Ready to Act: interim report on implementation and recommendations

5. Conclusion

At the heart of the AHP CYP journey is a commitment to make the best and most effective use of current resources to fulfil objectives relating to GIRFEC. It is about being open to reform, change and challenge to find ways to utilise resources and properly understand how well we are meeting the needs of CYP, their families and carers, in collaboration and partnership with our colleagues across agencies in Scotland. The economic benefits of preventative proactive early interventions are unlikely to be realised in the short term and require ongoing commitment from those in practice and leadership positions to move from reactive individualised provision to proactive targeted provision.

The AILP CYP programme requires long-term planning and strategic support to build on the transformational changes already taking place in Scotland and to demonstrate activity to interrupt the intergenerational cycle of poverty and deprivation through a focused collaborative public health workstream. This will require a 5–10-year strategic plan, delivering impact evidence and evaluation of change with respect to AHPs' value and roles in meeting the wellbeing needs of CYP in Scotland at population and individual levels, while supporting and delivering against key policy imperatives based on CYP's rights, engagement, participation and access to information, knowledge and support as and when required.

The development of sustainable, impactful interventions requires collaborative partnership-working based on systematic collection, collation, analysis and reporting of local demographic data to meet local need.

There is still much work to be done. We recognise that this is a transformational journey and that while there is commitment to collaborative change that meets the wellbeing needs of CYP, their families and carers, there are still stories to be heard where services have not met these needs. We need to reflect on these "not so good" stories to progress, and are committed to using real feedback from CYP about their experiences to inform our change journey.

The principles of Ready to Act and this interim report are not just about CYP. They are equally relevant to the outcomes for the adult population of Scotland, and the ambitions are also of importance to the workforce in adult service provision.

By starting with CYP, however, we are more likely to achieve improved health and wellbeing outcomes for the whole population of Scotland in the longer term.