Responding to the Issues
This final section highlights some of the key messages that come from the discussions. The responsibility for responding to the issues lies with strategists and managers at both national and local levels.
Recommended actions for Community Learning and Development Partnerships
CLDPs need to continue to develop strategic collaboration on CCB between partner agencies and to maximise the skills, knowledge and experience of all key stakeholders at a local level. Strategic collaboration will result in a common understanding of the task of building community capacity, the identification and articulation of common outcomes, the avoidance of silos of activity and the prioritisation of gaps to be addressed.
CLDPs should seek to develop a clear understanding, on behalf of all partners, of the relationship between the intermediate and end outcomes of CCB and should seek to clearly articulate and link CLD activity within a local intermediate and end outcomes framework.
In order to reach a better understanding of the impact on CLD on shared outcomes CLDPs should seek to adopt a continuous learning cycle through the use of practice frameworks such as LEAP. Greater attention to performance evaluation and measurement and sharing of the lessons drawn from it will result in more effective practice. Sharing such evidence is a key to learning and therefore CLDPs should be prepared to work with colleagues across Scotland on highlighting areas and examples of good practice.
Although there are a number of national policy directives, research findings and statistical data in place on the needs of groups and individuals in Scottish society, greater attention needs to be given to the process of assessing needs at a local community level, engaging in participatory practice with the community as a key stakeholder in the needs assessment process.
CLDPs need to work closely to design need-led CCB initiatives and develop associated outcomes that respond to the diversity of their communities and their aspirations, giving particular attention to excluded and under-represented groups and targeting resources accordingly; not just supporting established community organisations but building new capacity in unorganised communities. CLDPs need to find the appropriate balance between community derived outcomes and those set in national and local policy.
When developing an outcome-focussed approach to CCB, CLDPs should recognise the different stages of the process of change to which CCB needs to be applied and develop capacity in communities that runs through from needs assessment, to outcome identification, action planning and implementation, monitoring, review and evaluation.
CLDPs should ensure that the focus, conduct and outcomes of CCB are developed in a manner that is compatible with the core values of CLD, in particular its commitment to equalities and social justice.
CLDPs should continue to work strategically as a key member of the Community Planning Partnership promoting the place of CCB outcomes as key elements of community planning and contributors to single outcome agreements.
Recommended actions for CLD Managers
CLD Managers should invest in training and strategic development that enables CCB practitioners to draw on tools that have been demonstrated to be beneficial in day to day CCB practice, most notably LEAP and Delivering Change.
They should encourage the continuous development of an outcome-focussed culture by embedding a robust system for participatory outcome-focussed planning within CLD teams, activities and projects.
A commitment to the importance of embedding a participatory outcome-focussed culture should be underpinned by allowing time and resources to be allocated to the planning process.
CLD Managers should invest in developing their awareness of valuable approaches to outcome-focussed practice adopted elsewhere in Scotland and beyond and filter this knowledge through CLD teams and partnerships.
CLD Managers should seek to develop enhanced understanding and more effective collaborative working practices with elected members in relation to CCB through structured dialogue.
Increasing attention should be given to developing skills within CLD teams for asset based social economy approaches to capacity building.
Recommended actions for Policy Makers
CCB is identified as a national priority within WALT but does not have equivalent resourcing, support or staffing to adult learning or youth work. In terms of the aspirations of government policy to stimulate community empowerment and a more participatory style of democracy, this is an apparent contradiction. If local CCB outcomes are to contribute effectively and impact significantly on the stated national outcome for strong, resilient and supportive communities, CCB should be resourced and supported in equal terms at both national and local levels to the other two priorities of adult learning and youth work.
Part of the perceived weakness of CCB seems to be associated with the lack of a national strategic framework and the need for a funded lead agency in this area. Both deserve attention. If a strategic framework for CCB practice was in place it would provide practitioners, managers and CLDPs with a tangible locus for CCB activity within a national framework and would provide evidence to partner organisations and communities that CCB activity is given credence in terms of its relationship to supporting the achievement of national outcomes. Discussions on the establishment of a strategic framework should be progressed at a national level through Scottish Government working alongside Community Learning and Development Managers Scotland ( CLDMS) and the Community Development Alliance Scotland ( CDAS).
Given the widespread debate on the different characteristics and complexities of CCB, greater attention needs to be given to developing and articulating a robust practice theory for CCB in Scotland and to providing opportunities for development and enhancement of the required skills at qualifying and continuing professional development levels.
In relation to skills development there is a perceived challenge for the CLD Standards Council as it becomes established and for training and support agencies. An audit of the competences of trainers in the field of CCB may be needed. Discussion in the support programme revealed an apparent lack of confidence that mainstream CLD qualifying training agencies are delivering appropriate curricula. At present, newly qualifying workers are not equipped to enter into dialogue with communities on the subject of needs assessment and the setting of appropriate outcomes and indicators. There is a case in relation to CCB for an equivalent initiative to Better Community Engagement on a curriculum for community capacity building to be developed.