Whole Family Wellbeing Funding Programme - ICIA

4. Assessment

This assessment has not identified any unique impacts on island communities. Potential impacts identified as part of the development of the WFWF Programme proposals and allocation relate to wider issues which impact on rural communities, such as recruitment and cost of living. In particular, many islands are experiencing depopulation which affects recruitment of staff to support the Programme. Attracting staff to island communities is also impacted by lack of affordable and suitable housing on islands e.g. due to second homes. Some islands experience poor and unreliable transport connections which affects recruitment as people are less likely to apply for roles where there are longer, more complicated journeys to work e.g. by ferry. Similarly, service disruption can hinder connectivity, preventing the movement of people and goods, therefore affecting communities’ cost of living in multiple ways. This means that employers need to offer more attractive salaries to encourage staff to the community, again impacting on funding allocations.

These impacts have been mitigated from the early stages of the policy development for Element 1 by using the allocation methodology with 4 weighted components taking into account local circumstances, including those of the islands. In particular, the rurality component aims to provide additional weighting to account for the specific challenges faced in delivering services in rural areas, an issue frequently raised by delivery partners. This equates approximately to a 100% uplift for children in rural areas, relative to children in non-rural areas.

Furthermore, Element 1 funding has been designed to be flexible to local need and allows for underspend to be carried forward. CSPPs are also encouraged to combine WFWF with other funding allocations to deliver shared and aligned transformational outcomes.

Additionally, the LiA Network has been set up to enable collaboration, facilitate peer support, share learning and approaches from across the country, and support solution-focused discussions around the barriers to whole system change. The Network is available for all areas to engage with and members are welcome to help shape future LiA Network activity via the LiA Network Development Group which has been set up to act as an anchor in the effective co-design and co-production of the LiA Network. The Development Group particularly welcomes representation from remote and rural CSPPs (including island communities), and as such we continue to actively encourage island communities to join.

While the majority of LiA sessions to date have been online, we recognise the great value of in-person events, and as such we continue to gauge the appetite and ability for colleagues to travel and participate in in-person events and to try to develop a balance in our offers of support that blends accessibility with potential for work in depth. We will continue to ensure there are mitigations in place to allow in-person LiA sessions to take place across a range of localities, alongside a range of online opportunities. No further potential barriers nor wider impacts have been identified but should unintended consequences arise, appropriate modifications and mitigations will be put in place.

The unique characteristics of all communities, including those in the islands, were taken into account and the mitigations in place are outlined above. Evidence was taken into account when the programme proposals were developed in collaboration with stakeholders in order to address the different circumstances, needs, experiences and outcomes of all communities in Scotland, including those in the islands.

Different effects are likely in every community, including those in the islands, which the CSPPs will address when making decisions on using the funding. The aim of the Element 1 funding provided directly to CSPPs is for it to be spent and delivered according to the collective agreement and direction of the local CSPP with accountability resting with each strategic Children’s Services Planning governance forum. The overall responsibility for decision-making on use of the WFWF in local areas remains with CSPPs. CSPPs should ensure that the decisions are based on the assessment of local need including the CSPPs Joint Strategic Needs Assessment identifying local needs of children, young people and families to inform current/proposed service provision.

For Element 2 we want to ensure that our national support for local delivery continues to offer a package of activity aimed at supporting local transformation for all CSPPS. Similarly, Element 3 aims to take a cross Scottish Government approach to system change, through the 12 projects led by wider Scottish Government policy teams, which will progress the aims of the WFWF

Given the mitigations in place, the effect will not amount to a disadvantage for an island community compared to the mainland nor between island groups. However, we will continue to monitor evidence regarding the Programme and in particular the rurality aspect of the distribution formula.

In preparing this Island Communities Impact Assessment, we consider that the WFWF Programme will not have a significantly different effect on island communities. The Programme is being rolled out following extensive collaboration and agreement with stakeholders. It is the responsibility of local decision makers to ensure that services are designed to meet the unique challenges faced by rural and island communities. The funding allocation methodology took account of the unique circumstances in each area, including the islands, and the impact will not be significantly different in the island communities compared to mainland communities. As such, we do not believe that a full Island Communities Impact Assessment is required for these regulations.