Working together for Shetland’s future – process underway to create next partnership plan
WHAT SHOULD the collective direction of Shetland be over the next 15 years?
That is one of the key questions being asked as work continues to create the next Shetland Partnership plan.
The aim is that the document, which will cover 2028 to 2043, will help to guide strategic planning for Shetland.
From this summer through to February, large-scale meetings are being held on themes such as inequalities, population, economy and housing.
They are being attended by a whole host of strategic organisations – from the SIC, NHS and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, to Shetland’s various trusts, emergency services, as well as community councils and community development groups.
Chairing the process is Gary Robinson, NHS Shetland chair, and Shetland Islands Council’s depute leader.
With partnership working across the length and breadth of the isles, he said it is “truly a Shetland-wide process”.
What is the Shetland Partnership and why is a new plan being created?
The Shetland Partnership brings together more than 20 public bodies and third sector organisations in collaboration, and works with communities to improve outcomes and reduce inequalities across the islands.
The list of members is perhaps too long to write, but in addition to those mentioned above, the likes of UHI Shetland, Hjaltland Housing Association and Voluntary Action Scotland are also on board.
To put it simply, it brings together the folk that can make change.
The partnership is required to make a plan, with the current version running through to 2028.
The plan sets out what the organisations and communities? have agreed to work towards together, and it is monitored throughout its term.
The current plan, for example, opens with the shared aim: “Shetland is a place where everyone is able to thrive, living well in strong, resilient communities, and where people and communities are able to help plan and deliver solutions to future challenges.”
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What are the next steps?
The partnership is clear that the process to create the next plan is not another consultation which is starting from scratch.
It says that Shetland’s organisations and communities have already shared plenty of information over the years from surveys, research and other engagement.
Rather than asking the same questions again, the process brings together the people best placed to make sense of what we already know – and to agree what to do about it.
Four meetings have already taken place so far – scene setting, inequalities, population and economy, and housing, transport and digital connectivity.
Next up will be biodiversity and climate (2 December) and public sector reform and communities (21 January), before a final session is held on 18 February next year to wrap things up.
Those attending the meetings are given a briefing paper with a wide-ranging set of statistics, data and background.
These meetings will then feed into the development of the plan, which will ultimately be signed off by partners to go live during 2028 – and help to guide strategic decision-making in Shetland for years to come.
Partnership working is key
“The plan aims to be as realistic and as deliverable as it can be,” Robinson explained.
“We aim to tackle the issues that will take more than one partner to resolve.
“We’re really focusing on things where we need to help each other to achieve the best results.”
Robinson said the plan places a spotlight on making a difference for families and individuals in the islands.
As such, a common theme in the process of creating the next plan is a “seven children” model.
These seven children are fictional characters, but they are based on real data and frontline workers’ experience, drawn from evidence about what it is like to grow up in Shetland at different income levels.
The aim is for the next partnership plan to be shaped by these seven stories, and by the conversations about what needs to change.
The meetings so far have been a success. Robinson said more than 50 organisations have been represented, with over 70 individual people attending each session.
The ability for people to attend remotely means that community representatives from the outer isles – such as Fair Isle – can get involved too.
Shetland is well known for its successful partnership working, and Robinson said this is often highlighted to him in conversations with people from outwith the isles.
“I think that’s just the relationships that we’ve got here,” he said.
“We all know the people in the other organisations that we need to deal with.
“If we have a challenge that we can’t fix on our own, then generally speaking we know who it is that might be able to help us.”
More information on the Shetland Partnership can be found on its website.
Shetland News will be running a series of features on each of the main topics being discussed in the creation of the next Shetland Partnership plan.
The next feature will focus on the topic of inequalities.
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