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Evaluation of project to address child poverty published
Tuesday 3 September 2024 - 15:49
An independent evaluation of a project based in Shetland that aims to tackle child poverty has been published.
The report, funded by Scottish Government and titled "A Co-constructed and Co-produced Evaluation of the Anchor Project in Shetland", details the evaluation methodology and process and covers key aspects such as, critical success factors, learning and the benefits of the project.
Anchor derived from the recognition of local planners in Shetland that wider systems needed to prioritise early intervention and prevention for those who were not yet in crisis in order to help keep them out of statutory services such as social work and the criminal justice system or police attention. This ambition aligned with Scottish Government policy aims focused on addressing child poverty and keeping children, young people, and families at the heart of services.
Shetland’s Community Planning Partnership envisaged and implemented the Anchor Early Action Systems Change Project in 2018, pre the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing (22/23/24) cost of living crisis. A key driver was recognising the need for planning and actions to address child poverty in the context of the inflated cost of living on the Islands rather than deprivation alone. Additionally, a commitment to early intervention, prevention and interdisciplinary working was an integral part of service planning and delivery in Shetland.
The Anchor Project sits within an ambitious Scottish Government policy landscape to eradicate child poverty through involving children and families in a fair and inclusive manner. The overall aim of Anchor was to facilitate learning and action in family led problem solving and early intervention.
Families are placed at the centre of decision making and the purpose is to direct resources towards early action rather than crisis management. A further aim was to enable system change by giving families and services the space to try out new ways of working together, moving from crisis intervention to early intervention and prevention.
A team of academics from RGU, worked with the Shetland Partnership, from 2022 to 2023, and gather feedback from families, project workers and a range of key stakeholders from health and social care, education, police and the third sector to assess the impact of the Shetland Anchor project on families living in poverty in Shetland.
The Anchor team was praised for working closely with families in need to help them access fuel vouchers, food or children’s clothing, and for establishing face-to-face contacts that have built up trust and broken-down barriers with support services.
The report highlights that Shetland’s Anchor support is seen as being a ‘listening, befriending and ‘boundary spanning’ agency linking service, that has grown organically in response to the needs of its users and community, and commends the project’s leaders for thinking ‘outside the box’.
Professor Catriona Kennedy
Professor Catriona Kennedy, Associate Dean for Research at Robert Gordon University, who led the study said:
“A key part of Anchor Shetland’s success, has been the project’s problem-solving and practical approach. If a child needs shoes or a warm coat, Anchor workers prioritise this, without the need to know why in the first instance. This speaks to the non-judgemental, openness, compassion, humanity, and kindness we identified as part of the Anchor approach, building trust, and encouraging long-term independence and sustainability.
“There is a sense of place and belonging for leaders, workers, and communities. Passion for improvement is visible and permeates throughout Anchor. Shetland is their community, and they want it to be an inclusive and fair place to live and work. A commitment to early intervention, prevention and interdisciplinary working underpins Anchor. By drawing services together, such as social work, the Shetland Family Centre and a ‘No door is wrong door’ policy, Anchor is taking a multiagency lead, to ensure people have a better and fairer society in Shetland.
“RGU is committed to transforming the lives of people and communities and works hard to contribute to the economic, social and cultural development across Scotland. We are proud to have worked with the people of Shetland to assess the Shetland Anchor project and believe lessons can be learned, to tackle child poverty in other areas of Scotland.”
RGU researchers commended the Shetland Anchor Project for ‘being brave and creative in doing things differently’ and described the project workers as working with the child and family, in a way akin to a ‘professional friend’ to support those in need.
This is illustrated by one parent who used the Shetland Anchor project. He said:
“A project worker from the Anchor Support Service was the first person in a long time who really helped me. I wouldn’t have what I do now if it hadn’t been for her. She listened to me, connected me with agencies, telephoned, sent emails, shared information and attended meetings with me. The agencies I’d dealt with before, were often dismissive and unhelpful.
“An Anchor worker came to my child’s school and helped me have my voice heard. She took me to a hub for food and clothes which was a life saver. She helped me access a chrome book for the kids to do their homework. She gave me energy support for my quarterly bills and provided a food parcel for Xmas. The project worker has been my anchor. I think the project’s great, and I cannot think of anything it could do more of. It just needs to do what it does, for more people.”
Another parent said:
“It’s a team of people, there to listen without judgement, to support you to find the right direction to take when life is difficult, and you don’t know who or where to turn to. When things are so overwhelming Anchor shows kindness and care to help build bridges and take down the walls, to direct you down the right path while always shadowing your journey.”
Emma Macdonald, Leader of Shetland Islands Council, added:
“I am very proud of the work of many Council staff and partner organisations, for their commitment to develop a whole family approach that suits our island communities. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the families who were involved in developing the support now in place, and to those who participated in this valuable piece of research.”
The report was co-produced by Professors Catriona Kennedy, Flora Douglas, and Gary Spolander from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen and Emma Perring and Lynsey Hall from Shetland Islands Council and funded by the Scottish Government.
The full report can be found at the link below.