IJB CSWO Annual Report 24-25
North Ayrshire Council · 25 September 2025
Back to Integration Joint Board — 25 September 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Integration Joint Board 25th September 2025 Subject: Chief Social Work Officer Annual Report 24/25 Purpose: To provide board members with awareness of the annual Chief Social Work Officer report which is required by the Scottish Government. Recommendation: The IJB are asked to note: 1. Notes the contents of this report, in particular the successes and challenges. 2. Acknowledges the three key issues brought to the attention of IJB. 3. Note that the CSWO will submit the annual report to Chief Social Work Advisor in Scottish Government. Glossary of Terms NHS AA NHS Ayrshire and Arran HSCP Health and Social Care Partnership CSWO Chief Social Work Officer MHO Mental Health Officer ASP Adult Support and Protection CP Child Protection LAG Local Authority Guardianship PWG Private Welfare Guardianship SOLACE Society of Local Authority Chief Executives HSCP Health and Social Care Partnership 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 There is a requirement for every Local Authority to appoint a professionally qualified Chief Social Work Officer (CSWO) and this is contained within Section 3 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 as amended by Section 45 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994. 1.2 In line with the legislation and guidance, the CSWO is required to prepare an annual report for the Council, on all statutory, governance and leadership functions of the CSWO role. 1.3 This report will also be presented to the North Ayrshire Council Cabinet for consideration on the 30th September 2025.
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2. BACKGROUND 2.1 In 2014, the Office of the Chief Social Work Adviser, following consultation with CSWOs across Scotland, SOLACE and others, identified a more standardised approach to prepare the annual reports. 2.2 The report provides an overview by the CSWO of the partnership structures, governance arrangements and the performance of social services in the context of the demographic landscape of North Ayrshire. It looks more closely at the statutory functions of the service and the quality and workforce development within services. 2.3 The report highlights the range of Social Work activity throughout the year and places that in the context of the socioeconomic challenges faced locally. Within the report there are three key issues I would like to bring to the Board’s attention: Practice Practice remains strong. We have seen our workforce vacancy rate sit in to 10 – 12 percent range cross Social Work services. Our internal pipeline of graduates and dedication from our practice educators and team managers is allowing us to maintain staffing levels and to safely integrate newly qualified Social Workers. Case reviews across the year provide assurance on the leadership, value base and ethical nature of Social Work practice and decision making. Public Protection The year past has seen a new independent chair for APC and CPC, Derek Frew, who has offered fresh eyes and perspectives that have been supportive of our strategic aims in public protection. I would also wish to formally acknowledge John Pattersons many years of service to North Ayrshire following his retirement. Our level of children subject to statutory measures remains high at 258 however the number of orders terminating is down 30% from the previous year. Child Protection Orders are also at their highest levels since pre covid times. This data begins to evidence the complexities and increasing risk profile which directly impacts on our frontline Social Work capacity in children and families social work. Our justice services continue to see high levels of activity in relation to unpaid work, and bail assessments which would reflect the courts seeking community disposals given the pressures present within the prison estate. I would also commend the practice of our services in managing the early release scheme in the year past. Mental health and addiction services have maintained high levels of performance in terms of accessibility to services. The opening of the new Mental Health Unscheduled Care Hub is an important development from a social work perspective as last year’s concerns about the mental health and wellbeing of our residents has shown no sign of diminishing. In the year past we saw emergency and short-term detentions pass last year’s record numbers by 20% (emergency) and 14% (short term). Alongside this, the number of individuals for whom the CSWO is their legal guardian also increased to by 25% to 151.
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Our adult support and protection activity has also continued to see increased activity with AP1’s and AP2’s at their highest level. Underpinning this is a continued steady number of adult concern reports which evidences a good understanding from partners of risk and an understanding of the role of social work services in assessing and managing risk. Considerable efforts have been made to strengthen our position in relation to our understanding of how responses to the most significant incidents of domestic violence safeguard women and children. This is a complex area of practice for agencies working together within a pan Ayrshire context. With this in mind, North Ayrshire has been working to understand and address the issue of multiple referrals to the Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC). Alongside this, North Ayrshire Council have invested in a new lead officer post which is currently being recruited to in order to maximise the coordination and impact of our interventions in this critical area. Learning review requests continued to be received over the year with 2 reviews commissioned. Common themes reflect the increasing risk profile and levels of distress being experienced. The impact of the financial context Our risk exposure continues to grow with every passing month. Last year’s overspend of £3.593m of which £2.036 was in social care services placed financial strain on parent bodies and reflects the level of need and demand present in our communities and the increasing cost of delivering care. Work underway in development of the 2026-27 budget are worthy of early notification in terms of its impact on sustainable service delivery options. In the social work and social care sector the ability to manage services is critically driven by demand and capacity variables. Professional advice offered has been clear in relation to the risks of being able to meet all social work duties. A clear position has been taken in relation to the non-negotiable nature of leaving children or adults in situations where they are likely to experience significant harm. I am confident in the judgement being exercised by the professional social work leads across service areas in this regard. With the continued pressure on public finances in the immediate and longer term, the backdrop of local population need described in the annual report requires us to ensure the focus remains on managing risk and ensuring that every resource is utilised to its maximum and reaches our most vulnerable residents first. That invariably means that in some cases residents will experience an absence of service that will be difficult for them and their families. 3. PROPOSALS It is proposed that the Integration Joint Board notes the key themes and challenges detailed in the report and that it endorses the report as set out in Appendix 1 and note that the CSWO will this to Scottish Government. 3.1 Anticipated Outcomes That North Ayrshire Council, the Integration Joint Board, and the Scottish Government are made aware of the positive impact of Social Work Services in North Ayrshire as well as the significant challenges that are being faced.
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3.2 Measuring Impact Impact will be measured in terms of the direction and support to continue to transform the delivery of Social Work Services and manage the increased risk profile. 4. IMPLICATIONS Financial: None Human Resources: None Legal: The delivery of Social Work services remains a statutory duty of North Ayrshire Council whilst delegated to be delivered by the Health and Social Care Partnership. Equality: None Children and Young People None Environmental & Sustainability: None Key Priorities: This report covers matters which contribute to the key priorities within the Council and IJB Strategic Plans. Risk Implications: The delivery of Social Work Services is a statutory duty placed on North Ayrshire Council and delegated to the Integration Joint Board. Community Benefits: N/A United Nations Rights of the Child (UNCRC) This report highlights issues that have a direct and indirect impact on the rights of children and young people particularly in relation to article 3. Article 3 states that (1) in all actions concerning children the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration. (2) States Parties undertake to ensure the child such protection and care as is necessary for his or her well-being, taking into account the rights and duties of his or her parents, legal guardians, or other individuals legally responsible for him or her, and, to this end, shall take all appropriate legislative and administrative measures. (3) States Parties shall ensure that the institutions, services and facilities responsible for the care or protection of children shall conform with the standards established by competent authorities, particularly in the areas of safety, health, in the number and suitability of their staff, as well as competent supervision. This report outlines child protection practices, a commitment to keeping families together wherever possible and on the quality of residential and fostering services which indicates how North Ayrshire works to uphold article 3. Direction to :- 1. No Direction Required X
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Direction Required to Council, Health Board or Both 2. North Ayrshire Council 3. NHS Ayrshire & Arran 4. North Ayrshire Council and NHS Ayrshire & Arran 5. CONSULTATION 5.1 The Partnership Senior Management Team and operational services have contributed to the contents of this report. For further information, please contact Scott Hunter, Chief Social Work Officer on scotthunter@north-ayrshire.gov.uk Click here to enter text.
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Chief Social Work Officer Report 2024 – 2025
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Contents Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1 Demographics .......................................................................................................... 2 Locality Planning...................................................................................................... 3 Progress 2024 to 2025 .......................................................................................... 3 Localities – Initial Insight ..................................................................................... 3 Garnock Valley ................................................................................................... 3 Irvine ................................................................................................................... 4 Kilwinning ........................................................................................................... 5 North Coast and Cumbrae................................................................................. 5 Three Towns ....................................................................................................... 6 Arran ................................................................................................................... 7 Planned Activity .................................................................................................... 7 1. Governance, Accountability and Statutory Functions ................................... 8 1.1 Overview of the North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership ......... 11 Visions, Values and Priorities............................................................................. 11 2. Service Quality and Performance................................................................... 12 2.1 Children, Families and Justice Services..................................................... 12 Brighter Pathways Programme Board ................................................................ 12 Whole Family Wellbeing Fund ........................................................................... 12 Promise Conference .......................................................................................... 13 Family Centred Wellbeing Service ..................................................................... 13 Child Protection Registrations ............................................................................ 14 Breastfeeding ..................................................................................................... 14 United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child ...................................... 15 Child Healthy Weight ......................................................................................... 16 Health Visiting .................................................................................................... 16 Key Performance Indicators ............................................................................... 19 2.2 Adults ......................................................................................................... 22 North Ayrshire Drug and Alcohol Service ........................................................... 22 North Ayrshire Model for Enhanced Intermediate Care and Rehabilitation (eICT) ........................................................................................................................... 23 Anam Cara Refurbishment ................................................................................ 24 Mental Health Facility ......................................................................................... 26
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Trindlemoss Day Opportunities .......................................................................... 27 Out of Hours Social Work Service...................................................................... 28 Self-Directed Support ......................................................................................... 28 Care at Home..................................................................................................... 29 Carers ................................................................................................................ 30 2.3 Criminal Justice .......................................................................................... 31 Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) ................................... 31 Community Payback Orders .............................................................................. 31 Drug Treatment and Testing Order .................................................................... 32 Diversion from Prosecution ................................................................................ 33 Case Study: Employability Mentors ................................................................... 34 Key Performance Indicators ............................................................................... 36 3. Resources ........................................................................................................ 39 3.1 Financial Pressures ................................................................................... 39 3.1 2025-26 Budget ........................................................................................ 39 3.4 Medium Term Financial Outlook .................................................................. 42 4. Workforce ......................................................................................................... 44 4.1 Workforce Planning .................................................................................... 44 4.2 Workforce Support and Development ........................................................ 46
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1 Introduction Welcome. It is a pleasure to introduce this year’s Chief Social Work Officer report for North Ayrshire which covers the period 1st April 2024 through 31st March 2025. It is now very evident within the local context that because of sustained societal, economic and wider macro political factors we are seeing a worsening picture in terms of our ability to support everyone in our community who needs our support. This is counter intuitive to the Social Work task. We see increasing demands for services, rising complexity and comorbidity, escalating care costs, workforce challenges, policy and legislative developments. The solution to the challenges we face lies in our commitment to partnership working. From our interface with our NHS colleagues, Police Scotland and the wider North Ayrshire Council, Social Work services model an approach that respects and values difference and seeks the common ground to challenge inequality in our society. This report evidences that despite these challenges Social Work and Social Care services continue to deliver consistent services through the dedication of our practitioners and their commitment to support and protect the citizens of North Ayrshire. I am also pleased to report that our leadership and governance arrangements have remained strong in the year past. Engagement and questioning by the Integration Joint Board and NAC Executive Leadership Team on Social Work matters has been productive and supportive. Alongside this our Social Work Governance Board has offered direction on a range of key areas across all spheres of Social Work and remains a lively forum for professional discussion with representation from all levels of Social Work in North Ayrshire. Finally, I would like to place on record my appreciation for the compassion and commitment displayed day in, day out by our practitioners, managers, business support staff and partners to ensure that Social Work and Social Care services are delivered to the very best of our abilities. Scott Hunter Chief Social Work Officer North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership
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2 Demographics North Ayrshire is home to approximately 133,570 people, (National Records for Scotland, Mid-2023 Population Estimates Scotland) all living in its many towns, villages, and islands, with slightly more females (52.1%) than males (47.9%). 15.8% of the population are aged 0 to 15 years, 9.3% are aged 16 to 24 years, 21.7% are aged 25 to 44, 29.1% are aged 45 to 64 years of age, 13.2% ages between 65 to 74 years of age, with 11.0% of our population aged 75 years and above. The latest update of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation has reconfirmed the deep structural challenges faced by many communities in North Ayrshire, despite steady progress by North Ayrshire Council in its ongoing commitment to eradicate poverty. North Ayrshire is ranked as the fifth most deprived council area in Scotland. Some of the area’s most heavily affected by deprivation are concentrated in the Three Towns and Irvine areas but areas in Kilwinning and the Garnock Valley also have above average deprivation.
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3 Locality Planning Locality Planning is the local mechanism for strategic planning in which local priorities are developed for smaller geographical areas across the local authority. In 2023 it was decided that the framework for carrying out Locality Planning would be revised in order to involve new methods for community engagement and ensuring continued leadership through new Locality Chairs. The HSCP is now halfway through its 2-year process to carry out extensive research in order to develop locality plans with localised priorities and actions for each area. The research process involves: • Engagement: Twice per year, Locality Conversations will be held within each locality in order to collect information from different people within the communities, and feedback what we are doing with the information • Local data: Overall locality data to identify the initial priorities and more in- depth data on specific issues for each area. • Local services: Mapping the existing services across each locality. • Community Planning: consideration of the existing locality priorities the wider community planning partnership is working towards. Progress 2024 to 2025 The first set of locality conversations took place between the 15th and 22nd of April 2024 and were in the form of 2-hour workshops with local staff and members of the public invited to intend. This allowed us to explain a bit about the new process and collect initial community perceptions and challenges. There were 5 workshops held with 32 participants. In September 2024, local community groups that focussed on people with shared characteristics were contacted and visited by an Engagement Officer to discuss if there were any specific barriers experienced to accessing health and social care services as a result of their shared or protected characteristics. The aim of this was to ensure that the experiences of different equalities groups were captured in the process, and they were visited at their own spaces to ensure attendance, and over the month of September, 23 groups were visited with 206 participants. Localities – Initial Insight Garnock Valley Garnock Valley seems to sit around the middle of the localities in terms of performance indicators, but our residents still experience poorer outcomes when compared to the Scottish figures. For example, 40.3% of the population lives within the 20% most deprived areas and the child poverty rate in the Kilbirnie and Beith Ward at 29.5% is above the general North Ayrshire rate of 29%. All areas within North Ayrshire have a higher over 65 population than Scotland, with Garnock Valley at 21.6% compared to Scotland’s 19.6% and North Ayrshire’s 23.3%,
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4 and general health indicators are also around the middle of the other localities, though Garnock Valley does have highest deaths per 100,000 for those aged 15-44. Indicators for Garnock Valley are generally consistent across the majority of outcomes that they perform better than North Ayrshire but worse than Scotland. This is why it is important to recognise that although there are other localities with higher poverty and deprivation, a higher older population, more complex health needs etc. it still experiences issues when compared to other parts of Scotland. So far, 23 people from the Garnock Valley have participated in engagement between the general and targeted equality engagement. Initial issues discussed in the Locality Planning Review groups and engagement have included: • Poor transport links across the area and the impact of accessing appointments and work. • Access to GPs and possibility of targeted clinics for key issues in community spaces. • Finding information about health and care services. • Long waiting lists. • Older population and digital accessibility. Irvine Irvine is the largest locality in North Ayrshire by population, and one of the more accessible in terms of local services and amenities. According to data it has much higher levels of deprivation than the national levels but is not as high as some of the other areas in North Ayrshire, for example 45.7% of the population lives within an area that is within the 20% most deprived in Scotland, which is only third highest locally. For many indicators Irvine performs the poorest other than Three Towns, such as for drug related hospital admissions, alcohol specific deaths, psychiatric patient admissions. Unemployment is not as high as other areas, the third lowest in the area behind Arran and North Coast and is about average for Scotland, and Health and Social Work is the second highest employment sector behind wholesale and retail, and the GVA per capita is higher than average for the area, possibly due to Irvine being the most populous town in the area. So far, 98 people from Irvine have participated in engagement between the general and targeted equality engagement. Initial issues discussed in the Locality Planning Review groups and engagement have included: • Low-level social interventions and community support groups in promoting mental and physical wellbeing.
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5 • Affordable leisure options and increased funding and support for community- run initiatives. • Increased patient voice in care planning. • Difficulty in accessing reliable information about health and social care services. • Outdated or incorrect online information makes it hard to navigate resources. Kilwinning Kilwinning performs poorly for economic indicators, with the second highest rate of unemployment and the second highest proportions of people living within the 20% most deprived area in Scotland, behind Three Towns for both. Child poverty in the Kilwinning ward is slightly higher than the North Ayrshire rate, which is higher overall that Scotland, but it has increased by 8.3 percentage points between 2021 and 2022. For general health, life expectancy is lower than the Scottish figures and North Ayrshire averages but are again not as low as Three Towns for male and female, and Irvine for female. The 65 plus population is the lowest in Kilwinning of all the localities and it has the lowest rate of delated discharges of those 65 plus of the localities and the Scottish and North Ayrshire rates, and the lowest unscheduled acute specialty beds. For indicators related to substance use, Kilwinning is around the middle of the localities, but still higher than the Scottish rates. The averages are also affected by far lower than average numbers for Arran and North Coast and far higher numbers in Three Towns and Irvine. Similarly for prescribed anxiety medication, the rate is the third highest of the localities but Three Towns, Irvine, Garnock Valley and Kilwinning are all above the Scottish proportion. So far, 37 people from Kilwinning have participated in engagement between the general and targeted equality engagement. Initial issues discussed in the Locality Planning Review groups and engagement have included: • Centralised community hubs and improved transport links to enhance service accessibility. • Increased investment in self-care resources, clearer pathways, shorter waiting times, and trauma-informed crisis support. • Difficulty accessing information about services and accessing appointments. • Other barriers were discussed such as financial, language, and digital. North Coast and Cumbrae The North Coast and Cumbrae (NC&C) locality is more affluent than other areas of North Ayrshire, with fewer areas of deprivation, lower unemployment, and a higher
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6 average house price than the other mainland localities. There is a much higher proportion of older people with 32.3% of the population aged 65 and over, which is 12.7 percentage points more than the Scottish figure of 19.6%. Despite the older population, overall health indicators are better than other areas, with a high life expectancy and lower rates of cancer registration, low rates of hospital admission and death related to substance use, and lower rates of anxiety medication and psychiatric admissions. These may also be related to the area’s affluence when compared to the other localities. The only health indicator in the initial profiles that is higher in NC&C is unscheduled acute specialty bed days per 100,000 population. Emergency admissions and A&E attendances aren’t particularly different for the area so this may also relate to the older population. So far, 21 people from North Coast have participated in engagement between the general and targeted equality engagement. Initial issues discussed in the Locality Planning Review groups and engagement have included: • Importance of low-level and community-based support, particularly more services around dementia and learning disability. • Poor transport links and access to patient transport. • HSCP money allocation, and how this is communicated or understood by the public. • Care packages and decisions around them. Three Towns The Three Towns locality has poorer outcomes in many indicators when compared to the other localities, as well as the national rate. The performance indicates that the Three Towns locality experiences higher rates of poverty and socio-economic disadvantage. The locality has the highest level of people living within the 20% most deprived areas of Scotland at 57%, and also has the highest rates of child poverty, and the highest unemployment rate of the localities, as well as lower house value and more lower council band properties than other areas. Areas with higher levels tend to have poorer health outcomes, which is evident in the general health indicators. Three Towns has the lowest life expectancy rates, as well as high rates of emergency admissions. The Three Towns locality has the highest figures out of all the localities and is much higher than the Scottish and North Ayrshire averages for indicators related to alcohol and drugs, and alongside Irvine has the highest rates for indicators related to mental health care. So far, 19 people from Three Towns have participated in engagement between the general and targeted equality engagement.
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7 Initial issues discussed in the Locality Planning Review groups and engagement have included: • Accessibility of primary healthcare services, particularly the challenges in booking appointments, long waiting times, and the difficulties faced by those with mobility issues. • The impact of social deprivation on mental health was noted, alongside the necessity for targeted support across various stages of mental health issues, from prevention to post-crisis care. • Difficulty accessing information about services or knowing where to go. • Discussion of methods to reduce harm from drugs and alcohol, to improve safe drug use and reduce stigma. Arran Arran has an established locality planning arrangement which has been in place for many years due to the specific and persistent challenges of the Island. These arrangements have a governance that sits under the Island Plan and the Health and Social Care Partnership will develop health and social care priorities for Arran under this existing governance structure and using engagement that has already been carried out with the islanders. This will occur using the same timescales as our mainland localities. The Key themes of the Arran Island Plan are: • Economy • Community • Environment A Health and Social Care Locality Plan for Arran will be consistent with these existing themes and aim to focus on how health and care needs will be met in Arran. Planned Activity Over 2025 to 2026, the HSCP will carry out engagement with children and young people, and further engagement with services users in September 2025. Collected data will be analysed to inform each locality’s priorities, and the data and engagement will be analysed to identify the key priorities. The Strategic Plan is currently under revision and once complete, Locality Plans will be developed and published for each locality and annual reporting for each will commence.
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8 1. Governance, Accountability and Statutory Functions The Chief Social Work Officer is a statutory appointment by virtue of Section 3 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968. The Chief Social Work Officer is appointed for the purposes of the Council's functions under the 1968 Act and under those other enactments listed in Section 5(1B) of that Act. In broad terms, those functions cover all social work and social care services whether provided directly by the council, in partnership with other agencies, or procured by the council and provided by others on its behalf. Those functions are referred to as “social work services”. The qualifications required for the post are set out in the Qualifications of Chief Social Work Officers (Scotland) Regulations 1996. The Chief Social Work Officer is required by section 5(1) of the 1968 Act to carry out the duties of the post under the general guidance of the Scottish Ministers. The Scottish Ministers issued revised and finalised guidance in January 2010. The overall powers of the Chief Social Work Officer post are:- (a) To oversee the discharge of the council's statutory social work duties; (b) To ensure the provision of effective professional and objective advice to elected members and officers of the Council in the Council's provision of social work services; (c) To secure the effective provision of social work services. The powers of the Chief Social Work Officer fall into two broad categories; service provision and corporate responsibility: Service provision • To establish and develop social work services focussed on the needs of service users, to promote the continuous improvement of those services, and to monitor and raise standards of their delivery; • To ensure the effective governance of the balance of need, risk and civil liberties in the provision of social work services in accordance with professional practice; • To provide advice on all aspects of workforce planning including safe recruitment practice, supervision, monitoring and assessment of social work students, securing of professional qualifications and continuous learning and development for staff, and supporting and advising managers in all aspects of staff supervision; • To ensure the existence of systems to both promote good practice and identify and address poor practice in the provision of social work services; • To ensure that significant case reviews are undertaken of all critical incidents either resulting in, or which may have resulted in, serious harm or death; and
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9 Corporate Responsibilities Corporate responsibility The Chief Social Work Officer has the following corporate powers which require direct access to the Council's Chief Executive’, Elected Members of the Council and the Chief Officer, and the provision of forthright and independent advice to them:- • To ensure compliance with the Council’s statutory duties to prepare, publish and review plans for the provision of social work services. • To promote, communicate, support and review values and standards of professional practice, and to ensure that they are adhered to. • To establish, in conjunction with the Council's Corporate Management Team, appropriate experience and qualified cover for the post of Chief Social Work Officer during the post-holder's absence or incapacity. • To report to the Chief Executive and Chief Officer any failure in the Council's corporate policy or governance arrangements designed to reflect the proper balance amongst need, risk and civil liberties in the provision and management of social work services. • To report to the Chief Executive and Chief Officer any weaknesses and failures in the systems in place to promote good practice and identify and address poor practice in the provision of social work services. • To report and provide independent comment where necessary to the Chief Executive, Elected Members of the Council and the Chief Officer on the findings of significant case reviews and relevant performance reports and on any other social work related issues. • To provide an annual report to the Council on all of the statutory, governance and leadership functions of the role of the Chief Social Work Officer North Ayrshire continues to invest in its oversight of Social Work activity through the provision of a standalone Chief Social Work Officer, further supported by a formal Depute CSWO. The CSWO reports directly to the Director of the NAHSCP and has a direct line to the Chief Executive of the Council. The CSWO represents Social Work within a range of strategic groups including: IJB, IJB Performance and Audit Committee, IJB Strategic Planning Group, NAHSCP Health Care Governance Committee, HSCP Partnership Senior Management Team, Alcohol and Drugs Partnership, Child Protection Committee, Adult Protection Committee, Chief Officers Group, Carers Advisory Group, Children’s Services Strategic Planning Partnership; Corporate Parenting Board, Transitions Strategic Group amongst others. The CSWO also provides professional oversight as a member of the Care Home Oversight Group and the Care at Home Oversight Group. These groups continue to fulfil key governance activity in relation to the Social Care sector.
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10 The CSWO has regular contact with the Independent Chair of CPC and APC to ensure public protection oversight. The year past has seen North Ayrshire commission one learning review. Social Work and Social Care matters are regularly reported to the IJB and Clinical and Care Governance Committee. There is a particular focus on the impact of policy and external scrutiny activity. The CSWO maintains regular calls with our Care Inspectorate strategic link to share developments and hear of national developments that support activity in North Ayrshire. The CSWO also contributes to quarterly calls with the inspectorate and the broader PSMT. The primary governance of practice matters remains the Social Work Governance Board. The board terms of reference and membership have been refreshed in the current year with the support of the professional leadership group. The board has had a full agenda of issues over the year and has provided support and governance in relation to a range of matters including: • Practice Guidance for Social Workers Assessing Capacity and Practice Enhancement Notice: In Person Assessments for Complex Cases • Re-modelling of acute in-patient service for adults with learning disabilities • Chronology Training and Practice Improvement • Community Justice Outcome Implementation Plan (CJOIP) • HSCP Refugee and Resettlement Team Transition • National Social Work Agency Workforce Improvement • AWI Delayed Discharge - best practice • Test of Change – All Age Disability Service
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11 1.1 Overview of the North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership Visions, Values and Priorities Our Partnership includes health and social care services within Health and Community Care Services (H&CC), Mental Health and Learning Disability Services and Children, Families and Justice Services. In this report, we look back on the progress we have made, share some of our successes and reflect on some areas that have proved challenging. This report aligns with our “Caring Together” Strategic Commissioning Plan 2022- 2030. This is the first time the Health and Social Care Partnership has set out such a long-term plan for how we intend to improve services and the health and wellbeing of the local community. The plan set out our pandemic recovery intentions, as well as offering a longer-term vision for local health and social care services. Over the period of this strategic plan, the Health and Social Care Partnership will seek to: We see these priorities as interlinked, and we expect that where we see success against one priority, it’s effect will positively impact against others. People who use our services and North Ayrshire residents will experience our Partnership values in the way our staff and volunteers engage with you and how we behave. We will treat you with:
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12 2. Service Quality and Performance 2.1 Children, Families and Justice Services Brighter Pathways Programme Board A transformation programme to improve outcomes and opportunities for care experienced children and young people in North Ayrshire is now under way, with progress being made since its launch in April 2024. The Brighter Pathways Programme Board was set up to look at how services can be delivered differently to ensure care experienced children and young people have access to the appropriate resources and supports into adulthood. In line with its Promise commitments, North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership (NAHSCP) has a firm focus on providing the right support and intervention to allow children and young people to remain with birth family or wider family wherever possible, preventing them from coming into local authority care - for example, being placed in foster care or in residential children’s houses. To build on this already established early intervention work, the Board is currently looking at the supports available for families to identify if there are any gaps in service provision where additional early help and more intensive support could help more children to remain with their families. An acute challenge in recruiting and retaining foster carers is having an impact nationally, which has been further impacted by the current cost of living crisis and a reduction in the number of potential foster carers having spare bedrooms due to an increase in home working and their own children staying at home for longer. Recruiting foster carers for NAHSCP is further impacted by a number of independent fostering agencies operating in the area and taking on carers. In a bid to boost recruitment, which is a priority for the programme board, an investment in a long- term digital marketing campaign has recently been agreed, working with a provider that has a proven track record in local authority foster care recruitment. Whole Family Wellbeing Fund In 2022, the Scottish Government created the £500 million Whole Family Wellbeing Fund (WFWF) for the life of the current parliament (2022 to 2026) to facilitate the delivery of holistic family support, with the expectation this will reduce inequalities in family wellbeing, lessen requirements for family crisis intervention and decrease the number of children and young people living away from their families.
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13 The Fund is now in year three of the four-year implementation period. There are a total of 16 projects and services in North Ayrshire that have benefitted from WFWF including, Family Centred Wellbeing Service, Dads Worker, Barnardos Stronger Families and Helping Hands. Seven projects are Third Sector projects, six are NAC/HSCP projects while 3 are independent projects. Promise Conference The Annual Promise Conference 2024 was held on Monday 9th December and saw 73 young people from across our Secondary Schools join for a day of connection. The aims of the Conference were to: • Introduce young people to The Promise Plan 2024-2030. • Offer workshops centred around The Promise’s foundation of voice. • Allow time for building connections with other young people and Corporate Parents. The day was hosted by Donna Anderson, North Ayrshire Council’s Youth Participation and Democracy Officer, and Adam Johnson, local Care Experienced young person and MSYP for Cunninghame North. Young people were involved in the planning of the Conference at all stages. This year’s agenda included interactive workshops delivered by local Corporate Parents nominated by young people. Family Centred Wellbeing Service The Family Centred Wellbeing Service (FCWS) are a team of 14 wellbeing workers who support families with children between the ages of 5-18. We support over 170 families in North Ayrshire, with sessions provided within the family’s homes, within our offices, community buildings, and schools. We seek to build on existing parenting capacity and provide practical support, advice, and guidance that will enhance family wellbeing and relationships. This approach allows us to ensure that 85% of families receiving support require no further interventions following this support. The team use the facilities in Meadowcroft to bake/cook with our families, giving them an opportunity to connect, bond and learn life skills that can have a positive impact on their wellbeing and finances. We use the garden to develop play-based skills and to encourage positive mental health and wellbeing. Over the summer, the team devised and facilitated a summer programme that ran twice a week for the full summer for our families. They utilised accessible community resources in every area (for example, Fairlie beach, low green Irvine, Dalry Park, Eglinton Park, Ardeer Beach) and did free activities for our families to help build their confidence and show parents and carers how to access outdoor activities that will have a positive impact on their physical and emotional health. It also encouraged
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14 families to access local community resources and build further contacts within the community, reducing the impact of social isolation. Child Protection Registrations In 2024 to 2025 there were 156 Child Protection registrations and 178 De- registrations. The greatest number of registrations were found in September, when there were 22 registrations within the month. The lowest number of registrations occurred in November, when there were 5 registrations within the month. The median number of registrations per month across the year was 12.5. Breastfeeding Breastfeeding rates - the published data for 2023 to 2024 has shown the following improvements in breastfeeding indicators from an NHS Ayrshire and Arran perspective: Indicator 2022/2023 2023/2024 % breastfeeding at initiation 54.6 57.6 % exclusive breastfeeding at first HV contact (10-14 days) 27.4 30.5 % exclusive breastfeeding at 6–8-week HV assessment 22.8 25.6 Similarly, the published data for 2023 to 2024 has shown the following improvements in breastfeeding indicators from a North Ayrshire perspective:
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15 Indicator 2022/2023 2023/2024 Variance % breastfeeding at initiation 53.0 59.6 6.6% increase % exclusive breastfeeding at first HV contact (10-14 days) 23.2 30.5 7.3% increase % exclusive breastfeeding at 6–8- week HV assessment 20.3 25.6 5.3% increase The benefits of breastfeeding on the short and long-term health of mothers and babies have been well documented. It promotes optimum nutrition, growth and development for babies, as well as providing comfort and protection from infections. As such, breastfeeding is actively promoted and supported in a wide range of settings across North Ayrshire and Arran. North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership’s Children and Families Health Team has prioritised investment in infant feeding support through local health visiting teams, as well expanding the Scottish Government’s Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland (BFS) scheme in North Ayrshire and providing additional specialist support for families with more complex feeding issues via the Community Infant Feeding Team. United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child This year, the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) was fully incorporated into Scots Law - The Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland. The UNCRC articles provide for every aspect of a child’s life from birth up to the age of 18 years. Guidance around UNCRC is clear that incorporation and adherence to UNCRC is the responsibility of all public sector organisations and services, including those services viewed as “adult services.” To support our work within the HSCP, it was seen as critical to establish a baseline of understanding and preparedness for implementation across all services. As such, in November 2024, using the Improvement Service’s Getting Ready for UNCRC Incorporation Framework document, a benchmarking document was developed with an ask that all services within the HSCP complete to the best of their ability. Responses provided related to current practice within each service. Results have been shared with all services. Moving forward each service will use the benchmarking exercise to identify compliance and any areas that require special attention to ensure implementation.
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16 Child Healthy Weight Child healthy weight is a public health priority. Over the last three decades, obesity levels in children and, indeed, the wider population have increased, with inequalities observed across our communities. Maintaining a healthy weight throughout childhood is associated with many health benefits both in the short-term and the medium term. Child healthy weight is monitored throughout the universal Health Visiting pathway but also when a child moves into Primary 1. The most recent data for 2023 to 2024 was released in December 2024. For North Ayrshire: • 74.8% of P1 children were of a healthy weight. • 12.4% of P1 children were at risk of overweight. • 11.9% of P1 children were at risk of obesity. Health Visiting The Health Visiting service in North Ayrshire continues to fully implement the national Universal Health Visiting Pathway, with all children under 5 and their families offered a minimum of 11 visits from the ante-natal period through to the child starting school. Developmental assessments are undertaken at 13-15 months; 27-30 months and 4-5 years. Since 2020, the percentage of children with one or more developmental concern at these assessments has increased as shown in the table below: A slight improvement in developmental concerns at the 27–30 month assessment has been observed in the last twelve months but a significant increase in concerns at the 4-year review have also been noted, as well as a slight increase in concerns at the 13–15-month review.
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17 This trend is not unique to North Ayrshire and the Scottish Government has set out actions to attempt to address this nationally within the recently published Enhancing the Delivery of the Health Visiting Service: Scotland’s Health Visiting Action Plan 2025-2035 (Scottish Government, 2025). Locally, we have undertaken a review of our Early Years Support Team and have established closer working relationships with early years education colleagues to take forward a programme of work that includes improved information sharing about developmental concerns at an earlier stage; enhanced links between the HV service and early years establishments; a focus on communication needs in children as a priority within our Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) Steering Group; and shared work around supporting more children to be toilet ready in the early years. Our Early Years Support Team works alongside the Health Visiting team to provide support to families when developmental concerns are identified or when a family requests additional support in other areas. During 2024 to 2025, 933 children and their families were supported, an increase of 10.3% from 2023 to 2024, in areas such as communication, sleep, toileting, home conditions, parental mental health and routines. During 2024 to 2025 we expanded our partnership with national charity Dads Rock to bring a second dads’ worker to the area. This has allowed us to offer 1-1 and group support to dads in the Irvine and Kilwinning areas, as well as the original Three Towns area. During 2024 to 2025, 53 dads have been supported with 81 children being positively impacted. Child to Adult Disability Transitions Prior to commencing an active role with the children with a disability team, a baseline of current functioning was obtained. The qualitative data for baseline was obtained through staff caseload reviews this included reviewing assessments and care plans, in addition to case notes held within CareFirst. This evidenced that current supports available to children, young people and their families is not sufficient in providing
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18 adequate support. The supports available are mainly social supports and residential respite. Although these supports offer families a short break from their caring responsibility, it is not fully addressing issues in relation to daily management of personal care and behaviours that challenge, leading to carer burnout and young people reaching crisis. Further findings of the service review found that current transition planning has become a process driven activity. Factors impacting transition planning include late referrals to Transition Planning Group (TPG) and an inability to screen/allocate staff in adult social work teams to screen referrals and/or allocate workers for assessments, leading to a tick-box exercise when completed. This approach ultimately has a negative impact on a young person's transition, with often late and/or rushed assessment and resource allocation. Current processes are not undertaken in a person-centred manner. In order for young people to thrive as they transition to adulthood, the following was identified: • Assessment and case note training for staff. • Outcome and Goal Setting training for staff. • Review eligibility criteria for children and adult social work. • Collaborative work with our partner agencies to promote skill generalisation between school, community supports and respite for better outcomes for young people. • Personal Care needs to be addressed to support families in the day-to-day care of children and young people with disabilities, through a Care at Home type service. This is multifaceted in relation to relieving carer burnout and also developing and promoting independent life skills in young people, which will support their transition to adulthood. • Proactive use of legislative measures to ensure children and young people are protected. • Review TPG and its Terms of Reference to return to a person-centred decision-making forum. • Referral screening processes to be developed. • Increased joint working from the age of 14-years from adult social work to provide advice and guidance. • Review age restrictions in children and adult social work to allow transitions to happen at the right time, between ages 16-years and 21-years. • Review of resource allocation processes for a more standardised approach.
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19 Key Performance Indicators Child Protection 2019–20 2020-21 2021–22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Child Protection Concerns 849 885 756 570 361 444 Child Protection Investigations (CP1s) 447 443 432 375 197 421 Child Protection Initial Conferences 123 121 119 76 83 170 Pre – Birth Conferences 41 29 34 17 22 14 CP Initial/Pre-Birth Conferences 4 7 4 9 1 10 Looked after Children 2019–20 2020-21 2021–22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Children newly accommodated in North Ayrshire 84 63 49 61 46 52 ** Where the number of children accommodated = the number of children either admitted into any placement type except “At Home with Parents”/”With Friends/Relatives” OR moved from “At Home with Parents”/”With Friends/Relatives” to any other placement type 2019–20 2020-21 2021–22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Foster Carers 98 103 99 96 105 107
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20 Permanency Planning 2019–20 2020-21 2021–22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Number of permanency plans approved 30 10 21 19 15 6 Adoption – approved and placed 3 8 5 7 4 2 Adoptions granted 8 4 5 5 7 5 Permanence orders approved 11 3 7 7 7 6 Permanence orders granted 8 0 1 2 9 2 2019–20 2020-21 2021–22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Children Subject to Compulsory Supervision Orders 393 351 342 298 271 258 2019–20 2020-21 2021–22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Children with Compulsory Supervision Orders Terminated 140 102 101 102 117 69 Emergency Placements 2019–20 2020-21 2021–22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Child Protection Orders 32 39 11 18 14 22 Secure Placements 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Number of secure placements 4 1 2 0 2 3
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21 Justice Services 2019–20 2020-21 2021–22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Number of reports submitted to the courts (CJSW reports, Section 203, Short Notice CJSW & Supplementary CJSW) 763 430 606 606 668 707 Number of home leave and background reports submitted 151 (66 leave reports, 85 background reports) 114 (39 leave reports, 75 background reports) 93 (30 leave reports, 63 background reports) 91 (28 leave reports, 63 background reports) 112 (41 leave reports, 71 background reports) 112 (42 leave reports, 32 background reports 38 TARL) Unpaid Work Requirements 360 94 172 313 310 329 2019–20 2020-21 2021–22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Level 1 Mappa 163 152 172 190 174 188 Level 2 Mappa 7 10 14 27 11 13 Level 3 Mappa 5 3 7 2 2 1
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22 2.2 Adults North Ayrshire Drug and Alcohol Service The North Ayrshire Drug and Alcohol Service (NADARS) has continued to demonstrate high levels of performance by meeting national and local standards and targets, such as access to treatment waiting times, provision of alcohol brief interventions (ABIs), the roll-out of Naloxone supplies and increasing patient choice regarding Opiate Substitution Therapy (OST) medications. Figures for those seen within 3 weeks for Alcohol were no lower than 96% during any quarter, while those seen within 3 weeks for Drugs were no lower than 99% during any quarter in 2024 to 2025. 100% of referrals for Alcohol and Drugs were seen within 6 weeks. The team continues to identify new ways of working to provide a more agile and streamlined service and further improve performance. This work has been evidenced by
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23 the delivery of early intervention services in the delivery of Alcohol Brief Interventions (ABI) in both priority (Primary Care, A&E and Antenatal) and wider settings. North Ayrshire Model for Enhanced Intermediate Care and Rehabilitation (eICT) The North Ayrshire Model for Enhanced Intermediate Care and Rehabilitation (eICT) utilises multidisciplinary holistic interventions to focus on providing high-quality care and support, through proactive early intervention and preventative action. They aim to assist patients presenting with falls, frailty, low grade infections and general functional decline to avoid hospital admission where possible and facilitating early discharge home from hospitals. 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Target set by Scottish Government – Priority Settings 3,420 3,420 3,420 Total ABI delivery in Priority Settings (Ayrshire & Arran) 4,933 6,398 5,940 Indicator 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Target set by Scottish Government in Wider Settings 855 855 855 Total ABI delivery in Wider Settings (Ayrshire & Arran) 1,207 1,216 1,325
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24 The North Ayrshire Enhanced Intermediate Care Team brings together the expertise of dedicated Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Technical Instructors, Dieticians, Community Psychiatric Nurses, Pharmacists, Admin workers, Rehabilitation Nurses, Advanced Nurse Practitioners, and Intermediate Care GP with special interest into one single multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary team; focused on problem-solving for patients in their own homes across all of mainland North Ayrshire. The seven-day rehabilitation service facilitates early discharge from hospital and provides a rapid alternative to acute hospital admissions. The Enhanced part of the team addresses medical and clinical issues that limit a patient’s ability to engage in rehabilitation via a shared care model with the patients registered GP. Anam Cara Refurbishment Support for people with dementia in North Ayrshire received a boost after Anam Cara respite centre in Kilbirnie was officially reopened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday 4th June following an extensive refurbishment project. The specialist dementia respite centre accommodates up to 9 guests aged 60 years or over, offering critical respite services within single room, en-suite accommodation. The support service, which is run by North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership, had been temporarily relocated to the vacant Taigh Mor site in Beith to allow the service to continue while works were carried out. The refurbishment project included a complete transformation of the main garden area, including new garden furniture, with a ramp installed from the
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25 conservatory to allow better access for guests to enjoy the outdoors. An additional, smaller garden area adjacent to the dining area has also had some landscaping improvements made. A full revamp of the internal areas of the building has also been carried out, with works including wet wall installation in several of the bathrooms, replacement light fittings with energy-efficient LED bulbs and a full upgrade to the reception area. An archway has been created within the dining area to improve the space, allow better access to the outdoors and create an improved flow for staff moving around the area, and a new boiler and generator have been installed.
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26 Mental Health Facility NHS Ayrshire & Arran has officially opened a new, nurse-led Mental Health Unscheduled Care Assessment Hub. Recognised as the first of its kind in Scotland, the hub aims to deliver a new model of care. The Mental Health Unscheduled Care Assessment Hub, based at Woodland View in Irvine, provides a patient-focused, therapeutic space to support the delivery of compassionate care to those individuals with acute mental illness who would be eligible to access an adult acute mental health bed for ongoing intensive assessment. Managed and coordinated by the Mental Health Unscheduled Care Service, the hub provides 24-hour access to mental health assessment and interventions. The service is delivered by experienced Registered Mental Health Nurses within a therapeutic environment for a period of up to 72 hours and will be able to accommodate up to five patients. North Ayrshire Health & Social Care Director, Caroline Cameron explained, “We are delighted to be able to officially open this new service. “We piloted the hub earlier this year for a small number of patients. We are now ready to open at full capacity and provide those living in Ayrshire and who are experiencing acute mental illness with this new way of working.” The hub aims to: • improve the patient journey through the Mental Health Unscheduled Care Service. • facilitate closer working and a smoother patient journey between community and inpatient services. • reduce the number of unscheduled admissions to acute adult inpatient mental health beds. • reduce the waiting time for planned adult acute admissions. • reduce the number of initial assessments carried out in acute wards releasing resource for treatment. • provide training opportunities in assessment of mental illness for clinical staff.
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27 Trindlemoss Day Opportunities Trindlemoss Day Opportunities in Irvine has been praised in a report by the Care Inspectorate after an unannounced inspection visit in October, with the majority of areas looked into being rated as ‘very good’ by the national regulatory body. The service, which opened in 2020, provides tailored support for over 100 people with learning disabilities from its base in Tarryholme Drive in Irvine. The inspector identified a number of significant strengths within the service, with customers found to be ‘supported in stable groups by consistent staff who know them well’. The ‘warm, respectful and kind interactions between staff and people supported’ were also highlighted in the report. Support was found to be tailored to each individual’s identified outcomes, with the service maintaining a flexible approach that allows customers to access a range of groups and activities of their choice. Regular project topics also provide multiple opportunities for themed activities and trips to associated places. Health promotion and education is integrated into activities, empowering people to take control of their health and wellbeing, with the service also making use of local facilities such as the swimming pool and gym. These trips also provide a chance to enhance travel and life skills. Trindlemoss Day Opportunities was also praised for its strong links to the local community, providing support for lunch clubs, play groups and dementia support groups, as well as assisting with gardening and litter picking. Additionally, the Baristamoss Café is open to the local community several days a week, providing employment training and boosting the development of social skills for those supported. In terms of staffing, employees were described as enthusiastic and knowledgeable, putting customers at the centre of all they do. Staff reported that they were able to spend quality time with individuals and get to know them well, and support was found to be provided in a timely manner. Good relationships were noted between staff and management, with appropriate checks and audits in place for the service type. The Trindlemoss facility was commended for being clean and well maintained, offering a generous amount of space split into zones allowing multiple activities to take place at the same time. The gardens were described as ‘well maintained’ and used for a number of activities - including growing vegetables - and areas such as the training kitchen and laundry area provide important socialisation and life skill development opportunities.
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28 Out of Hours Social Work Service Date Period North Ayrshire South Ayrshire East Ayrshire Total 2020-2021 4165 2337 2800 9302 2021-2022 4000 2202 2613 8815 2022-2023 3185 1783 2366 7334 2023-2024 3832 2103 3159 9094 2024-2025 3935 2167 3353 9455 These figures do not include the calls taken which did not result in a referral being made to day services. Self-Directed Support Self-Directed Support (SDS): For the reporting year 2024 to 2025, the following information indicates how people have arranged and directed their support in North Ayrshire. Self-Directed Support offers four options. These are: • Option 1 – a direct payment, which is a payment to you or third party to pay for your own support • Option 2 – you direct the available support • Option 3 – the local council arranges the support • Option 4 – a mix of the above 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 Apr-24 May-24 Jun-24 Jul-24 Aug-24 Sep-24 Oct-24 Nov-24 Dec-24 Jan-25 Feb-25 Mar-25 AOOH Referrals NAC SAC EAC
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29 This continues to demonstrate that traditional support options are offered and accessed most with 80% of people receiving Option 3, where little choice and control is exercised and support is chosen, arranged and directed by the Health and Social Care Partnership. Care at Home Our first annual Care at Home Manager Development Day has taken place. This was introduced as a practical support for new and existing managers to enhance both confidence and skills, focusing on key areas such as: 1. Skill enhancement: Managers should continually develop their skills to keep up with best practices. 2. Leadership Improvement: Effective leadership is essential for the managers to motivate and guide their team. 3. Employee Development: Managers play a key role in the growth of their Care at Home Teams, by improving their mentoring, coaching and feedback skills they can better support the Carers whom they line manage. 4. Networking: The development days enable the managers to share experiences and learn from their peers. 5. Wellbeing: Investing in the development of managers supports their wellbeing. The service will continue to support future sessions, engaging in new concepts, continuing to drive success and growth which also supports career progression. Care at Home Recruitment: Family Participation Our care at home team remains dedicated to involving service users and their families in recruitment events. Family members can drop into these events, meet the team, and discuss the care provided to their loved ones. During these sessions, the team has received appreciation from families for their compassionate care and efforts to address any concerns. This feedback highlights the team's commitment to delivering high-quality, empathetic care as well as to ensuring that families feel empowered to discuss their concerns openly and fully.
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30 Carers North Ayrshire Council and Carers Gateway North Ayrshire have signed up to a new UK- wide commitment aimed at improving the lives of young carers and young adult carers, with NAC leading the way by being the first local authority in Scotland to sign up for this important initiative. The Young Carers Covenant was launched by the Carers Trust and the Young Carers Alliance, setting out a series of outcomes for organisations to work towards to ensure the life chances of young carers are improved. Caring can have a serious impact on a young person’s education and long-term future, with many young carers missing out on important parts of their childhood. This means it is vitally important that they receive the right support at the right time to enable to them to continue in a caring role while being a child or young person first. By signing up to the Young Carers Covenant, North Ayrshire Council and its partner Carers Gateway North Ayrshire have made the commitment to work towards ten key outcomes that will improve life chances for young carers, ensuring they are identified at the earliest opportunity, receive timely support, are able to thrive in education and employment, have time for themselves, and are able to maintain good physical health and wellbeing. This will involve continuing to work with education services, including colleges and universities, to ensure staff and students know who young carers are, the effects of caring roles and how to identify and support them.
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31 2.3 Criminal Justice Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) The Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) are a set of statutory arrangements that allow for the assessment and management of the risk posed by people convicted of certain sexual and violent offences. In Scotland, arrangements were established by Sections 10 and 11 of the Management of offender’s etc. Scotland act 2005 and became operational in 2007. MAPPA brings together the Police, Local Authority Social Work Justice Services, the NHS and Prison Service. In addition, some other agencies are under a duty to co-operate with the Responsible Authority in respect to the arrangements. These include, local authority housing, the Reporter to the children’s panel, certain registered social landlords and electronic monitoring providers. The creation of an effective Risk Management Plan is the key factor in the MAPPA process. To support staff in this critical task, on 19th and 20th of June 2024, subject matter experts from the Risk Management Authority Scotland , provided training on the best ways to approach this task. The training was attended by over fifty members of staff from both the Police and Justice Services. As a result of the training there has been an immediate improvement in the quality of the important foundation documents produced by Justice social workers with positive feedback received “Your Risk Management Plan was first class, comprehensively detailing the risk factors and the plans in place to mitigate risk and throughout the MAPPA meeting, your role in working with Mr A and the therapeutic relationship you have with him was highlighted by every other service”. Community Payback Orders The latest Government statistics on Community Payback Orders (CPOs) (2023 to 2024) show that North Ayrshire had the highest of the Ayrshires with 479 CPOs which equates to 52.5 per 10,000 population.The Scottish average is 39.1 per 10,000 population. There has been a reduction in the number of Criminal Justice Social Work Reports (CJSW) since 2020 to 2021 largely thought to be due to the result of COVID-19. 2024 to 2025 sees the highest number of report submissions since this downward turn, albeit not yet at pre-covid numbers. The latest Government statistics on CJSWs for 2023 to 2024 reveal North Ayrshire to have submitted the highest number of reports of the Ayrshires. Our Justice Services continue to have a positive impact on the local community through the Community Payback Order (CPO) unpaid work scheme. For the twelfth year we continue to over-achieved against targets for CPO level 1 and level 2. 2024 to 2025 saw 78 out of 79 level 1 CPO’s completing within timescales and 108 out of 112 level 2 CPO’s completing within timescales. The targets set for unpaid work are pan-Ayrshire targets.
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32 Drug Treatment and Testing Order There was a marked increase in in Drug Treatment and Testing Order (DTTO) Assessment and Impositions in 2023 to 2024. There has been a slight decrease in 2024 to 2025; however, the volume of assessments and new Orders this year remains high. The last two years figures appear to represent a return to ‘the norm’ following a ‘dip’ attributed to covid. Of the 63 assessments completed in 2024 to 2025, 45 new DTTO’s were imposed across Ayrshire. This incorporates Orders from both Kilmarnock and Ayr Sheriff Courts. DTTO is an intense Order which involves monthly Court reviews, twice weekly contact for the first month and weekly oral drug screens. There are three distinct roles within the team delivering the service and interventions. The Supervising Officer oversees the Order, monitors compliance and compiles the assessment and review reports. The Additions Worker delivers the therapeutic interventions and is primarily responsible for administering the oral drug screens. There are then Recovery Development Workers who provide practical supports, assistance with welfare needs and also build links and connections within the recovery community to help build the persons own recovery capital. A Recovery Care Plan is created with each individual. There are ten domains, including substance use, relationships and offending, which are scored from 1 to 10. These plans are updated at three monthly intervals and allows areas for support/intervention to be identified and progress to be monitored.
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33 Diversion from Prosecution Diversion from Prosecution (Diversion) has been available since 1997, within this past year we have experienced a further increase across Ayrshire in assessment referrals from the Procurator Fiscal. Referrals have increased at a significant rate from 2018. Although this disposal is early intervention and low-level offending, the presenting need of service users is extremely high, thus resulting in more staff time being allocated and closer partnership working with other agencies to provide identified services. The number of assessment reports submitted are relatively lower than the number requested due to limited resources, which has resulted in waiting lists within each local authority area. In comparison with last year, 2023 to 2024 notes a decrease in the number of Diversion cases imposed. This is due to delays from the time that the offence was committed until the individual is referred to and assessed by the Diversion team. In this time many positive changes could have taken place and individuals are actively seeking and engaging with services to address any issues which they may have, thus reducing their risk of further offending. In these instances, no interventions are required due to positive reasons.
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34 Case Study: Employability Mentors Employment can contribute significantly towards desistance and the development of a pro-social lifestyle for service users involved in the Justice system. People released from prison without a job are twice as likely to re-offend as those released with employment opportunities lined up. People with convictions may also face stigma and inequality associated with declaring a criminal record, or an unwillingness by some employers to provide those with criminal convictions with job opportunities. The Employability Mentors located within our Unpaid Work team assist service users involved with the Justice system to obtain skills that will enable them to gain employment and training opportunities to support reintegration into the community. The impact of the work of our Employability Mentors is reflected in J’s story. J's Story This is the story of J, who overcame significant personal and professional challenges to rebuild his life. J's journey from a tumultuous background to a promising future is a testament to resilience, support, and determination. Following a court order that mandated 18 months of social work supervision and 180 hours of unpaid work, his life took a difficult turn. This period marked the beginning of numerous challenges, including poor physical and mental health, which necessitated additional support from various departments, including addiction services. Employment History J had a career in His Majesty's Armed Forces but was discharged due to physical and mental health issues. During this time, he picked up charges before transitioning to roles in security and as a bus driver. However, J’s health issues impacted on his ability to sustain employment. J was referred by his Community Payback Officer (CPO) to the Employability Mentor service to help him reassess and explore his employability options. The Employability Mentor Service is a dedicated one-to-one service for individuals who are involved with Justice Service to identify further education, training, volunteering and employment. By tackling the additional barriers service users face, by being involved with the Justice Service, the employability mentors are able to realistically provide support to reach long lasting positive destinations. The CPO Employability Mentor Service offers people information, advice and guidance on disclosure related issues. This includes helping people understand their rights when disclosing an offence, how restrictions can affect their job hunting or how to reskill into a new career. The Challenge Due to his offence, J was forced to reskill and seek new employment opportunities. His physical and mental health further complicated his ability to find
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35 and maintain stable employment. Despite these setbacks, J was determined to improve his situation and with the support of the Employability Mentor sought a new career path, enrolling in courses through the Open University and other training programs. Financial Assistance Addressing financial barriers was crucial. Assistance with fuel costs, support from Money Matters and access to food banks provided J with stability and a foundation to start anew. Health and Wellbeing Continuous support from health services helped improve J's physical and mental health, enabling him to focus on his future. Achievements and Progress While pursuing his studies and with ongoing intervention from the Employability Mentor J actively searched for employment and secured a part-time job as a bus driver. This role not only provided financial stability but also boosted his confidence and well-being. With his health improving and life stabilizing, J is now on a more promising path. As his situation improves, J is more motivated and has started studying IT. Conclusion J's story is a powerful example of how targeted support and personal determination can overcome even the most daunting challenges. J’s s progress in both his job and health highlights the importance of comprehensive joined up support systems in facilitating successful rehabilitation and career transitions. It also evidence that access to employment with a criminal history is still possible.
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36 Key Performance Indicators MHO Service Mental Health (Care and Treatments) 2003 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Emergency Detentions 54 54 81 96 92 99 121 Short Term Detentions 74 67 134 There has been a total of 171 requests (of which consent was given to 134, with the other 37 being assessed but consent not given) There has been a total of 127 requests (of which consent was given to 108, with the other 19 being assessed but consent not given) There has been a total of 182 requests (of which consent was given to 151, with the other 31 being assessed and consent not given) There has been a total of 202 requests (of which consent was given to 170, with the other 32 being assessed and consent not given)
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37 Compulsory Treatment 38 51 59 There has been a total of 70 new CTOs granted (of which 27 had been Interim CTOs, with 14 of these moving to full CTO following a further Mental Health Tribunal) There has been a total of 60 new CTOs granted (of which 17 had been Interim CTOs, with 12 of these moving to full CTO following a further Mental Health Tribunal) There has been a total of 47 new CTOs granted (of which 10 had been Interim CTOs, with 4 of these moving to full CTO following a further Mental Health Tribunal) There has been a total of 60 new CTOs granted (of which 24 had been Interim CTOs, with 18 of these moving to full CTO following a further Mental Health Tribunal) Warrants Undertaken 1 6 6 4 4 3 2 Criminal Justice Act Scotland 1995 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Compulsion Order and Restriction Order 4 3 3 2 0 0 0 Compulsion Orders 2 6 6 3 3 3 6 Hospital Directions 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 Assessment Orders 2 2 2 6 5 6 4 Treatment Orders 4 2 2 6 2 3 4 Transfer for Treatment 2 1 3 1 1 1 1
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38 Adults with Incapacity Act (Scotland) 2000 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Private Welfare Guardianships 411 (58 new) 272 (67 new) 314 (57 new) 402 (102 new) 371 (99 new) 422 (125 new) 450 (63 new) CSWO Guardianships 40 (16 new) 64 (24) 71 (24) 91 (26) 85 (27 new) 121 (54 new) 151 (40 new) Financial Intervention Order (LAG) 26 31 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a MHO Report PWG Application 38 104 75 156 139 141 101 Adult Protection 2019–20 2020–21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 ASP Referrals (AP1) 568 558 643 722 915 1092 ASP Investigations (AP2) 108 132 102 72 112 100 ASP Case Conferences 66 64 40 41 57 43 Protection Orders 0 3 1 0 1 0 Adult Concern Reports 2335 2215 2070 2370 2103 2538
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39 3. Resources 3.1 Financial Pressures The IJB set a balanced budget for 2024/25 on 14th March 2024. This did not require any draw on reserves but did include the approval of £10.290m of savings to achieve financial balance. Financial information is part of the performance management framework with regular reporting of financial performance to the IJB. This included an integrated approach to financial monitoring, reporting on progress with savings delivery, financial risks and any variations and changes to the delegated budget. Financial balance was not been achieved in 2024-25 and the 2025-26 budget highlights several areas of significant risk. Financial modelling also anticipates a very challenging position in subsequent years. From the initial budget monitoring report in month 3 the projected position was an overspend. The Integration Scheme requires the preparation of a recovery plan if an overspend position is being projected to plan to bring overall service delivery back into line with the available resource. The IJB agreed some initial recovery actions at the meeting in June 2024 and a more detailed financial recovery plan was developed and approved by the August 2024 IJB. Since the initial recovery plan was agreed in June 2024 there was a £4.002m reduction in costs. Despite this, against the full-year budget of £326.629m there is a reported overspend of £1.212m pre-earmarking. After earmarking the overspend of £3.593m consists of an overspend of £2.036m in social care services and an overspend of £1.557m in health services. Following additional funding contributions this position was brought on-line. There were significant financial challenges during the period. The main challenges during the year were residential placements for children, care at home, supplementary staff in wards and Unplanned Activities (UnPACs) within the lead partnership for mental health. 3.1 2025-26 Budget As part of the Scottish Government budget and finance settlement funding letters were issued to NHS Boards and Councils, these detailed the requirements in relation to the level of funding to be delegated to IJBs in 2025-26. The specific requirements and funding provision is as follows: NHS Ayrshire and Arran • NHS Ayrshire and Arran are required to passport the 3% through to IJBs (£4.040m to North Ayrshire) – “In 2025-26, NHS payments to Integration Authorities (IA) for delegated health functions must pass on an uplift of 3% over 2024-25 agreed recurring budgets.”
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40 • Additionally, there is funding of £150m nationally for Agenda for Change Pay Reform. A share of this funding will be allocated to the IJB to meet the associated costs for NHS staff. This is being followed to ensure the correct roll-forward into 2025-26 and it is anticipated at this stage that the costs of the pay reform will be fully funded. • Moving into 2025-26, brokerage will no longer be available to NHS Boards and all Boards must work towards break-even. Should financial balance not be achieved this would be shown as an overspend in financial statements, leading to potential qualification of accounts and Section 22 report, as well as consideration of escalation status. • The NHS budget includes a commitment of additional funding to reduce waiting lists and to help support reduction of delayed discharge; as well as a commitment to renew primary care enhancements, including new core funding to GMS to deliver enhanced frailty, cardiovascular disease and other essential services in General Practice, a critical dental workforce and training package and a community eye care programme to transfer patients from waiting lists. Further details of the allocation of funding is to follow but a submission from NHS AA incorporates the request for funding from North Ayrshire IJB and this was submitted to the Scottish Government early March 2025. • Similarly to Local Government NHS Boards have also been advised to plan on the assumption of 60% funding for the Employers National Insurance Increase. North Ayrshire Council • Based on the 2025-26 Finance Settlement the Health and Social Care Portfolio will transfer additional funding of £140 million to Local Government to support social care and integration for 2025-26. • The funding allocated to Integration Authorities should be additional and not substitutional to each Council’s 2024-25 recurring budgets for services delegated to IAs and therefore, Local Authority social care budgets for allocation to IAs must be at least £140 million greater than 2024-25 recurring budgets. • The increase in Employers National Insurance from April 2025 has not been fully funded for the public sector in Scotland and has created a significant financial pressure. For Local Government funding of around 60% of the cost will be provided by Scottish Government for directly employed staff. There is zero funding being provided for any commissioned services. • Specific funding for the IJB was received for the following areas: • Real Living Wage • Free Personal and Nursing Care
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41 • Additionally, North Ayrshire Council have passed through a share of the Local Government Grant uplift of £2.114m and have fully funded the increase in Employers’ NI costs of £1.898m for NAC contracted staff. previous years and were already assumed in the Partnership base budget and this is shown in the table below. Moving into 2025-26 the Partnership is proactively working to provide safe and effective services for the residents of North Ayrshire within the financial envelope, this is supported by approving a balanced budget. The IJB approved a one-year balanced budget for 2025-26 on 20 March 2025. More information about the budget can be found here - 25-26 Budget This budget included new budget pressures for health and social care services totalling £14.943m. These were developed in partnership, with Finance supporting front line services to identify current and emerging financial pressures considering historic demand and costs and potential future variations. The provision of funding for pressures has the impact of increasing the budget gap to be addressed through savings, therefore the pressures are only included in budget plans where these are absolutely unavoidable. The new cost and demand pressures resulted in a requirement to identify and approve additional savings of £4.019m 3.3 Financial Planning Strong financial planning and management is paramount to ensure our limited resources are targeted to maximise the contribution to our objectives. Delivery of services in the same way is not financially sustainable. The updated strategic plan approved for 2022-30 is underpinned by the need to learn from the pandemic and ensure opportunities are maximised to transform care models and find new solutions to ensure the future sustainability of high-quality heath and care services. The ability to plan based on the totality of resources across the health and care system to meet the needs of local people is one of the hallmarks of integrated care. Medium term financial planning is key to supporting this process and identifying the transformation and planned shift in resources to provide sustainable services to the local community over the medium term. The IJB has a strong reputation in delivering savings. The IJB will continue to pursue transformational change in how it supports individuals, families and communities to live independently from statutory services for as long as they can safely do so. This is not just about changing the ways in which services are structured but will require a change in how they are planned and delivered. Our health and social care services should reflect and respond to the needs of local people. To support this, we will help to build greater capacity in our communities and provide more ways for service users and local people to share their views with us to help shape services. We are fully committed to planning and designing services together with local people, our staff and our key partners including acute health services, housing, community planning and the third and independent sectors.
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42 The IJB, through the Strategic Plan, outlines the belief that together we can transform health and social care services to achieve the joint vision for the future “all people who live in North Ayrshire are able to have a safe, healthy and active life.” Moving into 2025- 26, we are working proactively to address the financial challenges, while at the same time, providing high-quality and sustainable health and social care services for the communities in North Ayrshire. 3.4 Medium Term Financial Outlook A Medium-Term Financial Outlook (MTFO) is a critical part of the strategic planning process. The financial context for public services remains very challenging and so it is vital that the IJB’s strategic ambitions are set against the financial resources which are anticipated to be available. The MTFO provides key information on the possible financial position of the IJB over future years. It identifies the financial challenges which will be faced by the IJB enabling the IJB to see the impact of current and future decisions on its medium-term financial health. The MTFO will also be used to identify pressure points and inform decisions which are required to ensure the Partnership remains financially sustainable. There are a range of factors which influence the financial planning of the IJB. These are considered through the MTFO and include the following: • Demographic changes. • Local priorities. • Workforce challenges. • The UK and Scottish Economy. • Policy and Legislation. • Cost and demand pressures. • Available funding. As in previous years, a Medium-Term Financial Outlook has been prepared to identify what the financial position may look like moving into 2026-27 and 2027-28. The Integration Joint Board, in common with most Public Sector bodies, is facing a period of significant financial challenge with cost and demand pressures. The most significant financial pressures continue to be pay awards for staff, inflationary cost increases for contracted services and demographic changes driving increased demand for services - funding these unavoidable pressures year-on-year drives our savings requirement. There are a number of highlighted financial risk areas that may impact on the 2025-26 budget during the year, these include:
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43 These risks will be monitored during 2025-26 and the financial impact reported to the IJB. The next three years will be the greatest financial challenge that the IJB has been asked to manage since its inception. North Ayrshire IJB is clear about the challenges which are ahead and its aspirations for its services, however we will also need to be realistic about what can be delivered within the funding envelope available. Transformation alone will not address the financial gap, and this will require the IJB to prioritise decisions for investment and disinvestment in order to support delivery of the Strategic Plan. This will result in some services being reduced or stopped altogether but this action is required to ensure the available resource reaches those most at risk and in need of care and support. Legacy Overspends Growing demand for services Provider market –cost pressures and potential market failure Performance expectations –Maintain and Improve SG Policy Commitments not fully funded& funding reducing or ceasing Wider system financial challenges –NAC and NHS Meeting needs of population –with rising costs of care NHS Reform priorities Zero Unearmarked reserves
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44 4. Workforce 4.1 Workforce Planning Following the implementation of the HSCP “Be the Best You Can Be” Learning & Development Strategy (Social Work and Social Care) in September 2023 there has been a clear indicator of the HSCP organisational offer and expectations in relation to professional development for the social work and social care workforce. While the strategy enters its third year it continues to outline our approach to articulating to our practitioners how much we are investing in their development and aims to embed the development of leadership and management capabilities. The issues in relation to professional staff sufficiency remain across all areas of social work both locally and nationally. The recent SSSC Annual Workforce Data Report shows there was an increase of 23% in the social work workforce in NAHSCP. This is testament to the implementation of the “Be the Best You can Be” Learning and development Strategy 2023/28 which outlines the qualification pathways and annual development offers to staff. We can continue to offer annual sponsorship opportunities for the Undergraduate Social Work Degree and “fast track” routes including the Post Graduate Diploma in Social work. As a direct result of the “Growing Our Own” programme we have 9 employees undertaking a social Work qualification and a further 4 employees who have completed a social work qualification and will graduate in the autumn. This programme has seen 12 employees qualify as social workers. To further support the “Growing Our Own” programme we have embarked on the journey to create a NAHSCP Practice Education qualification through SQA and SSSC approval processes this will ensure a sustainable, local and self-sufficient delivery method of the qualification which will secure the pathway for development and social work students in NAHSCP. As part of the strategy and the Growing Our Own programme there is a visual pathway which demonstrates from school leavers to senior levels what is on offer including the opportunity to undertake an HNC in Social Services & Healthcare and 12 employees were successful in the completion of this qualification earlier in the year and a further offer has been disseminated to staff. We are continuing to develop robust relationships and ways of working with Universities in the West and the local Ayrshire College. Through these more direct ways of working and collaboration we continue to explore the variety of degree level, post graduate and post qualifications on offer and practice learning opportunities is one of our optimum responsibilities. Through such collaborations we have developed in partnership with Ayrshire Hospice an enhanced approach to the quality of palliative care through comprehensive training opportunities. This will support the increased number of citizens who choose to remain at home in the final stages of life rather than in a clinical setting and equip social work and social care staff with the knowledge and skills to provide compassionate care.
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45 Our commitment to the provision of Mental Health Officers within the organisation is another key component of the Learning & Development Strategy. Following the “pilot” delivery of the mental health qualification from a different HEI where the aim was to offer a more bespoke and flexible qualification with a local context we have 2 employees nearing successful completion of this qualification and a further 2 sponsored on this course for the next cohort. The strategy seeks to strengthen the newly qualified first year for Social Workers in cognisance of the directive from the implementation of SSSC Newly Qualified Workers Supported Year. This is critical as the first year greatly influences professional autonomy and authority which are key to good social work practice. With the introduction of mentoring training and support for teams who will have NQSW’s and an offer to extend our support to NQSW’s from 12 months to 18 months with a monthly planned programme delivered by the social work practice team this will nourish new social workers. This approach continues to be embedded after the initial implementation year and feedback from a “deep dive” quality assurance exercise carried out by the SSSC highlighted instances of “exceptional” examples of practice from our NQSW’s. Leadership & Role Modelling has been seen as one of the key areas where managers and supervisors can influence professional standards and practice and promote a leadership culture. With Aspiring Leaders Programmes for aspiring/new managers and Systems Management Programmes for senior managers these programmes offer reflective space and coaching to allow practitioners to explore complex systems and leadership at all levels within an organisation. Both courses have been delivered and continue to demonstrate extremely successful outcomes in the development of a cross section of practitioners. In relation to the key area of Good reflective Supervision outlined in the document “Supervision Standards” have been developed following the ongoing work in relation to supervision practice being undertaken by external consultant Bridget Rothwell. The standards are contained in the “Be The Best You Can Be” Learning and Development Strategy. The Supervision Standards outline expectations in relation to good reflective supervision, values and conduct which can be used to develop bespoke service specific supervision guidance and there is clear guidance around expectations and usefulness of face to supervision provision. The strategy includes an overarching focus on the wellbeing of the workforce and is included as a key component of the supervision standards. Further input from Bridget will commence in the summer and will focus on bespoke development support for frontline managers. In relation to ongoing in house training we have been able to increase the number of courses on offer by more than 100%. The variation of courses on offer has increased following consultation with the workforce and driven by other national agendas including Trauma Informed Practice. This has resulted in 417 practitioners attend the various offers of Trauma Training since it was launched 9 months ago and a further 11 completing the Professional Development Award which is an accredited qualification. Our offer to the workforce for accredited qualifications has increased significantly with a variety of Professional Development Awards including, Mental Health, Leadership and Management and Supervision available. These offers enhance the knowledge and skill of the workforce in both social work and social care and contributes the mandatory requirements outlined by our regulatory bodies.
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46 As the strategy continues to be embedded the “appetite” for development from the workforce is evident with the participation at events and information sessions. 4.2 Workforce Support and Development As platinum award winners in Investors in People, the Dirrans team were looking for a different challenge so went forward for a new award from Investors in people ‘We invest in wellbeing.’ The We invest in wellbeing framework looks for a strategy and approach to the health and wellbeing of staff. This should be measurable and understand the impact of this on staff practice. The team considered and improved practice by evaluating staff wellbeing through surveys and feedback. They created a wellbeing policy and strategy to guide wellbeing goals such as reducing sickness absence, improving job satisfaction and job retention. They also developed subgroups that focussed on physical, psychological, social and financial factors that can affect staff and shared this as a team to be more informed about what supports staff can access to help improve wellbeing. The team reflected that they already felt that they had a strong presence for looking after staff however going through this process it highlighted areas for improvement and how the framework could improve the service. The We invest in Wellbeing framework comprises three indicators, each with three themes. This defines what it takes to reach each level of accreditation standard, silver, gold, and platinum. It was intended to start at the first level of ‘standard’ however when receiving feedback, this had jumped to silver which is an amazing achievement, and the Dirrans Centre were confirmed winners of the silver award in August 2024. We invest in wellbeing silver award means that you have an established wellbeing strategy or plan and that your people feel positive about your strategy, plans and activities. Developing and supporting our workforce ensures employees are more efficient and effective in their roles, helps retain our skilled and qualified staffing resources, and improves morale and job satisfaction. The Health and Social Care Partnership are delighted to advise the launch of a formal model of support for workers in the creation of a Staff Vicarious Trauma Service. The Partnership recognises the secondary trauma, stress and burn out, which can occur when working in a complex human environment with many moving parts. The purpose of the venture is to support staff who are working within the live space, exposed to complicated human contexts. The service will be delivered by Breaking The Silence, who have significant experience and knowledge in this field and beyond, supporting victims of profound and vicarious
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47 trauma. Staff will be able to access therapeutic support to work through the vicarious trauma they have been exposed to. This will provide a safe space to process their experiences, gain therapeutic insights/supports and build on their resilience to move forward. Incorporating coping strategies, wellbeing plans with the purpose of helping staff to continue work responsibilities without any detriment to their mental, emotional and physical health and wellbeing, protecting them from, and reducing the risk of vicarious trauma. The contract will also provide two wider workforce training days each year for approximately 80 staff in total. The aim is to raise awareness of vicarious trauma per se - including learning, development, preventative/promoting self-care responses, sharing experiences and practice-based learning. Overall, the service aims to support staff’s wellbeing, offer protection from the exposure of traumatic human experiences, while building staff resilience and minimising disruption to the overall service through improved sickness absence and higher staff retention rates. Case Study: Community Nursing Connie, Newly Qualified Nurse (NQN), Garnock Valley and Kilwinning Community Nurse Team I was assigned to the Garnock Valley (GV) District Nurse team as a year 3 student on my management placement. During this placement when the NQN recruitment process commenced one of the Staff Nurses had indicated she was going to retire. I was keen to work in community nursing and made this speciality my first choice on my application form. During my placement I was able to take on a small, delegated caseload and was able to plan and assess the care for my patients with support from my Practice Supervisor and also from the other staff in the team. This experience gave me confidence in what I would expect as a Staff Nurse if successful at interview. All students in my cohort were offered interviews and I attended and I was delighted to be informed I was the preferred candidate for the GV post. In the remainder of my placement, I ensured I was exposed to as much of the community staff nurse role and responsibilities as possible. I joined the team in September as a Band 4 Health care Support Worker while my Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) pin was processed which came through early October and I transitioned to a Registered Nurse. Working as a NQN is a daunting experience for any individual, however I have only ever felt fully supported and valued. Ongoing induction and mentorship to the role from both the wider District Nurse team and participating in the NQN induction/education sessions has been beneficial to my journey and it also allows me to discuss the NQN pathway with my peers in other specialities and department. Although I’m a Staff nurse within the team I have access to every part of the wider Health and Social Care partnership team in providing high standard of care for our patients and their families.
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48 The winners of the 2024 Partnership Awards were announced at our ‘Promoting Wellbeing Together’ event at the Redburn Community Centre in Irvine. The event was a fantastic celebration of the staff, teams and individuals who deliver health and social care services in North Ayrshire, as well as the crucial work of those in our communities who support people with their wellbeing, including volunteers, community organisations and charities. All employees of NAHSCP and our providers can now enjoy a year’s free access to Holly Health, a fantastic mobile app that can support you to make small, achievable changes that could help boost your health and wellbeing. Using a compassionate, personalised approach tailored to your own health goals, interests and activities, the app can help you to reduce stress and anxiety, rebuild your relationship with food, increase exercise and movement and improve your sleep. Holly Health will assist you in making small but consistent changes to your daily behaviours, helping you build healthier habits, promoting mindfulness and encouraging you to be more kind to yourself. In-app coaching is available through a supportive chat bot system, with friendly, motivational reminders by text or email to keep you on the right track. The app also contains a wealth of useful articles and videos that you can browse at your leisure. Funded by NAHSCP, you’ll initially enjoy six months’ free access to the app, before being invited to a further six-month subscription for free once that expires. “I feel I have lessened how often I see my GP” “This is a great idea and honestly feel this could help so many people if this is what doctors are able to prescribe! A year’s free subscription to a brilliant self-help app, with no restrictions and no judgement. This has been a godsend during a tough time.“ “The app is a great resource for reliably keeping on track with habits that are healthy and productive. It is also very generous to allow us to have access to this app for the time being. It is appreciated.“ The LiveWell group have partnered with KA leisure to bring free health checks to Council employees. The KA Leisure health check sessions include lifestyle and weight management advice along with cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar testing and the Boditrax machine – a clever system that assesses your body and, very quickly, delivers 14 different measurements, such as your ideal weight, your BMI and your metabolic age.
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49 Our Chief Executive Craig Hatton booked in to one of the health check sessions and encouraged others to do the same. He said: “It’s been brilliant having the opportunity to have my recent employee health check, thanks to the LiveWell group and our partners at KA Leisure. I think it’s important that colleagues understand just how vital it is to take time for their own health and learn about what they can do proactively to improve it. The reason I booked in to a recent KA Leisure health check was because I am mindful that I’m not getting any younger and I knew – for my own peace of mind – that making time to have the check done was going to be beneficial for me.”
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50 Independent Care Providers who provide care services on our behalf Where we commission care and support from independent and 3rd sector Providers services based within the North Ayrshire area, we monitor these services via the Contract Management Framework. The Framework focusses on ensuring a joint approach to evaluating the quality of care and where appropriate provides an approach to supporting Providers to progress improvements. We use a range of methods to monitor performance, including: • Formal Contract Management meetings on a 6 monthly basis and an Annual Joint Evaluation of Contract to ensure that services are safe, effective and most of all, that they meet people’s needs • Review of compliments, complaints and feedback from staff, carers and people who use services • Information that we collect, before visits, from the provider or from our records • Local and national information, for example, Care Inspectorate reports • Visits to providers, including observing care and support and looking at records and documents The information below represents how those service which are registered with Care Inspectorate and are based in North Ayrshire are currently performing. Registered Services – Minimum Grades across all themes Care Service Subtype 2 Weak 3 Adequate 4 Good 5 Very Good 6 Excellent Grand Total Adult Placement Service Not applicable 0 1 0 0 0 1 Care Home Service Older People 0 7 3 1 0 11 Care Home Service Children & Young People 0 2 0 1 0 3 Care Home Service Learning Disabilities 0 1 2 0 0 3
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51 Care Service Subtype 2 Weak 3 Adequate 4 Good 5 Very Good 6 Excellent Grand Total Care Home Service Mental Health Problems 0 0 1 0 0 1 Child Minding Not applicable 0 4 5 0 0 9 Day Care of Children Not applicable 0 6 7 2 0 15 Housing Support Service Not applicable 0 0 3 3 0 6 School Care Accommodation Service Not applicable 1 0 0 2 1 4 Support Service Care at Home 1 1 4 2 0 8 Support Service Other than Care at home 0 0 1 0 0 1 Grand Total Not applicable 2 22 26 11 1 62
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52 Inspection of Local Services Throughout 2024 to 2025, a total of ten inspections took place by the Care Inspectorate, eight were unannounced. • Health & Community Care - 2 inspections. • Children & Families & Justice Services - 6 inspections. • Adult Services - 2 inspections. The Care Inspectorate use a six-point scale to grade inspections: 1 Unsatisfactory Major weaknesses – urgent remedial action required 2 Weak Important weaknesses – priority action required 3 Adequate Strengths just outweigh weaknesses 4 Good Important strengths, with some areas for improvement 5 Very Good Major strengths 6 Excellent Outstanding or sector leading Gradings for inspections can be found below. Inspection reports can be found on the Care Inspectorate website - Inspection Reports.
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53 Inspection Date Service/Unit Wellbeing Leadership Staffing Environment Care & Support 04 - June – 24 The Meadows 3 0 0 0 0 20 - June – 24 Montrose House 3 3 3 4 3 12- August - 24 Canmore 3 0 0 0 0 22 - October - 24 Trindlemoss Day Opportunities 5 5 5 5 4 31 - October – 24 Montrose House 4 4 0 0 0 05 - November – 24 Supported Carers Scheme 5 3 3 0 3 16 - January - 25 Trindlemoss House 4 4 4 3 5 03 - March - 25 Adoption 5 3 0 0 4 26 - March - 25 Achnamara 3 0 0 0 0 28 - March - 25 Fostering 4 3 0 0 4