Kindness in North Ayrshire
Dependence on services Why is kindness important? Communities Organisations Place Wellbeing Power Falling trust in institutions Loneliness & isolation Empowerment Dependence on services Growing demand for services
What do we mean by kindness? Communities Organisations Systems/ Structures Individuals Relational kindness Random kindness Radical kindness
What have we learned? Welcoming Places Examples of low key interventions to change perceptions of space & encourage connections Differences between voluntary and statutory provision Purpose of use Time limitations Harder to move from highlighting positive examples to change problematic spaces
What have we learned? Informal Opportunities Lots of examples of informal opportunities for connection Especially using food! Complicated relationship between the presence/requirement of organisations and the need for informality
What have we learned? Questioning Values Lots of goodwill around general kindness messages Deepening understanding through deliberative conversation Challenging system issues
What have we learned? Organisational Cultures Unwillingness to take risks Impact of regulation and professional boundaries Reluctance to let go of performance management Fear of ‘radical kindness’ Practical steps to make kindness feel real…
North Ayrshire Kindness Promise We will strive to create the conditions for kindness in our organisations and for the people we serve by: trusting our staff to make meaningful connections with people protecting time and creating spaces for people to come together listening to people’s needs and finding solutions in the round, not just addressing our bit of the picture creating opportunities to recognise and celebrate kindness creating a culture where people are more important than processes and enabling unkindness to be called out ensuring our performance management aligns with our values and committing to ask our staff and those we serve if they experience kindness
Aims for next 6 months Implementing Kindness Promise Build on empowered network Peer researchers – core team to drive change Involve public, private and third sector Embed in whole system change
Can we make this about system change