As devolution in the United Kingdom moves into its second decade and is fully operational in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland it is an appropriate time to undertake a comprehensive analysis of the impact of devolution on social policy, based on the experience of all three countries. Earlier perspectives emphasised the importance of the relationship between devolution and social policy. The view was extensively promulgated that social policy formed the core of devolved powers and even that the devolved parliament and assemblies could best be regarded as social policy parliaments. Social policy has a key role in the powers devolved to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and social welfare services have been a major component of policies emerging from devolved administrations. Just how significant social policy is for the devolution enterprise has been the subject of some debate with the view widely expressed that the social policies are a dominant or at least a very significant feature. Looking ahead, Parry (1997) suggested that the ability to take distinctive action on social policy was one of the main justifications for a Scottish assembly or parliament. Subsequently Scott and Mooney (2005) suggested that a strong argument could be made for social policy being a key driver of the Scottish Parliament and Stewart (2004a) noted that in a very real sense devolution is about welfare and indeed social welfare constitutes the bulk of its remit. Chaney and Drakeford (2004) went as far as terming the Welsh Assembly a social policy assembly for Wales and a similar assessment has been made that the Scottish Parliament is largely concerned with welfare and/or social policy (Mooney et al, 2006).

Such evaluations were largely based on the original nature of devolved powers, public expectations and the early policy outputs of the devolved administrations. The operation of devolution tended to be dominated by the major social services areas of health, social care, education and housing and by major social policy themes and contemporary agendas: child poverty, children's services, social exclusion, equality, the regeneration of local communities and fuel poverty.

Significant changes have since taken place in the overall context of devolution. The major change has been the coming into office of new governments, following the 2007 elections, with the Scottish National Party (SNP) forming the government in Scotland for the first time and with a new Labour–Plaid Cymru coalition in government in Wales for the first time.