Council / Some social work staff yet to return to Hayfield House following roof issues
SOME of Shetland Islands Council’s social work staff are still based in another building in Lerwick following issues with a roof at Hayfield House in the summer.
Sixteen social work staff were decanted within a week from Hayfield House to the former Train Shetland building in Lerwick.
Children’s services director Helen Budge told a meeting of Shetland Islands Council’s (SIC) education and families committee on Monday that it was “very fortunate” that the Train Shetland building was available.
She added that there was no impact on the service to the public.
The meeting heard the issue was with the roof on an annexe building to the side of the main Hayfield House.
Around 100 staff from the children’s services department in total work from the site.
Budge also said some catering and cleaning staff are currently working from a building on Market Street in Lerwick.
The Train Shetland building has been vacant following the merger of the local tertiary education sector a few years ago.
Expressions of interest were invited by the council in 2023 but the building remains on its books.
Learning estate manager Shona Thompson told Monday’s meeting that there had been talk of children’s services potentially moving into the old Anderson High School educational institute building in the future.
However she highlighted that there have also been plans around re-using the building for an arts hub, and that nothing has been decided.
“It certainly has been considered that the people who work within Hayfield House could move into the old Anderson education building,” Thompson said, however.
She added that Hayfield House also has some accessibility issues.
Meanwhile children’s social work manager Jordan Sutherland also told Monday’s meeting that new ‘Bairns’ Hoose’ standards from the Scottish Government encourage more integrated workforces by bringing child support services into one setting.
He said the long-term aspiration is to find a location where these services – such as social work, education, health and police – could be brought together.
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