| Title |
Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 2026 -2029 |
| Lead officer(s) |
Sina Currie - Senior Nurse Manager, Integrated Children`s Services |
| Telephone number |
|
| Email address |
sina.currie@east-ayrshire.gov.uk |
| Date summary created |
21 Oct 2026 |
| Date assessment completed |
20 Oct 2026 |
| Summary of policy aims |
East Ayrshire Council's Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) for children and families will provide a robust evidence base to ensure children's services are targeted, responsive and delivered collaboratively within the communities where children, young people and families live. By identifying current and emerging needs, the JSNA will support partners to make informed decisions about service planning, resource allocation and early intervention approaches that improve outcomes. The data and intelligence gathered will also play a pivotal role in shaping East Ayrshire's priorities and strategic direction for the development of the Children and Young People's Services Plan 2026-29. |
| Key issues |
A key priority throughout the development of the JSNA has been ensuring that the voices of children, young people and families are captured in a meaningful, consistent and transparent way. Informed by research and learning from best practice across Scotland, the Children's Services Leadership Group has agreed to adopt the national VOiCE (Visioning Outcomes in Community Engagement) platform as the standard approach for engagement and consultation activities. This will provide a consistent and evidence-based methodology for gathering, analysing and demonstrating the impact of participation across all stages of service planning, design and evaluation. The adoption of VOiCE reflects our commitment to embedding participation and co-production within decision-making processes, ensuring that children, young people and families are not only heard but are able to influence the development of services that affect their lives. By strengthening our approach to engagement, we will be better equipped to understand local needs, measure the impact of participation and demonstrate how feedback has informed change. |
| Summary of involvement with Groups |
1. Engagement with children and young people who are furthest from their rights. This includes care experienced children and young people and young carers. Children and Young People designed the two questions below. Q1. What are the most important things to you that would make East Ayrshire the best place for children and young people to live? Q2. What things do we need to do better? 2. Engagement with Care Experienced young people on 17.03.26, Young Carers Group (Primary 1 -7) in New Cumnock on 24.03.26 and Dalmellington (S1-S6) on 02.04.26. Further engagement will include children and young people effected by imprisonment. Ayrshire 360, facilitated engagement via their Community Pathways, coordinating a response from Youth Workers, Friday Night Football, Youth Mentor and Active School Coordinators. Engagement at Park School in May 2026, individual class discussion with pupils across the Secondary Sector. Engagement via a young person`s event with the Resettlement Team held on 6 August, gathering views form our refugee young people. Further engagement opportunity hosted Engagement HQ with QR code circulated across ICS Leadership Group. National Play Day took place on Wednesday 5th August 2026, QR code with the two questions located throughout the Kay Park with colleagues gathering responses from attendees throughout the day. Oversight of Joint Strategic Needs Assessment rests with the Integrated Children's Services, with responsibility for strategic planning and continuous improvement activity delegated to the Children and Young People's Strategic Partnership (CYPSP) which is now known as the Executive Leadership Group for Infant's, Children and Young People. This governance is managed on a shared basis with the Child Protection Committee (CPC). 3. Identifying best practice across Scotland on how the voice of our children is captured has led us to agree as a leadership group to utilise the national VOiCE platform for all communication and engagement with children and families. This planning and recording software assists individuals, organisations and partnerships to design and deliver effective community engagement. This secure online tool is underpinned by the CLD National Standards for Community Engagement and offers a step-by-step guide for collaboration across partners, as well as enabling evaluation against the National Standards. This will ensure consistency of approach in capturing the voices. |
| Key recommendations |
Data and evidence gathered will directly inform the strategic planning, commissioning, and delivery of children`s services. Resources are effectively directed towards achieving improved outcomes, narrowing outcome gaps, and addressing inequalities across all localities and age/stage groups. By understanding and addressing the root causes of vulnerability within families and communities, Children`s Services can shift from reactive crisis management to proactive support. The JSNA encourages greater collaboration across all public services (health, housing, adult social care, economic development, education, police and third sector). This can lead to more joined-up service delivery, reduced duplication, and more efficient use of resources across the entire system. The GIRFEC framework, which underpins children`s services in Scotland, and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), inherently promote a holistic view of the child within their family and community. A JSNA that reflects this wider context will better align with GIRFEC and UNCRC principles.
Approving the JSNA support the development of the Children and Young People's Services Plan 2026-2029 which in turn will support elimination of discrimination, and promotion the equality of opportunity be providing support to our most vulnerable communities. It will also support a focus on promoting good relations by ensuring that there is a shared understating of issues facing our most vulnerable children, young people and families covering the nine protected characteristics. |