Place-Based Working Blog Post

Place-Based Working in Shetland

Tackling complex challenges like inequality, net zero, and community wellbeing demands a different way of working – one that’s more collaborative, more local, and more adaptable. That’s the thinking behind Shetland’s Place-Based Approach: an evolving framework that’s helping communities and services to work more meaningfully together, in ways that respond directly to local context and priorities.p>

For the Shetland Partnership’s Improvement Projects, this approach builds on what’s already working well in Shetland. Community-led planning has deep roots here – from long-standing development associations to newer groups forming around specific issues like housing or childcare. The Place-Based Approach offers a shared framework for aligning these efforts with public services, funding opportunities, and shared outcomes.

In 2024, we started consulting with Shetland Partnership members to co-develop a practical baseline document. This included feedback from a wide range of partners, including NHS Shetland, Shetland Islands Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Historic Environment Scotland, and Skills Development Scotland. Together, we identified the principles, conditions, and support needed to make place-based working more consistent and impactful across the islands.

From this, we are now developing an Implementation Plan which sets out four main areas of work:

• Communication: Raising awareness and visibility of the Place-Based Approach among staff, communities and other stakeholders.
• Capacity building: Developing toolkits and training that are relevant for different roles – so people feel confident using the approach in practice.
• The role of community bodies: Supporting various community groups and bodies to connect their existing plans to broader frameworks like Local Place Plans and Shetland’s Local Outcomes Improvement Plan.
• Local projects: Embedding the approach in specific areas and themes – such as shaping the Knab masterplan in Lerwick through inclusive local engagement; exploring housing and transport solutions through community-led planning in Nesting; and aligning service provision with community priorities in the North Mainland.

There’s no one-size-fits-all here. In some areas, development groups are already using the framework to refine their planning and identify gaps. In others, services are reaching out earlier and more openly to communities. What connects these efforts is a shared belief that we can get better outcomes – and fairer ones – by working differently, together.p>

Shetland’s Place-Based Approach is still developing, but it’s already helping to shift the way partners think about collaboration.

Shetland’s Place-Based Approach supports the four Improvement Projects being taken forward through the Shetland Partnership – all aligned with the community planning priorities set out in the Local Outcomes Improvement Plan. These include:

• EmPowering Shetland: strengthening financial wellbeing and tackling hardship
• Compassionate Shetland: embedding kindness and mental wellbeing into communities
• Person Centred Delivery: reforming how support systems work for people
• Climate Conscious Shetland: addressing climate change through local action and sustainability

Together, these projects are helping to put the Shetland Partnership’s vision into practice — building a more inclusive, connected, resilient, and future-focused Shetland where services follow people, not the other way around.  More information on these Improvement Projects is available here.