Power, Partnership, Perseverance: Reflections from ALISS
Since 2009, ALISS (A Local Information System for Scotland) has been helping people find and share information about local health and wellbeing resources, services, groups, activities, and support. As we prepare for this year’s conference, the theme of Power, Partnership and Perseverance offers an interesting lens through which to reflect on the work we do.
Power
ALISS was coproduced with disabled people, people living with long term conditions, and unpaid carers. They told us that services and support in their local community play an important role in helping them live well. The challenge, however, was knowing what was available and where to find it.
In response, the ALISS programme set out to create a free, publicly accessible platform where anyone can search for community resources. By giving people a tool to find information for themselves, ALISS helps put power directly into their hands. Whether someone is looking for a walking group, advice service, or peer support network, they can access that information independently and make informed choices about the support that is right for them.
Another thing people told us during the initial development of ALISS was that communities should be able to play an active role in collecting and sharing information. That is why ALISS allows anyone to contribute details about local resources. People who live and work in a community often know best what is available, and ALISS provides a platform to share that knowledge more widely.
Partnership
We work with organisations and communities across Scotland to build and maintain a database with information about health and wellbeing resources, which is openly available through the ALISS website.
In addition to making information available through our website, ALISS operates on the principles of open data and open source software. This enables organisations to use the same data through their own websites and systems. By working with partners across health, social care and the third sector, we can help people access trusted information through the platforms they already use.
These partnerships also help to reduce duplication, improve consistency, and make better use of resources that might otherwise be spent collecting and maintaining the same information independently.
Perseverance
Over the last 15 years, ALISS has continued to evolve and adapt in response to changing technology, user feedback, and the needs of communities across Scotland. Keeping information about community resources accurate and accessible is never a finished task. It takes ongoing dedication and work with organisations, communities and users to make sure ALISS continues to meet people’s needs.
We are looking forward to this year’s conference as an opportunity to connect with colleagues across the sector, learn from their experiences, and explore new ways of working together. Hearing about the challenges, opportunities and priorities of others helps us better understand how ALISS can continue to support communities across Scotland.
