Category

• Promising Local Practice

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Poverty impact

• Prevention
• Mitigation
• Awareness

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Poverty driver

• Provide benefit in-kind (material)
• Provide benefit in-kind (experience)
• Increase income from benefits
• Non-driver - improving quality of life

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Keywords

• Crisis Support
• Community engagement
• Poverty migration
• Trust-building
• Social inclusion

Aim

• Build sustained, trusting relationships with residents through face-to-face engagement.
• Enhance perceptions and realities of community safety and wellbeing.
• Embed services within the locality to ensure accessibility and continuity.
• Address complex needs (e.g., addiction, housing insecurity, unemployment) through coordinated, wraparound services.
• Facilitate early intervention and prevention using a public health model.
• Promote empowerment by responding to community-defined priorities (e.g., anti-social behaviour, drug misuse, feelings of isolation).
• Alleviate the impact of poverty in Wallacetown through integrated, community-led action.

Summary

South Ayrshire Council is the main local authority responsible for providing public services in South Ayrshire. The council works to improve community wellbeing, address inequality, and promote economic and social inclusion through its Community Planning Partnership (CPP). The CPP encourages collaboration across various sectors, including health, education, housing, police, and third-sector partners.
The council focuses on preventative and place-based approaches, especially prioritising historically disadvantaged communities like Wallacetown. Its strategies align with national policy frameworks, such as the Locality Outcome Improvement Plan (LOIP), the Child Poverty Action Plan, and the Financial Inclusion Strategy. This alignment ensures that local efforts contribute to broader goals related to reducing poverty and promoting public health.

What difference does it make?

• Increased early engagement with families in financial hardship.
• Reduced isolation and stigma in seeking help.
• Improved take-up of entitlements and advice services.
• Built local partnerships to support wraparound care.

Key take-aways

• The value of building trust before trying to 'refer' people.
• Being flexible in delivery allows for greater impact.
• Small, local organisations can act quickly and effectively in crisis response.

 

Organisations

• South Ayrshire Council (lead, Community Planning Partnership). • Police Scotland. • Scottish Fire & Rescue Service. • Community Lead. • Riverside Community Trust. • NHS Ayrshire and Arran. • Health and Social Care Partnership. • South Ayrshire Council Housing Services. • Newton Primary School. • Room Sixty and other local third-sector agencies.

Location

Wallacetown, South Ayrshire.

Pre COVID-19

Contact