2008) have also noted the tradition of using education to further social justice, a theme repeated in the One Wales document (WAG, 2007a), which refers to a learning culture as helping achieve social justice.