This paper presents the methods of using routinely collected health, education and social care data to evaluate the Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) in Scotland using a natural experiment methodology.

The evaluation is structured around a well-specified programme logic model and the availability of routine data mapping onto key short, medium and long-term outcomes. The overarching aim of the evaluation is to compare first time young mothers enrolled and receiving the FNP programme (FNP Clients) to a comparable group of Controls over a range of outcomes covering maternal health, child health and development, and parental life course. Delivering the evaluation depends upon approval and successful linkage to routinely collected electronic health, education and social care records to evaluate a complex intervention already available in the population.