About Deserve

Delivering Services in Remote and Rural Areas

The DESERVE project commenced its activities in March 2004 and completed activities relating to the delivery of services on the 30th June 2007.  It received an extension from 1st July to 31st December during which time a number of dissemination events were undertaken.  With activities now completed the website will have no further updates.   Individuals who wish further information should contact:

General information and Scottish projects:

International Co-ordinator

Barbara Love     e mail barbara.love@scvo.org.uk

Finnish Project activities and information on the value of the study trip and its role in the transfer of models of service delivery

Andra Aldea-Partanen    email andra.aldea-partanen@oulu.fi  

The DESERVE project sought to establish the transferability of models of service delivery to remote and rural areas among the participating partner regions within the Northern Periphery.  Each region had partners in Scotland, Sweden, Iceland and Finland and implemented a project in its native region utilising a model, or elements of various models, previously tested by partners in their own regions.  The emphasis was on models of service delivery to remote and rural areas rather than on the specific services provided in these areas.  The rationale for this being that sectors may be able to learn lessons from one another.  Partners were also keen to establish the extent to which models must be adapted to suit local contexts.

Objectives

The main objectives of the project are:

• to improve the viability of service provision
• to test the transferability of models of rural service delivery among partners by implementing models employed in other partner regions: transferring and testing ideas and practices
• to establish the extent to which these models must be adapted to suit regional contexts: how flexible they are and what barriers to success exist
• to improve the delivery of services to remote and rural areas within the Northern Periphery region
• to improve accessibility of services within the Northern Periphery region by mainstreaming the new approaches across the transnational partnership area