Justice Services Workshop official opening

On Friday the South Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) marked the official opening of their new Justice Services Workshop with an open day for staff, partners and the community to take a tour of the new facility.

The building which is located at on Viewfield Road in Ayr features a large open plan workshop space as well as an office space and several private interview rooms. The new workshop is a new resource to help residents fulfil Community Payback Orders.

Linda Semple, Chair of the Integration Joint Board said, "This facility is an incredible asset to our community. Having a dedicated space for this work opens up new opportunities to complete meaningful work both for residents completing Community Payback Orders but also to the wider community who can benefit from the projects being run here."

"An important part of Community Payback Orders is to help break the chain of re-offending, being able to learn a new skill, make real connections and being able to see a positive output from the work can make a real difference to the outcomes of residents who enter the community justice system."

The Unpaid Work teams have been developing new initiatives and building partnerships with schools and charity organisations to allow for the workshop to be used for meaningful and rewarding projects, focused on paying back to the community.

As part of their habitat improvement project, local primary schools were asked to draw designs for bug houses and hotels as part of their Environment Studies. The Unpaid Work team took these designs and brought them to life, with the final products returned to the schools for the children. Pupils and staff were delighted with the outcome of the work.

The workshop has also recently been utilised by Muirhead Primary who contacted the team looking for support their outdoor space, After some design planning UPW Service Users, were supported to build outdoor, seating, planters, activity walls and wooden signs for the pupils. They also brought old sand pits and digging areas back into use.

Work continues out in the community with the workshop also acting as storage facilities for machinery used for gardening and other outdoor work. Recent outdoor work has included clear-up work at Troon esplanade, Fullerton Woods, Kyle Academy and many more. The Unpaid Work team have built strong relationships with Waste Management and the South Ayrshire Ranger Service to support teams in the community.

Tim Eltringham, Director of Health and Social Care added, "I was very grateful to be invited to welcome participants to this event and speak a little about the Health and Social Care Partnership's vision for this facility. A huge thank you to the unpaid work team who have put such time and care into building this workshop around the needs of our residents."

"The team are dedicated to ensuring anyone who finds themselves involved with the justice service receive the best outcomes through meaningful work and a strong support system."