LEADER Conference 22.11.12
Engaging Communities
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Why communities need to be involved
Engagement outcomes
Policy and practice context
Example and key success factors
Where are we now?
 Question of community engagement ‘no
brainer’ for some
 Well rehearsed in government lexicon but
does it mean different things for different
people?
 Consultation or engagement?
Community Engagement…
Developing and sustaining a working relationship
between one or more public body and one or more
community group, to help them both to understand
and act on the needs or issues that the community
experiences
(National Standards for Community Engagement)
Why involve local communities?
 Lived experience, knowledge, understanding
and intelligence about local needs and
priorities
 ‘Doing to’ doesn’t work!
 Increased participation leads to better
economic, health and social outcomes
 Increased participation leads to greater
community empowerment and stimulates a
healthier democracy
Community engagement outcomes;
 Stronger, healthier and more resilient
communities
 Increased community empowerment
 Increased social capital
 Increased community participation
 Healthier local democracy
 Higher levels of equality
 Reduced impact on public services
Communities are increasingly
the focus of public policy
 Community led regeneration
 Health – assets based approaches
 Reshaping care – co-production with
communities
 Public services reform
 Planning, criminal justice, early years…
 Potential legislation in the form of the
proposed Community Empowerment and
Renewal Bill
 New duties for CPPs
Success factors in realising
policy ambitions – consider…
 Motivation
 Capacity
 Opportunity
The Playz, Pennyburn
Key success factors
Why is Playz a good example?
 Initially supported by the local housing
association, it was driven by the
community starting with an issue identified
by the community
 Range of methods – door knocking,
community events, surveys, focus groups,
design groups
 Barriers to engagement were addressed
 Transparent process, lots of information
 Engagement linked in with other activities,
e.g. personal development programme for
young people
 High levels of engagement with multiple
stakeholders, agency and community
 Designed from the start to be community led,
capacity building process integral part
The result?
 A blight transformed into an asset
 Sense of local pride and achievement
 Higher levels of community activity and
participation across all ranges
 Local employment and training places
 Hub for exchange of community assets
 Community ownership and respect
 A new generation of community activists!
Moving forward
 How can we engage at an early stage to identify local
needs and aspirations and to identify and agree
appropriate interventions/solutions in partnership with
communities?
 What is the role of the LAG in this regard?
 How might we link with all the other policy agendas
(and funds) and what benefits are there in linking with
community planning processes?
 How do we assess and respond to local capacity
building support needs?
 What skills and competences need to be developed?
Some tools and resources…
 National Standards for Community Engagement
 VOiCE www.voicescotland.org.uk
 Action Research in Communities
http://www.scdc.org.uk/what/community-led-actionresearch/ARC/
 Participatory Budgeting
http://www.participatorybudgeting.org.uk/
 Scottish Co-production Network
http://www.coproductionscotland.org.uk/
Workshop questions
1. What’s happening now?
2. What are the key success factors?
3. How can these be built into the new
programme?
4. What are your three key messages or
aspirations for the next programming
period?