in association with
Making the connections
How community development
helps to deliver national and local outcomes
REPORT OF SEMINAR
Tuesday, 18 March, 2008
Stewart Murdoch, Chair of CDAS welcomed participants.
Councillor George Hayton, Depute Leader, Perth & Kinross Council welcomed
them on behalf of the Council.
Perth and Kinross was one of the authorities that currently represent COSLA on the
Community Development Alliance Scotland, so he also welcomed people on behalf
of the whole of COSLA
COSLA believes in the importance of community development work, to build the
capacity of communities and to improve the ways in which local authorities and other
partners work with communities.
The new system of Single Outcome Agreements set out in the Concordat between
COSLA and the Scottish Government raises some concerns for people involved in
community development, but it also offers opportunities. He hoped that today would
provide an opportunity to be positive about how community development can help to
deliver better results for people across the whole range of the social and economic
outcomes that we want to achieve.
Sean Stronach, Community Learning and Development (CLD) Manager,
Learning Connections, Scottish Government spoke on
“Why outcomes matter – a changed focus for public services in Scotland”
The quiet revolution?
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Why has it happened?
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What has changed?
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What is critical to making it work?
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What does this start to mean for community development?
Why the shift?
A perception that the public sector is good at ‘ticking off’ boxed commitments
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. . . but less than the sum of its parts in terms of dealing with complex
issues.
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The difference we make, rather than what we produce.
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A basis for shared vision, improved focus and accountability.
New government, new ways of working
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A focus on:
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National purpose for government.
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Five strategic objectives.
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Supported by 15 national outcomes.
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A basket of indicators and targets.
These become the framework for all public service delivery in Scotland
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Single outcome agreements.
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Guidance to Non-Departmental Public Bodies.
What will make it work?
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Clarity from the top about purpose and outcomes.
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Working to outcomes, not indicators.
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Shared ownership across Government and wider.
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A greater understanding of how outcomes are delivered.
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A process (and time) to change gears.
What does this start to mean for community development?
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Articulating a wide contribution . . .
. . . while avoiding the ‘scatter-gun’.
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Demonstrating contribution to strategic outcomes . . .
. . . while keeping sight of outcomes on the
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ground.
Today is an excellent start . . .
. . . except it’s not the start.
Fiona Lees, Chief Executive, East Ayrshire Council spoke on
“Why community development helps us to deliver”. She said:
Thank you for your introduction and for your invitation to address this conference
today. The last few months have been highly significant for Local Government and
your Conference here today is therefore very timely.
The theme for your Conference is ‘How Community Development helps to deliver
National and Local outcomes’ and in your calling notice you recognise that …
“community development is an important but often invisible process which helps
people to achieve a wide range of quality of life outcomes that are reflected in the
national and local targets and outcomes for local authorities and their partners”.
Your programme continues “the seminar aims to bring this process to light and to
discuss how it can be better recognised and supported”.
Now colleagues, that’s good because in my view this begins and ends with you so I
hope you are up for it.
First to set the scene as it is important to recognise the significant changes which
have taken place on the Local Government landscape, since the May 2007
Elections.
Collectively following the Scottish Spending Review we are embarking on a new
Three Year Settlement and a challenging one at that. This settlement comes
alongside the new Concordat and provides for a new and in my opinion much
improved relationship between our national government and local government based
on trust mutual respect and most importantly for everyone here today partnership.
We will see this new arrangement bedding in over the coming months and I know in
local authorities right across Scotland a great deal of work is being undertaken to
develop our Single Outcome Agreements by 1st April 2008 with the Scottish
Government outlining its intention that by 2009/10 that this agreement will be
developed between Government and Community Planning Partnerships rather than
solely local Councils.
Single Outcome Agreements should be based on the Scottish Government’s 5
strategic objectives, its 15 national outcomes, 45 national indicators and targets and
the final, for now, menu of 61 local outcome indicators all to be considered and
agreed against local priorities as set out by Councils their partners and their
communities, through their Community Planning Partnerships.
Now colleagues, an industry is developing all round about this. On at least 2
occasions every week, I am getting a communication from a firm of consultants
asking to come and see me to let me know how they can help with this task for which
the Council can pay upwards of £2,000 per day for the privilege of this assistance.
Colleagues, if you take only one thing away from my contribution today then take
this: this is all very simple and if you are in community development then helping to
secure positive outcomes for local people is what you have always been all about it
is what you do it is your bread and butter.
So we need to keep it simple to make this work. Let me share with you how we are
doing this in East Ayrshire.
The story as ever begins with our Community Plan and the statutory duty we have to
lead and facilitate Community Planning was both long awaited and warmly
welcomed.
Reflecting on my own working life I wish that such legislative provisions had existed
some 30 years ago because as a public sector collectively we could have made so
much more of a difference.
In East Ayrshire the vision we share with our partners sees strong and vibrant
communities where people have access to opportunities, choices and quality
services that are accessible, sustainable and genuinely meet people’s needs.
That vision and our aspirations are enshrined within our Community Plan which in
East Ayrshire is the sovereign planning document the Council having taken the bold
and decisive step of dispensing with its Council Plan. We have one Council and one
plan.
The 12 year lifespan for the plan is because we recognise that to tackle the
challenges our communities face we need to deliver change across a generation.
In our plan we have 6 key themes all supported by action plans light on words and
heavy on actions. In force for 4 years these action plans have been deliberately set
to coincide with the lifetimes of 3 Parliaments and 3 Councils.
Our first fundamental review took place last year when we were able to report 94%
achievement against the plan and agree revised plans more outcome focused up to
2011 building on our success and taking account of new priorities.
So for us in East Ayrshire this is really simple we have one Council one Plan and we
now move to having one Outcome Agreement.
This is why the Council and its planning partners have taken a collective view that
from the outset a Community Planning Single Outcome Agreement will be developed
for our local area from the 1st April 2008 to 31st March 2011.
The timing links well with our next scheduled fundamental review of all Community
Planning activity and the timescale for the Scottish Spending Review.
In East Ayrshire we see the Single Outcome Agreement delivering a number of
benefits:
Firstly the reduction in ring fenced funding we move from £28m across 31
different funding streams to this being rolled up in the local government grant
settlement and the new arrangements for the Fairer Scotland Fund.
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This relaxation responds to calls for change made by Local Government
over a number of years it undoubtedly will enable us to provide more
focused more efficient and more tailored services to people in our
communities.
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Reductions in bureaucracy with the extent of monitoring and evaluation
reported on currently to be rationalised and greatly reduced.
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A specified and agreed set of commitments for Local Government to deliver
on for which we see the Single Outcome Agreement being a statement of
joint intent
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Importantly in all of this, Local Government being allowed to retain and
redistribute any efficiency savings it generates.
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And finally we consider this provides greater opportunities for partnership
through us working together to develop policy in areas where Local
Government has a key interest.
Community Planning Partners will review and report on Single Outcome Agreement
performance on an annual basis. This will be central to our public performance
reporting arrangements and it provides us with the opportunity to report jointly …
which will be welcomed by local people.
So specifically returning to your theme for today ‘how does community development
help to deliver outcomes?’ let me turn that around. I cannot imagine how we could
deliver without community development.
Agreements will only secure outcomes of lasting benefit if they address issues of
local importance and seek to include and involve local people and their communities
in the solution that Colleagues is the outcome. These are the issues on which local
Outcome Agreements will stand or fall.
Let me give you some examples of how we are putting this into action in East
Ayrshire.
Some time ago we recognised we needed to do more to signal a move from
community consultation to community engagement and in doing so to create every
possible opportunity for local people to exercise greater influence over the planning
and decision making of not only the Council but also of our Community Planning
Partners.
We have replaced our Local Council Committee network with 4 Local Community
Planning Forums thereby providing a platform for creative thinking with a clearer
focus on strategic issues and where everyone can participate and participate
effectively.
In addition we have established forums around Communities of Interest an Equalities
Forum with a network of constituent groups covering disability, gender black and
ethnic minority communities and older people. And a Forum for Children and Young
People will let them have their say underpinned by our 4 Local Youth Forums.
All of these organisations are supported by colleagues in Community Learning and
Development and Democratic Services.
We have provided encouragement direct support training and resources to allow
groups to come together and we are delighted to see the formation of the Coalfield
Federation and Kilmarnock North Federation of Community Groups with their own
resources and premises.
We have also listened to what people have told us about the barriers which prevent
them getting involved and we have:
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Expenses
Time off work for our own employees
Training
Personal computer in their own home – check for whom
Individual support for people with special needs
Now colleagues … you know this is about more than structures. It’s also about
working with people who are hard to reach and creating every possible opportunity
for people to participate and have their say that is why we also have
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And …
Our Residents Survey, jointly commissioned by the Community Planning
Partners
East Ayrshire Residents Panel
Citizens Juries
Local Community Planning Committees
Public Meetings
Community Visioning
In all of what we do we have endorsed the National Standards on Community
Engagement for the way in which we will do business.
Finally before I finish and with your next workshop sessions in mind, a quick review
of one or two of our thematic action plans to highlight those areas where community
development is helping to deliver better outcomes for local people and their
communities.
Improving Opportunities … a ‘Wealthier and Fairer’ Scotland
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Focus on Town Centre Regeneration – Kilmarnock & Cumnock
Enterprise and education is now delivered in all of our secondary and
primary schools
Child care is provided in support of education, training and employment.
Improving health … a ‘Healthier’ Scotland
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Co-locating our services with Health whenever possible
‘Let’s Get Active’ promoted in all our Primary Schools.
Hungry for Success … eating better, rediscovering skills … sourcing locally
Peer education … supporting our work with young people.
Improving Community Safety … a ‘Safer & Stronger’ Scotland
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Respect Agenda: delivered in schools
Child Protection Training across the public sector
Community Learning and Development … helping others deliver their
message.
‘Streetsport Express’ provides a flexible approach to diversionary activities.
Eliminating poverty … a ‘Wealthier, Fairer and Smarter’ Scotland
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Money advice and benefit maximisation programmes supported
Fuel Poverty … investment delivering results
Training … provided to support local credit union development.
Promoting Community Learning … a ‘smarter’ Scotland
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Local Community Learning plans in place for each of our local Community
Planning areas.
Exceeded adult literacy and numeracy targets.
Promoted and supported public access to new technology.
Close and focused work with those who are hard-to-reach.
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Improving the Environment … a ‘Greener, Healthier’ Scotland
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Environmental education in schools: all working towards Eco-School status
Countryside access projects … with linked education programmes
‘Enquiry by Design’ supported for Scotland’s first sustainable community.
Alan Barr, Co-Director, Scottish Community Development Centre spoke on
“Community development – how do we know it works?”
Themes
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What is a realistic view of community development?
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What outcomes should we be looking for?
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What is the context of its practice in Scotland?
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Who judges its success and how?
What is a realistic view of community development?
What is community development?
“Community development is a set of values and practices which plays a
fundamental role in overcoming poverty and disadvantage and deepening
democracy by empowering people at the grass roots. The basis of community
development is a set of values about collective working, equality and justice,
learning and reflecting, participation, political awareness and sustainable
change.”
(CDF, CDX, FCDL ‘The Community Development Challenge’ 2006)
Some early influences
•The Home Office CDP programme :
–characterised by “large hopes and small realities”
(Specht H„ “Dilemmas of community work in the UK‟ 1975)
–“radicals….characteristically represent to themselves the relationships which
underlie the persistence of poverty and social injustice in profoundly inhibiting
and self defeating metaphors”
(Marris P, “Meaning and action; community planning and conceptions of change‟1987)
My own reaction - the need for grounded practice
“if community workers spent less time in self-flagellation for their inability to
achieve their own goals and more time listening to the hopes and aspirations
of the communities with which they work, they might recognise the significant
impact that they can have. This is in no way to dismiss the struggles for major
structural changes but to recognise that achievements which are “small
realities” for community workers may be the “large hopes” of many of those
with whom they work”
(Barr A, “The practice of Neighbourhood Community Work” 1977)
What outcomes should we be looking for from community development?
Processes and products
(ABCD Handbook, Community Development Foundation, 2000)
The CD Challenge: 6 essential components of community development:
1. helping people find common cause on issues that affect them;
2. helping people work together on such issues under their own control;
3. building the strengths and independence of community groups, organisations
and networks;
4. building equity, inclusiveness, participation and cohesion amongst people and
their groups and organisations;
5. empowering people and their organisations where appropriate to influence
and help transform public policies and services and other factors affecting the
conditions of their lives;
6. advising and informing public authorities on community needs, viewpoints and
processes and assisting them to strengthen communities and work in genuine
partnership with them.
What is the context of its practice in Scotland?
Observations on the contextual map for community development:
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community development operates in a complex context
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community development is potentially relevant to all aspects of quality of
community life
But …
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Different agencies and practitioners will focus on different areas of the
community development map
Yet in all circumstances….
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What is addressed should be negotiated with communities
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The outcomes sought will be a reflection of the aspirations of communities
filtered through the values of community development
Who judges its success?
Judgement has to be consistent with community development values and purposes
It adopts participatory evaluation:
“Participatory evaluation is people centred: project stakeholders and
beneficiaries are the key actors of the evaluation process and not the mere
objects of the evaluation.”
(United Nations Development Programme, 1997)
“Participatory evaluation is a process controlled by the people in the program
or community. It is something they undertake as a formal, reflective process
for their own development and empowerment." (Patton M.Q. 1990 “Qualitative
Research and Evaluation Methods‟ Sage Publications)
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Community development national bodies should develop a guide for funders
to assist good practice, co-ordination of funding from different sources, longer
timescales, appropriate criteria and evaluation, and realistic outcome
expectations for different types of funding, and models for ways in which
funding from different sources could fit together at local levels.
The CD Challenge recommends that:
1. Norms should be established for community development units, projects and
practitioners to collect, as a routine part of their work, evidence of input and
impact using recognised criteria”
2. “community development national bodies should develop a guide for funders
to…. assist appropriate criteria and evaluation, and realistic outcome
expectations”
Scotland already has such tools:
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“Delivering Change” Learning Connections (2007) –a menu of outcomes for
Community Learning and Development (CLD) “to help CLD providers and
those that use their services to discuss what the outcomes of their work
together should be”.
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“LEAP –learning evaluation and planning” (new edition 2008) “An approach to
planning and evaluation CLD that is outcome focused, participatory and
learning based”.
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“How Good is our Community Learning and Development 2” HMIE (2006) A
framework for organisational self-evaluation based on “a shared
understanding within and across service providers and stakeholders of what
constitutes high-quality outcomes and processes”.
Using the tools:
WORKSHOPS
Each workshop looked at how community development helps to deliver one of the
national strategic priorities and some of the national outcomes that relate to it.
The following National Outcomes were common to all workshops:
We have strong, resilient and supportive communities where people take
responsibility for their own actions and how they affect others.
Our public services are high quality, continually improving, efficient and responsive
to local people’s needs.
WORKSHOP A - WEALTHIER AND FAIRER (1)
National Outcomes:
We live in a Scotland that is the most attractive place for doing business in Europe.
We realise our full economic potential with more and better employment
opportunities for our people.
Facilitator: Andy Milne (Chief Executive, Scottish Urban Regeneration Forum)
Session 1
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There may be a long-term process to achieve outcomes; it is difficult to
balance process and outcomes
There is international experience of community development focusing on
wealth creation
The development of social enterprises is not necessarily based on a
community development model, but they can emerge from the community
Community Development Trusts can be supported, but
o A deliberate focus on this by community development can be required
by the local authority
o There can be a grey area between a ‘community’ trust and a
‘development’ trust
Possibilities include:
o A process of starting with people organising activities within
communities and moving on to develop and run community assets
o Creating the conditions for money to be recirculated within the
community
o Developing local training opportunities, helping people towards/into
jobs.
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Do we think community development contributes to wealth creation?
o Well-being contributes to productivity
o Community development can be part of the answer, but not all of it – it
can help e.g. with childcare provision or employability
o Equipping people to compete for better-paid jobs
o Developing organisations that can deliver e.g. community transport
o community development has a role in overcoming barriers to
employment – child care, confidence, mental well-being; and doing this
sustainably – building in the supports for people
Financial inclusion and income maximisation work:
o Creates wealth
o Removes barriers to getting into employment arising from debt
o Helps people to get their finances to ‘stack up’ when going into
employment
o Community banking (example from Wester Hailes): community
organisations used their income as a bargaining counter to open up
banking services
Community development has the specific and distinctive role of being able to
engage with the most excluded people
Social rented housing can generate resources to invest in useful services
provided by locally based businesses
Community development has a role in identifying local needs and in
supporting the development of organisations that run services
Supporting development of entrepreneurs.
Session 2
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An employability focus – target driven, getting people off invalidity benefits etc
versus
A personal development focus – person centred
Identifying issues in communities – both the reality of experiences plus
statistics
Personal and social development and community capacity building are long
term processes of people moving on to jobs and becoming active in the
community
Example of a women’s group setting up its own businesses, as an unplanned
outcome. Individuals moving on to other projects is part of regeneration.
Need to move to more planned outcomes as a result of community
development interventions and processes
Community development offers:
o knowledge of areas – their opportunities and deficits
o skills in reaching people and working with people
o wealth of expertise in partnerships
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o a value base of social justice.
We have a role to play, but are not the whole picture. We add value to
broader business models.
Key points (from both sessions):
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Community development practice, process and workers are able to access
information, skills, demands and ‘hard to reach’ groups which others miss. In
this way they assist routes into employment and support (social) enterprise.
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A community development approach adds value to partnership activities,
which may be focused on business development. But community
development has a broader value and should resist restrictive channelling into
limited ends.
WORKSHOP B - WEALTHIER AND FAIRER (2)
National Outcomes:
We have tackled the significant inequalities in Scottish society.
We take pride in a strong, fair and inclusive national identity.
Facilitator: Robin Tennant (Fieldwork Manager, Poverty Alliance)
Session 1
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Need to separate two distinct areas: community learning and community
development
Focus input on disadvantaged communities
o determine what they want for the community
o facilitate effective engagement to promote positive outcomes
Distinguish between consultation and influence
Community engagement has to be focused on the needs of the group. The
right approach can overcome ‘hard to reach’ aspects.
In Canada the constitution gives real influence and weight to equality issues
We need more understanding of what community development can achieve
There were fears that specialist Community Learning and Development (CLD)
workers are disappearing as a generic approach is being implemented for all
areas – older people, younger people, etc.
We need a partnership approach and collective response to community
development (police, local authorities, fire service etc)
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Be clear about what the contribution of community development will be and
work towards this outcome
Need a partnership between voluntary sector and local authorities
Need to identify the level and type of inequalities within communities to work
on improving them
Establish what suits each community – no ‘one size fits all’ approach
Target your audience and speak to them directly
Rather than measuring the process – focus on outcomes
Role of community development:
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AN ORGANISER – helps to give a voice to communities
DIVERSITY – need to target different groups to achieve outcomes
AN EDUCATOR – leads to more empowered communities striving to
make change for themselves.
Session 2
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Can community planning reinforce inequalities? (articulate, affluent
communities can ‘shout loudest’ and end up with the most impact?)
Start the process by looking at the groups and communities suffering from
inequalities
The process of community engagement may take longer for areas of
deprivation. It needs to bring a set of values that identify disadvantage.
Inequalities can take many different forms – mobility, access (e.g. through
mental health issues), poverty, ethnic differences (including language) etc
Need to raise awareness of community development – upskilling other
workers and telling success stories of how it works
Challenge value systems – as disability groups have done
Need to ask how community workers go about giving the skills and confidence
to allow communities to be self-reliant
Need to look at multiple disadvantage and who is at the focal point of that; to
explain why we are focusing on this and what difference it can make; and to
grasp the interlinking of multiple disadvantages
Need to stay focused on the communities we deal with – no jargon or CLD
language!
Be aware that the community owns the activity; acknowledge the difference
between a community process and service provision – it needs to be more
about leading, guiding and facilitating
Empower communities to make a difference by working with them – do not try
to own the activity
Employers need incentives to keep up with good practice
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The example of the involvement of London citizens in the Living Wage
Campaign is a good one.
We need to learn from history – we are not good at highlighting all the process
that has been made in the past
WORKSHOP C – SMARTER
National Outcomes:
We are better educated, more skilled and more successful, renowned for our
research and innovation.
Our young people are successful learners, confident individuals, effective
contributors and responsible citizens.
Our children have the best start in life and are ready to succeed.
Facilitator: Laurie Bidwell (Lecturer in Community Education, University of Dundee;
Convener of Education Committee, Dundee City Council)
Session 1
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Links between Community Learning & Development (CLD) and other
arrangements for learning:
o Universities delivering courses in communities
o Links between schools, parents and youth workers
o Youth Achievement awards.
Importance of CLD to this agenda:
o Adult learning links with schools to support parents, especially those
‘hard to reach’
o Work with parents groups to achieve active citizenship
 Parent councils
 Supporting parents and children with additional support needs
o Youth engagement has dual outcomes – young people develop skills
and confidence, and the council gets effective feedback from young
people to inform its work
o Partners are changing how they engage with young people – they don’t
just invite a young person to an existing group or meeting
o Links between adult learning opportunities and community engagement
– people may move from one to the other
o Learning and training for young people and community members in
community engagement
CLD partnerships are in place but further partnership building work is needed
Need for community engagement in developing Single Outcome Agreements
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Communicating the contribution of Community Development:
o Record local outcomes
o Give partners a better understanding of how community capacity
building helps their engagement with communities
o Involve learners in saying what it meant for them
If we can get recognition of how some outcomes lead on to others we will not
always have to show how each individual piece of CLD work will impact on
e.g. poverty.
Session 2
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Learning is not just about schools ( and schools are not just about academic
subjects)
Outcome statements don’t use the terms ‘family’ or ‘community’
Community development contributes:
o promoting family learning
o links with nurseries for parenting skills (schools may think these rare
not their job)
o role in supporting transition from PTAs to Parent Councils
o building bridges to people who are hard to reach
o different approaches to issues such as the behaviour of children.
Schools are a key link to reach all children
Involvement of parents through pre-school activities can be route into other
community involvement
CLD activities taking place in schools can help to link parents (including those
whose children are not at the school)
Politicians are now asking (e.g. about youth provision) ‘what difference does it
make?’
Empowering people can make the community development input less obvious
– we need to record its work through use of LEAP, HMIE inspections etc
Involve communities in the evaluation
Encourage them to self-evaluate
CLD staff can provide leadership or professional support to staff working in
schools – e.g. parent/ pupil support staff
WORKSHOP D – HEALTHIER
National Outcomes:
We live longer, healthier lives
Facilitator: Lizanne Conway (Health Improvement Programme Manager for the
Community and Voluntary Sector, NHS Health Scotland)
Session 1
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Community development has a role to play in achieving the outcome – being
involved in a community development process helps your well-being (process
as well as outcomes). The national indicators are restrictive – the local
indicators will be more useful, need to be flexible in the development of these.
We need a shared language/understanding of health if we’re to work towards
common outcomes.
Community development workers are skilled in bringing people together – to
broaden understanding, develop awareness and involve people in a process –
all of which impact positively on health and well-being.
Evidence for community development impact – need time for community
development processes to work but community development workers can
record their ‘bit’ e.g. community development is about more than behaviour
change, it’s about looking at and engaging people around the ‘upstream’
issues, and developing a partnership approach to this.
There’s still duplication/confusion in planning for health outcomes (e.g. Single
Outcome Agreements, Health Improvement performance management
outcomes, etc.) – what we need is a broader, shared understanding of
community development as this doesn’t exist across the board. There are still
a variety of indicators and these sometimes work against one another.
National and local priorities also differ at times. Example of ‘community spirit’
as being a major indicator of how community development is important to
achieving health outcomes.
We also need to re-locate or re-connect the existing or previous community
engagement with the new Single Outcome Agreement process.
What would make a difference (what needs to change)
o sustaining the resource (workers) who have a focus on community
development
o reconnecting the decision-makers with the communities
o getting a range of people involved in community development
awareness-raising
o building enthusiasm (and strategic buy-in) for community development
o widening it out to other sectors
o stop being over protective (CLD)
Main Points
1. We need the time for community development to have an impact (engage,
consult, involve and influence)
2. Community development in health needs a fully integrated, collaborative
approach with honesty/clarity about roles, resources and expectations. The
Community Health Partnership has a key role and need to be clear about how
they could/should support community-led health.
3. Need to develop a broader understanding of health (by communities as well
as professionals) and articulation of what works/what difference it’s made.
Session 2
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community development has an impact on achieving the ‘healthier’ outcome
but there are still barriers in understanding of what community development
work is (by various partners). There is a gradual move away from medical
models to a social model of health – ‘Patient Focus and Public Involvement’ is
starting to educate NHS managers and groups are also beginning to realise
their strengths/opportunities to influence.
Equalities legislation has been hugely significant in making change within the
NHS.
Health Issues in the Community – looks at health from a community
perspective and encourages people to challenge and work for change.
Research agenda is largely about reinforcing power relationships but a
community development approach to research is far more empowering (doing
with rather than doing to)
There is a need for achievable/realistic local indicators (which contribute to
the national indicators). Need for a list of activities/actions which contribute to
these outcomes/indicators and can demonstrate the particular contribution
that community development can make (a financial mind is needed – re costbenefit analysis)
Main Points
1. Community development approaches engage people who are excluded/
isolated and the value/benefit of that engagement greatly outweighs the costs.
2. There is a need to develop a shared understanding of community
development approaches at a range of levels and a demonstration of what
boxes community development ticks.
OVERALL ARGUMENT
A true community development approach to tackling health inequalities leads
to healthier individuals, healthy communities and a reduction of demand on
public services – thus leading to a society that lives longer and leads healthier
lives
WORKSHOP E - SAFER and STRONGER
National Outcomes:
We live our lives safe from crime, disorder and danger.
We have improved the life chances for children, young people and families at risk.
Facilitator: Richard
Government)
Whetton
(Community
Safety
Co-ordinator,
Scottish
Session 1
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A community development approach helps to build confidence and trust
Community development assists the identification and articulation of
community interests
Community engagement provides access to community intelligence on behalf
of service providers
Community development supports community led concerns
Has the community development model been applied to community safety?
Who sets the priorities for community safety and on what basis?
Are strategies based on national/local trends as opposed to community need?
There is inevitably a time issue in identifying community concerns, building
models for working together to respond and ultimately achieving change
How can community safety initiatives impact on the hardest to reach?
We need to employ a partnership approach to get to the hardest to reach in
our communities, e.g. drugs and alcohol services, community development,
fire and rescue, police
Community involvement in service provision helps to target need/issues more
effectively
How do we join up local planning to address Community Safety? How do we
assimilate local responses/feedback on safety concerns and how do use this
feedback to develop responses?
When “perceived” anti-social behaviour becomes a community safety issue
how do we deal with it? Danger of criminalising young people...
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Use of language as an issue e.g. “Hate Crime” often not seen as hate crime
by those targeted. Rather ignorance and lack of information/education.
By being required to follow lots of systems and procedures for everything
have we lost a level of tolerance for what was once not considered ‘criminal
behaviour’ but was viewed as young people ‘acting out’
Enforcement should be the final option
Community Safety funding is now being used to fund what was once
mainstream e.g. youth club etc, this gives mixed messages
Positive not punitive responses proven to have more benefits
Need to focus on early intervention and prevention
No quick fix – community development is a long term process
Question over how national strategies are developed? How relevant are some
national strategies to local communities?
The group reached consensus on two main points;
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Community development provides a critical interface with local communities.
It helps them to organise, Identify common weaknesses, articulate need, act
on need and engage with service providers
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A community development approach helps to determine the reasons and
social factors behind behaviours in hard to reach, isolated communities of
interest. Understanding helps to develop appropriate responses and
appropriate ways in which to communicate. It needs paid, skilled intervention
to build local skills and capacity to help communities engage with service
providers and to develop services to meet their own needs
Session 2
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Sensitivities around data sharing – lots of implications to consider when
communicating (or not communicating) information from department to
department or agency to agency
Co-location of community safety staff is beneficial – emphasises and
demonstrates the benefits of partnership working
If done properly, community development can be resource intensive in terms
of time and effort - how can we sustain this and continue to meet
communities’ expectations after support is withdrawn?
If we just worry about being “safe” we lose tolerance
Do we target resources at punitive rather than preventative approaches in the
face of pressure? If so, how can we achieve long term change?
Increased levels of participation at an early age are beneficial
Inter-agency work can reap many benefits … can it help address the “hard to
reach?”
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How do we deal with perception versus reality and the fear of crime?
A community development approach deals with facilitating open discussion,
dispelling myth
Community safety should link to other community development activity…..
community development approaches can result in lasting change in
communities
Community Safety should be a theme across a range of sectors – early
education, community based, health centres etc.
Education and opportunity – key to building effective functioning communities
Is there a danger of funding of community development being marginalised in
favour of statutory services or “tangible” development?
Community development is necessary to support pro-action by communities,
and not just allow responses to top down initiatives
Public “savings” often in conflict with community need
What is the impact of withdrawal of services if infrastructure has not been
developed to be self sustainable?
WORKSHOP F. GREENER
National Outcomes:
We live in well-designed, sustainable places where we are able to access the
amenities and services we need.
We value and enjoy our built and natural environment and protect it and enhance it
for future generations.
We reduce the local and global environmental impact of our consumption and
production.
Facilitator: Deryck Irving (Senior Development Officer, Greenspace Scotland)
This workshop looked at the way in which community development can/could/should
contribute to the delivery of the Scottish Government Greener outcomes.
These outcomes (especially 2 and 3) involve significant lifestyle and attitude
changes. These changes will be challenging and, potentially, complex and people
will need help in determining how they, as individuals and communities, can alter
their behaviours. Community development has an important educational role to play
in facilitating change. There was recognition that this issue is high on the agenda for
many people/communities in that where they live and the quality of their environment
is something which directly affects their quality of life, and that community
development can assist in helping communities to take positive action and make a
difference.
Moving forward on any of the Government outcomes relies on active partnership and
on adaptability – sustainable solutions are often/always about flexibility and
responsiveness. Successful partnership and adaptable solutions must involve
communities and community development, therefore, is essential.
The workshop also recognised the need for community development professionals
both to work directly with communities and to enable colleagues from other
professions more closely linked to the green agenda to work more effectively with
communities.