Deprivation and Social Exclusion in Shetland

A piece of research into Deprivation and Social Exclusion in Shetland was published in 2006.  It was commissioned by community planning partners in order to provide evidence that can be presented at a national level, to demonstrate that, although Shetland has a high standard of living and generally high quality of life, there are still individuals and households in Shetland who are living in poverty and are unable to access the many opportunities Shetland has to offer. 

Nationally there is increased emphasis on tackling deprivation and therefore increased consideration of levels of deprivation in local areas when allocating funding streams.  Current national measures, able to identify spatial concentrations of deprivation, do not provide an accurate measure in remote rural areas, such as Shetland, where deprived individuals are spatially distributed and circumstances of deprivation have more to do with an individual’s characteristics than the area within which they live.  It is anticipated that the research will be used to improve the evidence base of rural disadvantage in Scotland and to encourage the Scottish Executive to develop a complementary approach for measuring deprivation in rural areas.

The research describes people’s experiences of living in circumstances of deprivation and social exclusion in Shetland, covering issues of access, community, health, housing, income & employment and learning.   It concludes that there are a lot of good things happening that alleviate people's circumstances, but that more can always be done: by service managers (across all agencies) redesigning services to reduce inequalities and by different services working better together.  The evidence provided in the report is being used to develop understanding and reduce inequalities in Shetland.

Shetland's Community Planning Board approved the recommendations, requesting the development of an action plan to address them. This is being implemented and can be downloaded by clicking here.

A full copy of the report can be downloaded by clicking Deprivation and Social Exclusion Report

The executive summary can be downloaded by clicking here.

For more information contact Emma Perring (01595) 744710 or email Emma.perring@sic.shetland.gov.uk

A signposting booklet has been developed to assist front-line staff to provide clients with the most appropriate information and services available.