Social Inclusion in Aberdeenshire

1. Social Inclusion in Aberdeenshire Janice MacKinnon Joint Commissioning Manager Aberdeenshire Council

2. What Have We Done? • Reviewed service provision against the modernisation agenda • Introduced the concepts of recovery and social inclusion into all services • Introduced Locality Funds for new developments • Made it everyone’s business

3. What is Working Well? • Day Service Outreach Workers – building bridges into communities e.g. from walking groups to work with community rangers, from football groups to the World Cup • Support Workers – individual support e.g. college, gym • Specialist Employment Service – support into work, Job Clubs/jointly with college • Day Service Initiatives – Haven peer support network, Nexus quiz culture and gym groups, Pillar Kincardine friendship networks, Comraich golf project

4. What are the Barriers? • Stigma and discrimination • Finances (personal and project based) • Support • Confidence in making the first step • Support to families • Getting the basics in place e.g. housing, transport • The real world isn’t always that welcoming

5. What Makes it Happen? • Professional support from services – sensitive, available and responsive • Finding a valued activity/interest – person centred planning • Being user led – users in the driving seat • Challenging assumptions and perceptions in the community • Mental health awareness raising – key people (allies) • Social spin offs • Real achievements – skills, training, employment opportunities • Developing networks in the real world

6. Social Inclusion in Aberdeen City Claire Wilkie Acting Team Manager, Health and Care, Joint Future, Mental Health and Substance Misuse

7. The story so far • Joint working to achieve goals of social inclusion • Review of services particularly support and day services • Focus on trying to get people to move on • Encouragement to use services when they are needed rather than creating dependence • Recovery model incorporated into the ethos of all services

8. What are we doing? • Employment services are being reviewed • Development of social firms • Encouraging self sufficiency • New employment strategy focusing on all the citizens of Aberdeen who may experience or develop mental health problems • Engendering links and partnership arrangements with key agencies such as Job Centre Plus, Housing agencies etc • Not working in isolation • Social inclusion is everyone’s business • Working on the premise: Work is good for you

9. Support Services • Review highlighted difficulty in moving people onto mainstream services • Two community learning workers now employed through Mental Health Act monies • They encourage and assist people to access mainstream activities, education, employment • Day services moved away from the drop in type environment • Providing more focussed sessional activities • Cut down on duplication • Many services predominantly service user led

10. The challenges for the future • Changing entrenched views about illness and people’s capabilities • Not creating dependence • Working creatively within very limited funding streams locally and nationally

11. Social Inclusion In Moray • Margaret Christie • Integrated Mental Health Services Manager - Moray

12. What are we doing? • Raising the profile through Community Planning • Raising awareness to support the concept across all services • Developing a Social Inclusion Strategy owned corporately

13. What’s Working? • Local Community activities - open to all • Healthy Living Centre providing a range of services to the general public with specialist support available when required • Rural community projects for older people offering engagement, friendship and support • Development of shared supported employment services to assist people back to training and work

14. What are the Barriers? • Stigma and discrimination • Changing perceptions in local communities • Available support when people need it • Confidence in making the first step • Getting the basics in place e.g. appropriate housing, transport, childcare support