Vertical models

Traditional models of intervention have taken on an increasingly vertical approach. Service delivery has become specialised, and tends to focus on one aspect of an individual or community – for example, housing, mental health, substance abuse, literacy, etc. This model doesn’t approach an individual or community in a holistic way.

This was also identified by the Christie Commission on the Future Delivery of Public Services in Scotland, which recognised that asset based approaches “place the focus of service delivery firmly on responding to human diversity and richness, rather than asking individuals to negotiate an increasingly complex and self-sustaining system.”

The traditional model is also becoming increasingly unsustainable. Despite significant investment, many of the issues faced by people and communities have persisted over generations. Link Up’s asset based approach of seeing people as active participants and part of the solution to their own and local issues is central to establishing a more sustainable approach to building resilience and breaking cycles of deprivation.