4. Enhance our own TQV
As a regulator, OSR must exemplify the standards that we expect of others. Focusing on our own TQV not only shows us practicing what we preach but also provides a framework to underpin our own organisational ambition. It includes maintaining our independence and separation from producers of statistics (T); enhancing our capability, processes and quality culture (Q); and increasing the effectiveness of our public engagement and how we measure and enhance our impact (V).
Enhancing our own TQV is a strategic priority. It ensures that we remain a credible, capable and responsive regulator – one that not only holds others to account but also is also accountable to other. By embedding TQV in our culture and operations, we strengthen our ability to deliver meaningful change and uphold the role of statistics in public life.
How we will enhance our own TQV
Trustworthiness (T)
Trustworthiness (T) is foundational to our role as a regulator. To safeguard it, we must remain vigilant and be proactive in how we operate, communicate and engage. Trustworthiness begins with independence: our formal and substantive separation from statistics producers is essential to our role. We will continue to reinforce this through clear boundaries, transparent decision-making and policies that manage any potential conflicts of interest. But trustworthiness goes beyond independence – it includes transparency, impartiality and integrity in how we operate, communicate and engage and a self-reflective and open culture. We will continue to embed our values through training and role modelling, helping our team understand the importance of independence and how to establish relationships with statistics producers that balance collaboration and scrutiny. Peer review, internal review and external experts will be used to test and challenge our thinking and reinforce our credibility. We will remain alert to external risks and adapt where necessary to protect public confidence in statistics and evidence. We will be transparent in our communications and decision-making ensuring our judgements are clear and that we are publicly accountable for our views.
Quality (Q)
Quality (Q) is about capability, consistency and thoughtful judgement. We will invest in staff development, ensuring that our team is equipped to tackle the complexity of our work. We will identify, promote and learn from good practice and enhance the processes that underpin our regulatory process ensuring they are well documented and set clear expectations. This will include more use of internal peer review of our judgements and embedding feedback loops from producers and users on the usefulness and impact of our work. We will continue to promote high standards and evidence-based reasoning and ensure that our quality culture is embedded across the organisation – not just reliant on individual leadership but supported by consistent frameworks and practices.
Value (V)
Value (V) means demonstrating impact and engaging effectively. We will clarify our value proposition for different audiences – including producers, policymakers and the public – using the pillars of the Code to frame our messaging. We will broaden our engagement, reaching beyond traditional stakeholders to include underrepresented groups and the wider public. Our outputs will be tailored to audience needs and made more accessible and user-friendly, and we will improve our digital presence to enhance visibility. We will use feedback more directly in developing measures of our impact.
Securing change
We secure change by:
- embedding our values of independence, transparency and integrity across all aspects of our work
- investing in staff capability and fostering a consistent quality culture
- improving the accessibility and clarity of outputs to support diverse audiences
- using peer review, external challenge and feedback loops to strengthen processes
- tailoring engagement strategies to maximise our impact
Commitments
We will:
- deliver training on impartiality, independence and quality standards
- maintain a central catalogue of guidance, templates and learning materials
- introduce tools to measure and publicly report our impact
- improve our digital presence and the accessibility of outputs
- introduce a live register of recommendations to track progress and demonstrate follow-through