A Co-constructed and Co-produced Evaluation of the Anchor Project in Shetland

Section 2: Policy and Local Contexts

The Shetland Islands are the northernmost region of the United Kingdom with a population of around 22,000 at 2022. The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation identifies the Islands as one of the least deprived local authorities in Scotland with 0% in deciles 1-2 and 3% in decile 3 (decile 1 the most deprived and decile 10 the least deprived). The current (22/23) cost-of-living crisis adds to the already high cost of living in Shetland which is estimated to be 20-65% higher than the UK average⁵.

Whilst Shetland weathered the pandemic reasonably well, post pandemic the persistent high cost of living, particularly fuel, is impacting on child poverty and hardship⁶. The Islands have the lowest unemployment rates in Scotland at 2.4% with the Scottish average for October 2021 to October 2022 at 3.5%. However, children living in low-income families (income less than 60% of the median income or in receipt of income support or income-based job seekers allowance divided by the total number of children in the area) increased from 6.8% in 2015 to 13.6% in 20/21. Using standard measures Hirsch & Stone (2021)^5,6,7 identified relatively few people are in poverty. However due to the high cost of living, which is estimated to be 20-65% higher to have an acceptable standard of living, over 40% of families who are in work may have not be able to cover minimum living costs. Different benchmarks are therefore required for Shetland.

In 2021, eight children (1.9 per 1000 population) in Shetland were recorded on the child protection register⁸. Across Scotland the rates of children on the register range from 0.4 in East Renfrewshire to 5.2 in North Ayrshire. The Islands therefore sit at the lower end of the scale for registrations for child protection.

2.1 Local Context: Socio-economic and geographic considerations

Some notable contextual issues, pertaining to Shetland and the national policy landscape are important to identify at this point to set Anchor and these co-produced evaluation findings in context. A recurring theme from parents, project workers and key stakeholders were the challenges and opportunities of living in an Island context. Generational issues and family history made life challenging for some individuals and families particularly, given the inter-related nature of personal and professional relationships, and the geography of Shetland. This required careful and sensitive navigation by the research team to ensure the privacy of both families and project workers. For example, one parent explained that Shetland was ‘a ‘paradise or a prison’ when describing their personal challenges in navigating a complex family life, finding employment on the island and ongoing health challenges. If a project worker had previous personal and/or professional (e.g. social work) connections with a family, then another project worker would take on that case.

2.2 National and Regional Policy Context

Scottish Government policies informed the key values and principles of Anchor in relation to its purpose, set up and conduct. The eradication of child poverty is central to Scottish Government policy and investment to meet aspirations of Scotland as the best place in the world for children to grow up in. Helping families to thrive, through promoting childcare support for working parents and flexible and healthy workplaces, is key. Specific to Anchor, and the context of Shetland, is the recognition that rural and Island poverty requires different systems and unique approaches to tackle poverty^1,2. It is, therefore, appropriate that the funding for this research came through the Scottish Government’s Islands Team, to deliver on the National Islands Plan, highlighting the importance of learning from the Anchor Project to inform approaches to tackle child poverty in Scotland’s Island communities.

The Christie Commission on the future delivery of public services⁹ identified the need to reform public services which would empower individuals and communities through the provision of integrated services. A focus on early intervention and prevention detailed by the Christie Commission was a key Scottish/ National driver for setting up Anchor. Furthermore, in Shetland, the Commission on tackling inequalities¹⁰ reinforced the need to integrate services to reduce inequalities and improve equity.

The Anchor project/approach reflects other key policy drivers which have emerged since the start of this project such as placing the child/young person and family at the centre of decisions about them and providing the right support at the right time.

1. The Promise¹¹ (to meet the needs of care experienced children and young people) and Getting it Right for Every Child¹² (GIRFEC) were key drivers for Anchor. Both emphasise a strengths-based approach, working together with families and seeking to solve inequalities in a fair manner. A redesign of the hearings system to one which places the child or young person at the centre through giving them a voice, support for families and a system which is there when needed, define these policies.

2. Key to the eradication of child poverty is the need for whole systems transformational change. Transformational change theorises a situation where crisis intervention is avoided and reduced, and the focus is on prevention and early intervention. A shift in investment towards prevention and early intervention is demonstrated through the commitment of £500 million investment (2022 – 2026) and an ambition that by 2020 at least 5% of community-based health and social care spend is focussed on preventative whole family support measures as detailed in the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund¹².

Reflecting on those policies and our findings, we found that Anchor not only sits within this ambitious Scottish Government policy landscape aimed at eradicating child poverty but does so through authentic involvement of children and families in a fair and inclusive manner. This report demonstrates the alignment of our research approach and findings to the key policy aspirations detailed above. Throughout the evaluation we have pursued approaches which take cognisance of the Shetland context.

2.3 The Shetland Islands Approach to Reducing Poverty Through the Anchor Project

Anchor derived from the recognition of local planners in Shetland that wider systems needed to prioritise early intervention and prevention for those who were not yet in crisis to help keep them out of statutory services such as social work and the criminal justice system or police attention. Scottish Government policy aims focused on addressing child poverty and, keeping children, young people, and families at the heart of services, was pivotal.

The geography of Shetland, the experience and risk of social isolation, constrained availability of local services, lack of anonymity, alongside a recognition of the complex and diverse needs of people, as individuals, underpin the Anchor approach. It was clear that parents viewed Anchor differently to other statutory services, especially Social Work and their (largely negative) experiences of GIRFEC reviews. Parents we spoke to identified feeling safe and secure with Anchor staff, and without fear of stigma or judgement.

Anchor Project stakeholders and workers stressed their belief that because Anchor was not public sector funded but was able to operate like a third sector organisation, with the benefits of the infrastructure of a local authority (e.g. legal support, funding, staff, management), Anchor had time to grow and evolve in an organic way to meet the needs of those who needed support.

Anchor has worked mainly, but not solely, through the education system, sometimes with an established Anchor project worker physical presence in the school. Headteachers and their staff are key partners of Universal Services, and fundamental to helping identify and guide children/families in need towards Anchor. People can also contact and self-refer to Anchor.

How Anchor came into being: Early foundation building

In Shetland, a key stakeholder Anchor catalyst was the former Chief Inspector who, recognised there were some young people who needed help to shape their life decisions and chances. This early impetus for Anchor was strengthened by the shared recognition of other key stakeholders within the community, social and health systems of the need for early intervention and prevention and a strong desire to make the community in which they lived and worked, better and fairer for everyone.

Shetland’s Community Planning Partnership envisaged and implemented the Anchor Early Action Systems Change Project in 2018 pre the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and current (22/23) cost of living crisis. It was identified as a key improvement project within Shetland’s Partnership Plan. In addition to the powerful sense of community responsibility identified above, a key driver was recognising planning and actions to ameliorate child poverty needed to be seen in the context of the inflated cost of living rather than deprivation alone. Furthermore, a commitment to early intervention, prevention and interdisciplinary working is an integral part of their approach to service planning and delivery^13,14,15.

Statutory services such as social work and school nursing were not perceived to be struggling to meet needs when Anchor was planned. However, there was a desire to help families who would benefit from support out-with statutory services to prevent unsupported needs escalating to those which require intensive, statutory support. In 2023, post pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, key stakeholders recognise more need for Anchor emerging than before and the poverty landscape in Shetland changing.

How Anchor came into being: Setting up

In 2018 the Anchor project commenced, supported by The National Lottery Community Fund through their Early Action Systems Change Fund. Shetland Islands Council was the host organisation working within the Shetland Partnership and Police Scotland chaired the Project Board.

The aims of Anchor were to

• Facilitate learning and action in family led problem solving and early intervention.
• Place families at the centre of decision making to direct resources towards early action rather than crisis management.
• Enable system change by giving families and services the space to try out new ways of working together, moving from crisis intervention to early intervention and prevention^10,11.

Setting up Anchor took time and resources which required conversations, trust amongst leaders, pathways development, values clarification, and case study building prior to the commencement of its operation. Anchor project workers were encouraged to think ‘outside the box’ in their day-to-day work by the Anchor project team. This was recognised to be challenging and needed agreement to be reached about the ways of working needed between the range of public and voluntary services that Anchor workers linked across. Shetland’s strategic partnerships, within the wider Shetland Partnership have journeyed together over several years in developing their understanding of poverty and disadvantage across communities, with a shared appreciation of the need for early intervention and vision for a support service such as Anchor was evident.

A key recurring theme to emerge from the Photovoice process, informal conversations and Phase one and two workshop dialogues with Anchor staff, managers and other key stakeholders was the notion of leaders within the different systems that interlinked around Anchor needing to be on board with the Anchor concept, to be brave in their leadership and decision making, have a desire to work differently and exhibit a willingness to switch resources to early intervention when the need arose. This indicates the need for authentic conversations between partner organisations around social inclusion, connectedness, and social interaction. External funding was secured to fund key resources to achieve the project; however there was recognition, from the outset, that the time of many others would be committed to project delivery and governance. Partners were required to sign up to this commitment of resource, encouraging key strategic partners to work together and collaborate in diverse ways compared to previous ways of working.