Focuses on ensuring Orkney's children and young people receive the support they are entitled to. The group develops and monitors plans to improve services for children and families.
At Voluntary Action Orkney (VAO), we work to ensure that community groups and charities across Orkney have a voice.
We represent their views and ensure they are considered in decisions that affect them and the people they support. This is achieved by collaborating with a wide range of partnerships and networks.
Key partnerships and networks:
- Children Services Strategic Group
- Community Wealth Building (The Orkney Partnership Delivery Group)
Supports local businesses, promotes fair employment, reduces poverty, and encourages low-carbon practices through shorter supply chains.
- Cost of Living Taskforce (The Orkney Partnership Delivery Group)
Coordinates efforts to tackle issues like fuel and child poverty, combining actions from key local strategies into a single action plan.
- Integration Joint Board (IJB)
The Orkney Integration Joint Board (IJB) oversees governance for the Integration Authority, which manages services commissioned from NHS Orkney and the Orkney Islands Council.
The IJB is responsible for:
- Strategic planning for health and social care services delegated to it.
- Ensuring effective delivery of those services through formal directions issued under Section 25 of the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014.
The IJB commissions services such as:
- community health services
- social care and justice services for children and adults
- specialist "set-aside" healthcare services
These services cater to Orkney’s population of approximately 22,400 people. The IJB also has operational responsibilities, guided by locally agreed arrangements outlined in the Integration Scheme.
- Islands Growth Deal - Advisory Forum
Engages the business, academic, and community sectors to guide the implementation of the Islands Growth Deal, which aims to boost economic development across the islands.
- Joint Clinical and Care Governance Committee
This committee ensures robust clinical and care governance across delegated and non-delegated health and social care services. It provides:
- assurance to NHS Orkney that effective clinical governance systems are in place for all services it delivers.
- assurance to the IJB that delegated functions from NHS Orkney and Orkney Islands Council are managed effectively
The committee adheres to national guidance, including MEL (1998)75, MEL (2000)29, and HDL (2001)74, to maintain high standards of clinical governance in Scotland's NHS.
- Local Action Group (LAG)
The Orkney Local Action Group works to identify, develop and support opportunities for rural and island development benefitting communities across Orkney. Currently responsible for the management and delivery of the Community Led Vison Plan that underpins the Community Led Local Development (CLLD) initiative.
- Local Employability Partnership (LEP)
Brings together organisations to improve employability support in Orkney. The partnership focuses on creating opportunities aligned with local needs and the National Performance Framework.
- Local Equality Delivery Group (The Orkney Partnership Delivery Group)
Focuses on reducing socio-economic inequalities, especially in ferry-linked islands, by supporting community-led development plans.
- Orkney Business Forum
This group provides a forum for strategic influence and operational discussion between Orkney businesses and Community Planning Partners that is open and accountable to all businesses and representative groups across Orkney.
- Orkney Community Justice Partnership
Works to achieve positive outcomes for people with convictions, victims, witnesses, and communities. The partnership supports individuals to reintegrate, reduce reoffending, and recover from the impacts of crime.
- Orkney Health and Care Strategic Planning Group
This group works to:
- Support and guide the development and ongoing review of the Partnership’s Strategic Plan
- Provide advice and input from stakeholders to the Integration Joint Board (IJB)
- Encourage broad engagement across the islands in designing and delivering health and care services
- Foster creativity and collaboration across health, care, and community planning partners
- Orkney Local Emergency Coordinating Group (OLECG)
Coordinates local emergency planning and response efforts, ensuring agencies work together effectively under the Civil Contingencies Act.
- Orkney Partnership for Action Against Gender Based Violence and Abuse
The partnership aims to:
- Reduce and prevent incidents of domestic abuse.
- Promote effective collaboration between private, public, and voluntary sectors.
- Ensure high-quality services are available to protect adults and children who are experiencing, affected by, or at risk of domestic abuse.
- Orkney Public Protection Committee
The Orkney Public Protection Committee is a partnership of agencies working together to:
- raise awareness about child protection issues
- coordinate prevention activities for children and families
- offer guidance and training on child protection
- implement national child protection initiatives
- ensure high-quality responses to child protection concerns
- Sustainable Development Delivery Group (The Orkney Partnership Delivery Group)
Promotes:
- Community wealth building to boost Orkney’s economy.
- A "Just Transition" to a sustainable, fair economy.
- Net-zero emissions in Orkney by 2030.
- Strategies to protect communities and ecosystems from climate change.
- Sustainable Travel Group
Focuses on improving sustainable travel options by coordinating investments and strategies.
- The Orkney Partnership Board (TOP)
Brings together organisations to facilitate community planning in line with the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015.
- Third Sector Working Group
Provides a platform for third sector managers to share information, gain peer support, and strengthen links between organisations.
- Youth Local Action Group (YLAG)
Orkney Youth Local Action Group is made up of local young people from a variety of backgrounds and areas. The group exists to empower young people to be the decision makers about putting money towards particular problems, issues or youth projects.
- Youth Workers Forum
The Youth Workers Forum aids and encourages partnership working between its members. Discussions are shaped by members’ work plans, and subgroups or partnerships take forward joint initiatives independently of the forum.
