South Ayrshire Council News

South Ayrshire Council’s Leadership Panel has approved a South Ayrshire Partnership in Practice Agreement that will now be submitted to the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government requires every local authority in Scotland together with their health partners, which in South Ayrshire is NHS Ayrshire and Arran, to submit an action plan for the development of services for people with learning disabilities. This document is known as a Partnership in Practice Agreement.

The Agreement, the third for South Ayrshire, sets out a proposed work plan up until 2010. It was written after extensive consultation with the people who use the services, their carers, the statutory sector of social work, health, housing and education and our partners in the voluntary sector.

Councillor Margaret Toner, Depute Leader of the Council, and Portfolio Carrier for Community Services said: “South Ayrshire Council and NHS Ayrshire and Arran working in Partnership have invested significant resources in services for people with learning disabilities. The budget within community Learning Disability Services has grown by nearly 40% over the last 3 years. This has enabled us to support people in their transition to the community from institutionalised living and to meet the individual needs of people.

“People have different ideas on how services should be delivered to help people achieve their chosen lifestyle and meet the individual needs of clients and their families. That is why the consultation with those who use the service was so important and their valuable inputs has helped to form an Agreement that we can all be proud of.”

The Agreement is based around six themes:

• Partnership Working – with an emphasis on working with service users and family carers on an equal basis as partners to the statutory and voluntary sector.
• Service Development – specifically in the early stages of the plan, development of day opportunities for adults and increased capacity for respite services for young people and their carers.
• Promoting Inclusion – supporting people with learning disabilities to live fulfilling lives in the community. In the consultation groups when asked what was most important for people with learning disability the two most popular choices were falling in love and having more friends and things to do
• Infrastructure – development of the organisational framework around Joint working, including financial arrangements.
• Young People - the significance of Transition, both to young people and their carers, has long been recognised. There is a clear recognition that the change from established school routines, paediatric health services, social work family support services and benefit entitlement are areas of concern. A strategic approach to services to children and young people with Autistic Spectrum Disorders has been agreed. Health, education and social work have developed their services in line with this approach.
• Meeting Health Needs – development of community health services including Health Improvement services in tandem with finalisation of the hospital reprovisioning programme.