Since the launch of the Community Empowerment Action Plan in March, the Scottish Government has invested in a programme to develop learning and training materials for community engagement practitioners, to build their capacity and enable them to engage more effectively with communities. The programme will run until March 31 2011.
Linked Work and Training Trust have been contracted to deliver this programme. They have experience in providing training, consultancy and research services across a range of policy areas relevant to community learning development, regeneration and social inclusion.
The programme builds on Better Community Engagement: A Framework for Learning which sets out a framework of competencies designed to enable the planning of learning in community engagement.
The framework complements the National Standards for Community Engagement and the Learning in Regeneration Skills Pack.
The programme aims to:
- establish one or more working models of effective learning for community engagement across Scotland;
- provide evidence how structured learning could impact or improve community engagement practice; and
- provide an evidence base for future development of learning for community engagement.
The model for delivery operates through 10 local demonstration projects from a range of contexts across Scotland. The 10 local demonstration projects participating in the programme are:
- Angus Council
- Argyll and Bute
- Comhairle Nan Eilean Sar
- East Renfrewshire
- Edinburgh City Partnership
- Faith in Community
- Falkirk Council
- Fife Council
- Moray Council
- West Lothian Council
At the core of the programme is:
- development of training programmes and materials;
- working with local stakeholder organisations to plan, develop and oversee the local demonstration projects;
- supporting the delivery of learning, working with local learning providers;
- establishing a range of delivery models across the local demonstration projects;
- evaluating the progress and impact of all aspects of the project; and
- disseminating learning and conclusions by a range of appropriate methods to stakeholders across Scotland in order to inform and stimulate learning, leading to improved practice in community engagement.
Each demonstration project has been developing an action plan based on learning needs, setting out local aims and objectives, training resources, identifying targets and scheduling activities. Further details can be found in the latest Communications Brief.
Engagement, shared ownership and partnership working with stakeholders at both local and national levels, is crucial to the success of this project.
A national level advisory group, with representation from a range of relevant organisations across the public sector, has been established. The group provides an expert sounding board for the development of the programme.
The programme also involves the delivery of two national conferences.