Appendix 2
WALSALL’S
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY
BEST PRACTICE TOOLKIT
2006 - 2009
Walsall
Borough Strategic
Partnership
WALSALL BOROUGH STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
Contents
Page
FOREWARD
3
INDICATORS TO MEASURE/MONITOR AND
EVALUATE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
4
READ FIRST BEFORE ENGAGEMENT!
5
SECTION 1
NATIONAL & LOCAL VIEW
6
SECTION 2
KEY ISSUES IN WALSALL
14
SECTION 3
QUALITY STANDARDS FOR COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT AND MONITORING &
EVALUATION OF THE PROCESS
15
SECTION 4
A VISION OF “COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT”
19
APPENDIX 1 CONSULTEES TO THE STRATEGY
26
APPENDIX 2 ATTENDEES AT COMMUNITY EVENT MARCH 2006
29
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FOREWORD TO THE TOOLKIT
The Partnership’s Community Engagement Strategy is not an attempt to impose a new way of
working in Walsall; it is more about building on the undoubted good practice which already exists
in the Borough, not least that contained in existing documents such as the Walsall Statement of
Community Involvement and the Walsall Local Compact. It also acknowledges the genuine
desire of statutory agencies to work more closely together to the benefit of local residents. It
notes the key structures in the area such as the Local Neighbourhood Partnerships (LNPs) and
leading voluntary/community organisations, particularly those representing a range of groups or
common issues. Crucially, it seeks to find ways to ensure the many different “communities” in
Walsall have a voice in the debate around improving the delivery of local services and thus
having a positive impact on life and work in the Borough.
The strategy, and this best practice toolkit (appendix 2) and the Where We Are Now guide
(appendix 1), have been based on wide ranging research with partners, organisations and
community & voluntary groups completed during 2005/06. The Strategic Partnership is grateful to
all those people who have contributed to the development of the strategy.
This best practice toolkit should not be viewed as an end in itself but rather as a framework within
which we all learn, as a means to continuously refine and improve our engagement techniques.
Immediately following this Foreword, are Indicators to Measure and Monitor Community
Engagement. The Indicators give a series of steps to be followed to ensure engagement will be
as effective as possible; it has been said the Indicators are useful to ensure “we think through
what we need to do first, before we start”. Following the Indicators is a series of Hints which,
again, is meant to help save time and maximise resources wherever we can. Finally there are
details on a number of community engagement activities carried out by our partners which have
proved to be very effective.
Research, upon which the strategy and toolkit has been based, included a review of ‘Where We
Are Now’ in Walsall; organisations and agencies all of which were actively engaging with local
people were identified and detailed within a guide and matrix. The matrix maps groups against
local areas and specific “population groups” such as BME groups, older people and young
people. This information was thought to be useful to ensure all available local resources are used
to effectively engage local people. However it has been recognised that the guide and matrix
should be held under constant review and amended in the light of changes to agencies/groups in
the Borough.
Readers of the strategy and this toolkit are encouraged to check the guide and matrix via the
Strategic Partnership website. If you would like to add or amend any information please contact
the Strategic Partnership at www.wbsp.org.uk in order that we can ensure information is updated
as necessary.
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INDICATORS TO MEASURE/MONITOR AND EVALUATE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Indicators
1.
Agree the overall aim of
engagement; what is trying to be
achieved, in what timescale?
2.
Decide the starting point.
3.
Determine the representative
sample, what penetration levels are
being achieved?
4.
Based on the above, decide on the
engagement methods to be used,
consider any “barriers” which may
have to be addressed.
5.
Determine the resources which are
available to support effective
community engagement.
Track the numbers of people taking
up development opportunities.
6.
7.
The results of the engagement are:
8.
Partners and participants reflect on
the process of the engagement,
refine practices as appropriate and
identify best practice.
The potential to influence service
delivery by community members is
monitored.
9.
Considerations
Have the purpose and timescale been
described?
Have questions such as:
What information needs to be collected, who
will collect it, how, by whom and by when
been addressed?
Have questions such as:
Who will be involved, from which
geographical area, how many (including
those “new” to engagement), has age,
gender, ethnicity, “issue” etc.
been considered?
Think through:
The need to identify “specialist organisations
who can “reach” people, any relevant
support measures, using appropriate
communication
techniques,
previous
difficulties.
Consider staff time, expenses, any budget
to provide learning opportunities or other
incentives.
Measure indicators such as:
The number and range of opportunities,
those starting & completing opportunities.
analysed and feedback is provided to
participants
shared with relevant partners and “lodged”
with SPIR where appropriate
any resultant changes to services/local
policy are duly noted and explained.
Remember also to ensure that feedback is
given in a format appropriate to those being
engaged
Make sure notable progress is celebrate: it
builds trust and confidence between all
partners
Ensure the number of places on decision
making bodies in the Borough (such as
LNPs, relevant partner bodies such as PCT
Boards)
available
to
community
representatives, is tracked; the range of
representatives reflects the community
profile.
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READ FIRST BEFORE ENGAGEMENT!
Beware of wasting time and
resources
If you want to engage with a
specific group of people
If you need to find out about the
views of a whole range of people,
for example, young people
Check with the Community
Empowerment Network (CEN)
If
you’re
questionnaire
developing
a
Reduce consultation fatigue
Check Best Practice
Make an effort to reach “new
people” and draw them into
engagement
Improving
community
engagement rests on creating
learning opportunities
Check the weblink at www.wbsp.org.uk - If you want
to engage with a local community in a specific area to
see who else is active in that area – Can they help? –
Are they planning to consult? – Have they recently
carried out consultation?
If you need to inform/communicate with people about
an issue, are other agencies planning a similar
activity? Can you share resources/ideas/cost? –
Check the weblink
Check the weblink – you’ll find there are all sorts of
agencies and organisations who are working with,
and in contact with, a wide range of groups. We
“admit” this is the tip of the iceberg – Walsall’s
Voluntary Sector is broad – one organisation can well
lead you to another.
Such “umbrella” organisations are listed on the Matrix
on the weblink, these include ACSERG and WSUE;
these will be able to put you in contact with other
groups.
Check the weblink - why not contact Youth Opinions
Unite (YOU), the Children’s Fund or the Lifelong
Learning Partnership or other agencies dealing with
young people – Can they point you in the right
direction? Don’t forget the many other agencies
active in the Borough who are also working with
young people on a daily basis – organisations such
as the Vine Trust and NACRO
Check when the next Community (geographical and
interest) Forum meeting is – Can the issue be raised
with them? – Can they organise focus groups?
Can the Shared Partnership Information Resource
(SPIR) team help by commenting on your proposed
questions? Remember also to consider the needs of
specialist interest groups, such as the needs of
disability users, and use suitable language formats.
(Contact details in appendix 1)
If you gain valuable information either as a result of
focus groups/surveys/questionnaires etc – can you
share the information with agencies active in your
local area or interested in your issues? What about
the Local Neighbourhood Partnership in the area –
contact the LNP team/CEN/WVA (details in the
weblink) and share information with SPIR.
Indicators are listed directly BEFORE this section.
Remember also to check the “Principles” which
underpin Walsall’s Compact.
Use specialist agencies to reach new people and
appropriate ways to communicate – respect
traditions, diversity and “access” needs (see the
weblink for who could help)
Section 4 gives details of agencies which offer both
formal and informal learning
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SECTION 1.
THE NATIONAL AND LOCAL VIEW
A.
The National View
Effective community engagement is at the heart of Government Policy; it is a key element in the
Government’s definition of a “sustainable community”. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is
clear in saying that a sustainable community should be “Well run – with effective and inclusive
participation, representation and leadership” it goes further when it says that sustainable
communities enjoy “effective engagement with the community at neighbourhood level, including
capacity building to develop the community’s skills, knowledge and confidence”
The Home Office is leading work on Civil Renewal; it is at the heart of its vision of life in Britain in
the 21st century. It views Civil Renewal as being
“the development of strong, active, and empowered communities, in which people are able to do
things for themselves, define the problems they face, and tackle them in partnership with public
bodies.”
It acknowledges the people best placed to deal with local problems are local people themselves.
It states the obvious in saying that people living in an area have access to local networks and
knowledge. It also identifies that, what people need to make potential solutions a reality and long
term change therefore more likely, is the support and assistance of public bodies.
It states there are three essential ingredients to Civil Renewal:

Active citizenship - people who take responsibility for tackling the problems they can see
in their own communities

Strengthened communities - communities who can form and sustain their own
organisations, bringing people together to deal with their common concerns

Partnership in meeting public needs - public bodies who involve local people in improving
the planning and delivery of public services
If Civil Renewal is the “political vision”, then community engagement is seen as the practical way
to achieve it. The Ladder of Participation detailed below is adapted from the Home Office
website.
The vision
The practice
Civil Renewal
Community engagement
Civil Renewal is about the development of
strong, active, and empowered communities increasingly capable of doing things for
themselves, defining the problems they face,
and then tackling them together. Its core
values are solidarity, mutuality and democratic
self-determination.
Community engagement is the democratic
process by which civil renewal is advanced. It
operates at three corresponding levels:
Its three essential ingredients are:
Enabling people to understand and exercise
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Active Citizenship
their powers and responsibilities as citizens.
Strengthened communities
Empowering citizens to organise through
groups in pursuit of their common good.
Partnership in meeting public needs
Ensuring state bodies support the involvement
of citizens in influencing and executing their
public duties.
Active Citizenship
Citizens to be given more opportunities and
support to become actively involved in defining
and tackling the problems and improving their
quality of life.
Citizenship education: increasing learning
opportunities.
Volunteering: increasing opportunities to make
a contribution.
Civic participation: increasing opportunities to
engage with state organisations.
Confidence building: intervening to remove
obstacles to citizens coming forward with their
concerns.
Strengthened communities
Communities to be helped to form and sustain
their own organisations, bringing people
together to deal with their common concerns.
Community capacity: building and sustaining
the capacity of community groups.
Community development: encouraging and
advising on the development of a collective
voice and mutual help.
Community cohesion: breaking down
suspicion/antagonism; supporting shared
values and integration.
Partnership in meeting public needs
Ladder of Participation
Public bodies, within the established
democratic framework, to involve citizens and
communities more effectively in improving the
planning and delivery of public services.
1 Feedback: making it easier for citizens to
comment and hold state bodies to account for
their action.
2 Consultation: seeking citizens views prior to
taking action.
3 Shared governance: sharing power with
citizens/groups.
4 Devolved decision-making: handing specific
powers to citizens/groups to carry out.
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B.
The Local Context
The following section provides a short overview of local documents which should be used in
conjunction with this Community Engagement Strategy. This Section illustrates, in line with
comments received as part of the research for this Community Engagement Strategy, there is no
lack of strategies, policies or procedures in Walsall; the missing link is the resources and
commitment to implement an agreed coherent way of working, to monitor and then evaluate its
effectiveness.
i.
Community Plan
We in Walsall are intent on developing a Community Engagement Strategy to ensure that we (all
partners and people in the Borough) know what we are trying to achieve; how and why it is
important for us to involve local people in delivering and using effective local services to create a
Borough which meets our Vision as described in the Community Plan:
“Our Community Plan will champion the development of Walsall as a great place to live, work,
learn and play, with a positive image and reputation. Our plan will also help us position our
Borough as a vital and vibrant player in the success of the Region”.
This Strategy is about ensuring comments, about the importance of Community Involvement,
made in the “Community Plan” remain at the forefront of discussions amongst all agencies within
the Walsall Borough Strategic Partnership. Such comments include:
“We want all communities to aspire to a bigger and brighter future for our Borough, to be inspired
by new opportunities and to have the skills and confidence to pursue those opportunities”.
Concerning delivering of the four pillars of the Community Plan, the following issues are
identified:
Community Leadership and Active Citizens
“We need strong leadership of our communities to drive and manage change and citizens who
are actively engaged in the transformation of local neighbourhoods and the Borough generally”
Issues: “People need to have the confidence that their opinions will make a difference
and help deliver improvement in the services that matter to them”.
“we need to take action now to ensure we support the Local Neighbourhood Partnerships
and help grow the capabilities they need to ensure effective citizen involvement and
service accountability”.
“…ensuring that community development support is available to all parts of our
communities will require fresh impetus and focus”.
Working together for Positive Results
“We need to develop our capacity as a partnership to work together to achieve positive results in
these critical areas of work”
Issues: “Focussing on results and joining up processes”.
“Involving citizens and making services more accountable to them”.
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At the heart of this Community Engagement Strategy is the perceived need to provide a “bridge”
between the processes of key documents such as the Local Area Agreement and the overall aim
of improving the quality of life for those of us living and working in Walsall. It seeks to identify the
means to engage local communities and offers answers to the question of how local people can
be offered the best possible opportunity to play an effective role in influencing local decision
making, in a real partnership, with statutory agencies.
It is perhaps useful to offer a definition of community engagement; for our purposes we have
used Communities Scotland’s definition which states Community Engagement is:
“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”.
The above definition is underlined by the fact that it is important to recognise the diversity of
people and communities and to build on the skills and knowledge of those being engaged; this
will be at the heart of future working in Walsall. This definition has been used in the recently
submitted Local Area Agreement.
It is also useful to note that the LAA notes specific outcomes against which we will measure
progress in terms of Community Engagement. The following are taken from the Safer Stronger
Communities Pillar:
SSC5 Mandatory Outcome:

To empower locals to have a greater voice and influence over local decision making and
the delivery of services.

5.1 The number of residents participating in local decision making.

5.2 The number of residents saying they feel they can influence decisions affecting their
local area.

5.4 The number of people generally and young people specifically engaging in (defined)
formal volunteering activity.
Local Neighbourhood Partnerships
The intended changes to Local Neighbourhood Partnerships, which will see them develop into
neighbourhood based Local Strategic Partnerships, will bring greater opportunities for local
people to become more actively engaged in their own localities. The forecast newly formed “mini
LSPs” will become part of the pillar group structure of the Walsall Borough Strategic Partnership;
they will be informal partnerships – not formal council committees. The new structure will provide
freedom for neighbourhood based Local Strategic Partnerships to develop a “neighbourhood
agreement” for their area. These agreements will reflect the priorities of the local area, they will
secure agreement from agencies (across all sectors) to deliver activities which will improve
services and contribute towards outcomes contained within the Local Area Agreement. Following
a review of LNP plans, local issues will be aligned to the Local Area Agreement with
Neighbourhood Agreements being in place from April 2006. Further plans include a more
effective exchange of communication between LNPs and key partners, notably the Council: in
short, positive action is being taken to ensure LNPs become more inclusive, draw in the views of
local people and instigate appropriate action.
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Walsall Local Compact – working together better together September 2005
The Partners to the Compact:







Walsall Borough Strategic Partnership
Walsall Community Empowerment Network
Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust
Walsall Council
West Midlands Fire Service
Walsall NHS Teaching Primary Care Trust
Walsall Voluntary Action
The Shared Principles of Walsall’s Local Compact:
 an independent and diverse Voluntary & Community Sector is fundamental to the well
being of local society;

the Partners have distinct but complementary roles in the development and delivery of
public policy and services in the Borough;

there is added value in working in partnership towards common aims and objectives.
Meaningful consultation builds relationships, improves policy development and
implementation and enhances the design and delivery of services, projects and
programmes;

the Compact partners have different forms of accountability and are answerable to a
different but overlapping range of stakeholders. Common to all is the need for integrity,
openness and honesty.
The Compact “promotes and encourages the use of the Shared Partnership Information
Resource”; “SPIR“ is an extensive databank of indicators, which provides a comprehensive
picture of Walsall and its neighbourhoods”
The Compact contains detailed codes of good practice as follows:

funding

consultation

volunteering

black and minority ethnic organisations

information and communication

disability organisations

learning and development
It notes (within the consultation Code of Practice) “Where appropriate, Partners will work together
on consultations, undertake consultation together and share the results of consultation exercises”
The Learning Toolkit noted within the Learning & Development Code of Practice is referenced in
Section 4 of this Strategy.
An Action Plan has been developed to ensure the Compact moves forward effectively; it covers
the period April 2006 to March 2008.
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Walsall Statement of Community Involvement – November 2005
ii.
The Statement has been prepared for a specific purpose focusing on the changes to town
planning, essentially the requirement to prepare a Local Development Framework. The Local
Development Framework will be “a folder made up of a number of different Local Development
Documents.”
The key local partners noted as being involved in the development of the document are listed as

Local Neighbourhood Partnerships

Walsall Borough Strategic Partnership (plus its affiliated theme groups and forums)

Walsall Community Empowerment Network

Walsall New Deal for Communities

Walsall Regeneration Company
The Statement expands on one of the priorities within Walsall Council’s Vision 2008: “listen to
what people want”. It contains different levels of involvement including the following elements:
1. Information – tell people what is planned – requiring low/medium level of involvement.
2. Consultation – offer a number of options and listen and act on feedback received –
requiring medium/high levels of involvement.
3. Deciding together – encourage others to provide some additional ideas and options and
join in deciding the best way forward – requiring high levels of involvement.
It acknowledges each level of community involvement requires using different techniques and
states “where appropriate we will aim to deliver the third involvement level.”
Within the Statement, Appendix G contains a comprehensive list of communication and
involvement techniques
iii.
Guidelines for Effective Consultation – A Consultation Strategy for the Council
January 2004 (being updated as at March 2006)
The Strategy seeks to provide:

A framework in which Council services can consult

Clear objectives for consultation

Consistency in the Council’s approach to consultation, through clear guidelines

Co-ordination across the Council and with Walsall Borough Strategic Partnership

Clarity in terms of future plans
Walsall Council is in the process of reaffirming its commitment to work in partnership with
organisations across the Borough to build and share best practice. The Council has a wealth of
experience on which to draw plus the breadth of services it offers and the activities in which it is
involved make it a key agency in terms of community engagement.
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iv.
Housing Strategy 2005 -2008 (Walsall MBC)
One of the objectives in the Strategy aims to 'ensure all tenants, social and private, get an
excellent service from their landlord'.
The priority is to 'enhance resident and stakeholder involvement'. The following milestones
identified in the Housing Strategy Action Plan will contribute to achieving this priority:




v.
develop a consultation and marketing strategy,
annual stakeholder and provider conference,
100% service user customer satisfaction survey,
develop and maintain interactive housing website.
Walsall Social Care & Supported Housing – User & Carer Involvement Strategy
The overall aim of the Strategy is to deliver accessible services that are socially inclusive and
responsive to user views. The following is taken from the soon to be released Strategy to
2008/09 (planned launch date end of March 2006)
It is based upon 3 key tenets:
Involve users & carers in:
Identifying issues which affect their lives;
Commissioning, developing and planning services and service
improvements;
Identifying solutions to problems, setting standards and
monitoring services.
Empower users & carers by:
Helping them gain a voice in decision making processes;
Seeing them as partners in strategic planning;
Supporting user led initiatives.
Formalise the way we involve users and carers by:
Having guiding principles for involvement;
Having resources for involvement which reflect the importance &
value of user and carer views;
Ensuring co-ordination of opportunities for involvement.
Action plans will be developed as follows:
Strategic Action Plan - strategic developments from which all social care staff will gain benefit.
Developments by “client groups” - this includes: children's services, older peoples services,
mental health services, learning disability services, younger adults and disability services,
housing services.
Each of the service areas will have a two part plan, detailing actions for the User Involvement
Manager and actions that will be the responsibility of department staff.
vi.
tPCT Patient and Public Involvement Strategy (PPI)
This Strategy has been subject to a consultation period which finished in December 2005. The
Strategy clearly states:

Walsall teaching PCT is committed to involving people of all ages, and their
families and carers in decisions that affect them, ensuring that those people who
are marginalised and isolated are given an opportunity to be involved and have
their voice heard;
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
Walsall teaching PCT believes that PPI should not be an add-on but something
that shapes service provision. Involving patients in their own care leads to
improved health outcomes and better use of services. This is a core priority for
all staff, at all levels of the organisation;

Patient and Public Involvement will be most effective through working in
partnership with others and addressing the cross-organisational issues that
influence health. There is real potential for sharing expertise, information,
networks of contacts and good practice in a mutually supportive way across a
whole community.
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SECTION 2
KEY ISSUES IN WALSALL
Research for this Strategy has identified a number of issues in Walsall which we are
acknowledging and are intent on addressing. We understand there is an undoubted sense of the
need for change; however, we are also aware that a common complaint is that “everything
changes too quickly!” Much of the pace of change is forced upon us by “external pressures”
which are beyond our control; however, we recognise that it is important that local people
appreciate and can identify the “positive” changes which are occurring in the Borough.
Partners in the WBSP from the public or statutory sector are keen to develop new ways of
working and sharing knowledge and experience for the common good. We are committed to
reducing the apparent duplication and overlap particularly around consultation activities.
It is recognised that the public sector is beginning to change and to become more responsive to
the concerns of local people; but the feeling that “structural” change happens as a matter of
course, without really engaging with local communities and listening to their views, is
widespread. The ongoing production of policies and strategies as a means to address some of
the underlying tensions has also been noted; the need to take stock and “build on” rather than
“displace” has also been a useful comment as has the need to ensure ongoing monitoring and
review.
We know that many people in Walsall think that the “place has been talked down for too long”.
Like many areas, Walsall has a “history”; different funding streams have come and gone but the
communities, and people within them, have remained.
We think there is a need for a new approach around cross sector working between the public and
the voluntary/community sector. The need for ongoing resource for the voluntary/community
sector will perhaps remain an issue, however, the role which could be played by the
voluntary/community sector in reaching disparate groups, must be maximised. In this respect, we
in the statutory sector will do our utmost to comply with the stated aims of the Compact. Whilst
we are sometimes confronted with the conflict of adhering to “Best Value” principles balanced
against cost of using the voluntary/community sector to reach local people, we understand the
importance of “investing” to build longer term capacity in local areas.
We are aware that Walsall is home to dedicated community champions and yet there is
agreement about the need to find “new or different” people to join the debate about the future of
the Borough.
The questions “Who will own the Community Engagement Strategy? Who will make sure it is
used? - have been asked. The answer from the Walsall Borough Strategic Partnership viewpoint,
is that it needs to be seen as useful to diverse agencies across the Borough; this will drive its
ownership and usage. We will ensure it is reviewed and updated on an on going basis and will
monitor the Action Plan within the Strategy; but it will only be as effective as the groups and
agencies which take note of the information contained within in it, and use it to begin the change
process in Walsall.
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SECTION 3
QUALITY
STANDARDS
FOR
COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT
MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF THE PROCESS
AND
There is a great deal of best practice concerning Community Engagement both in the UK and
abroad; however before looking for solutions outside Walsall, it is useful to reflect on the
experience of some organisations within the Borough. It is also important to note that many of the
elements apparent within best practice, detailed within the Regional & National Approach to
Community Engagement which follows in this Section, are already well established within the
Borough. For example, Walsall is well served by a range of youth groups which are actively
engaging with potentially isolated young people; it has components such as the Shared
Partnership Information Resource; the consultation group within the Council; the developing
Local Neighbourhood Partnerships and active networking between statutory partners. As such,
the message we are intent on responding to, is that we need to maximise and mobilise our
resources more effectively.
Best practice in Walsall
Two such local “initiatives” are Burrowes Street Tenant Management Organisation in Birchills
and New Horizons, the New Deal for Communities programme in Blakenall and Bloxwich East &
Leamore.
Burrowes Street TMO
Burrowes Street TMO was established in 1994, it manages 312 properties, including 24 low rise
flats, 270 multi story flats and 18 bed-sits in a sheltered housing scheme. It has responsibility for
housing services on the estate and has been, and is, intent on building a community through
social activities. It issues regular newsletters to all tenants.
Its success in regenerating a local area has been recognised by the Home Office; Burrowes
Street TMO is part of the Guide Neighbourhoods programme. The Home Office has allocated
£4.35m to the programme; it is “to enable strong, successful resident-led neighbourhood
organisations to share their knowledge and experience with other neighbourhoods trying to
tackle similar problems”.
What has made Burrowes Street successful? Local people who saw an opportunity to get
involved which would lead to tangible results; adequate funding to effect change and training to
give local people the skills to make a real contribution (provided by PEP).
New Deal:New Horizons
New Horizons is an excellent example of how to engage with local people. It has the aim of
regenerating an area with over 4,600 households and a population of nearly 12,000. The New
Horizons Board is made up of 37 individuals – of these 24 are “patch representatives” i.e.
residents who represent their “patch” of the area, elected by the residents in that area, usually
comprising some 200 households. Their role is to encourage the involvement of residents and
represent them on the board. Each of the themed sub groups also has a Chair who will be one of
the Patch Representatives – projects are developed through the sub groups.
New Deal:New Horizons has invested in Board and staff training and developed a Learning Plan
which has encouraged greater understanding between Board members, staff and partners.
It is also noted that engaging and sustaining the level of engagement seen, is resource intensive.
It has a quarterly newsletter “Chatter” which is issued to 4,000 households. It has also
established a range of local fora which deal with a range of issues such as the Gypsy and
Travellers Forum, a Community and Voluntary Sector Forum and a Youth Forum.
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Learning from the Experience of Others
There is widespread agreement about how to achieve effective community engagement; drawing
on diverse sources from the USA, International Association for Public Participation, Communities
Scotland, IDEA, recent Home Office publications plus the experience of projects closer to home,
all point to certain common components upon which community engagement is built. Much rests
on a common sense approach and a bond of trust being apparent between all partners and
participants.
However, before going further, it is useful to remember that some people will always wish to
remain passive and are quite content with the situation in Walsall e.g. one of the findings of the
Tracker Survey in 2005 (taken from the Community Plan) was:
“One in four people felt they provided some input to local decision making in the previous year
and two thirds feel there is sufficient opportunity to get involved if necessary”.
Additionally, a study conducted by MORI “Five years of communications” found that the
“majority of local residents surveyed indicate they like to know what the Council is doing but are
happy to let them get on with their job”.
The Regional and National Approach to Community Engagement
Blackthorn Good Neighbours Project (Northampton) - the aim was to develop a project in the
heart of an estate which was suffering high levels of crime, the local community centre was a
focus for anti social behaviour. The Project secured funding to refurbish a small bungalow in the
centre of the Estate and whilst it was difficult to secure resident interest initially, once local
people could identify the benefit of being involved, they helped to decorate and furnish the
bungalow and establish initial services which would be based at the bungalow. From this slow
beginning, trust was built and activities available from the Project have grown. Evaluation has
shown that community spirit has improved and anti social behaviour fallen.
Communities that Care was originally devised in America and is now being used in around 30
areas in the UK, one of which is Coventry. It is described as being a process via which
opportunities are created for local people to become involved in defining and tackling
neighbourhood problems. It particularly focuses upon early prevention programmes with children
and families as a means to reduce future problems.
Friction Arts based in Birmingham use arts to engage with local people; recently the organisation
used poetry as a means to get people to express their views about local areas.
Include (Liverpool) is a neighbourhood regeneration company operating in the Dingle area of
Liverpool; it was established in 2001 and is a partnership between the City Council and a local
social landlord. The area was broken into small neighbourhoods and local plans developed with
residents, based on their concerns – mainly revolving around the need for the area to be “clean,
safe and well managed”. Various delivery “vehicles” have been established which employ local
people in areas such as grounds maintenance. Include also offer advice to the public sector in
how to engage with local people.
Nugent Education Ltd is an organisation based in Liverpool which uses a mixture of arts media to
reach communities such as arts, dance, drama and music. It works particularly with young
people and specialises in techniques to reach BME communities.
Somerset Influence – is a citizens’ panel of 8,000 people, it is funded and used by all District
Councils in the County, the police and health authority. There is a Joint Consultation Strategy
Group which plans and co-ordinates both consultation and communication events. It has jointly
funded a video on political structures, hosted public meetings and developed a CD to launch
local democracy week.
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It is useful to reference what is working in neighbouring Wolverhampton: here a Citywide
Involvement Network has been established which co-ordinates “shared involvement activities”.
The Network reports directly to the Wolverhampton Strategic Partnership Board. It meets
regularly and focuses on reducing duplication and creating shared resources; it also supports
accredited training delivered by the University of Birmingham. Completion of agreed modules
and submission of assignments leads to achievement of an accredited module within Community
& Public Involvement; the course is aimed at participants who have a first degree or more than 5
years relevant work experience – it has been widely welcomed by agency staff undertaking the
training.
Younglivin in Kingston – young people have been allowed and encouraged to design solutions to
solve their own problems. Essentially, young people have developed a website which enables
users to access advice “anonymously”; most questions, issues and concerns are around services
available to children and young people particularly those relating to sexual health and protection
services. Statistics are maintained and relayed to Children & Family Services; data is used to
influence future service delivery. Younglivin’s future plans include developing the website to
encourage young people to become interested in democracy and to create a “participatory edemocracy” for local young people.
The International Approach to Community Engagement
International Association for Public Participation (www.iap2.org)
IAP2 is an association of members who seek to promote and improve the practice of public
participation in relation to individuals, governments, institutions, and other entities that affect the
public interest in nations throughout the world. IAP2 carries out its mission by organising and
conducting activities to:




Serve the learning needs of members through events, publications, and communication
technology;
Advocate for public participation throughout the world;
Promote a results-oriented research agenda and use research to support educational
and advocacy goals;
Provide technical assistance to improve public participation.
IAP2 was founded in 1990 as the International Association of Public Participation Practitioners
(IAP3) to respond to the rising global interest in public participation. The initial mission was to
promote the values and best practices associated with involving the public in government and
industry decisions which affect their lives.
IAP2 quickly grew and developed into an organisation which looks beyond the formal practitioner
to include all people involved in public participation. IAP2 added a semi-annual journal, web site,
and local chapters to its list of services. In 1996, IAP2 changed its name to reflect this growing
diversity and inclusiveness of membership. The organisation has grown from 300 members in
1992 to over 1,000 in 2000, with members from 22 countries. In the past few years, IAP2 has
continued its growth and established itself as a leader in the field. In 1999, IAP2 launched its
Certificate Training Course in Public Participation providing comprehensive training in the tools
and skills needed for effective participation.
Dealing with Citizen Engagement In France It would seem that similar issues in engaging
“different” people, other than those already involved in the life of the community, are apparent in
France. The area of Issy-les-Moulineaux in the southern suburbs of Paris has been a “pioneer” in
the field of citizen engagement. When asked how they tackle the problem of the same citizens
participating (the usual suspects), the response is they appoint a number of representatives from
within each district and offer training in “participatory democracy”. This is a rolling programme
with citizens commenting on the plans of local councillors. Terms such as “local or participatory
democracy” are preferred to “local governance”.
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The Australian Approach
Engagement in Australia is achieved via Deliberative Inclusive Processes (DIPs), put simply this
is based on 3 principles:
1.
Non aligned, unengaged citizens; lay persons, usually selected randomly:
 a cross section representative of the wider population.
2.
Deliberative spaces; respectful, equal, discussion-based, informed, moderated, collective
outcome:
 can last over a period of days and concentrate on an issue of concern, led by a
facilitator.
3.
Recommendations to policy maker or decision maker; with the intention of influencing the
outcome:
 the group’s common goal is to find common ground on which to base
recommendations.
The common and core components of Best Practice

Effective planning for engagement is important – selecting suitable techniques or
agencies to “reach” a representative sample (see Section 2) and providing adequate
support (e.g. removing barriers) to enable all participants to be involved equally, is vital –
Section 5 deals with these issues. Also “beware” of relying on the views of community
activists; take steps to identify and engage a wider range of people and views.

Using clear and agreed procedures to enable participants to work effectively together;
being respectful of others views, facilitating shared decision making and maintaining
accountable and transparent processes.

Sharing information to ensure all participants have access to suitable information within
the bounds of confidentiality; including appropriate formats are used as necessary.

Working with others – e.g. sharing resources with partners/programmes outside an
immediate area maximises results and develops sustainability.

Ensuring the local community believe they have a say and can therefore influence
decisions taken which affect them or the local area (It is noted the more “pertinent” the
issue to an individual’s lifestyle – the more likely is the involvement).

The above can be achieved by ensuring feedback is given following consultation or
communication with local people e.g. what happened as a result of involvement.

Developing skills and knowledge this maximises the understanding and competence
of all participants – both community representatives and partner agencies (further details
are contained in Section 5).

An effective monitoring and evaluation framework must be developed and
implemented – see below.
Indicators to measure/monitor and evaluate Community Engagement
The Indicators are detailed at page 4 of the Strategy as a means to set the context for the
Strategy – readers are therefore advised to refer to Page 4.
Additionally, the LAA notes specific outcomes against which we will measure progress in terms
of Community Engagement; such outcomes are noted on page 9 of this Strategy.
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SECTION 4
A VISION OF “COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT”
Our Community Plan clearly states why we are about developing community leadership and
active citizens, referenced in Section 1. This finds resonance in a recent publication from ODPM
in February 2006 entitled “Promoting Effective Citizenship and Community Empowerment”. In the
introduction to the publication it states that, whilst it is primarily for local authorities, partners from
all sectors will find it of interest. It states the issue as:
“Relationships between local government and the public are changing. Effective governance
requires informed, engaged citizenry which votes in elections, participates in decision making
and works with service providers in designing, delivering and monitoring services.
To create such an informed, engaged citizenry requires public bodies to go beyond the now
routine provision of opportunities for consultation and participation. It means embarking on a
process of learning, on the part of the public and on the part of organisations that need their
input”.
This section therefore provides a view about how we can benchmark the current position in
Walsall and how we are aiming to progress by providing suitable learning and development
opportunities.
Ladders of participation
There are many “academic” theories which describe levels of participation, involvement or
engagement of communities; two such are described below:
In Section 2 we reference the Home Office view of Civil Renewal; the Ladder of Participation
detailed below is adapted from the Home Office website.
Partnership in meeting public needs
Ladder of Participation
Public bodies, within the established democratic
framework, to involve citizens and communities more
effectively in improving the planning and delivery of
public services.
1 Feedback: making it easier for
citizens to comment and hold state
bodies to account for their action.
2 Consultation: seeking citizens views
prior to taking action.
3 Shared governance: sharing power
with citizens/groups.
4 Devolved decision-making: handing
specific powers to citizens/groups to
carry out.
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It is also useful to reflect on the “Arnstein” model – as it was perhaps the first to describe
community engagement in late 1960’s in the USA:
1. Manipulation
Non participative – “we know best”
2. Therapy
Non participative – “educate participants”
3. Informing
Little evidence of a “two way” information channel
4. Consultation
Useful step towards participation but can be a “tick box” exercise
5. Placation
Selected community “worthies” are co-opted to committees but real
power rests and remains with “statutory bodies” who “judge”
feasibility of “advice”
6. Partnership
Redistribution of power based on negotiation between citizens and
“power holders” e.g. shared decision making responsibilities
7. Delegated power
Citizens have a clear majority on committees with delegated
decision making responsibilities e.g. the “power” to assure
accountability of services to them
8. Citizen Control
The example is given of a “neighbourhood corporation” with no
intermediaries between it and the source of funds
A more simplistic way of viewing particularly levels of consultation is to use Stockton-on-Tees
Consultation Strategy where it gives definitions of:
Public Information
“Here’s what we are going to do”
Public Consultation
“Here are our options, what do you think”
Public Participation
“We want you to help us develop our options and decide our actions”
Training & Capacity Building
We know it is important to create learning opportunities to support local people to gain skills to
enable them to effectively engage. The planned development of Local Learning Action Plans by
Local Neighbourhood Partnerships will provide such an opportunity; Plans will develop suitable
learning pathways for local people. There are several agencies and organisations that have been
or are working in Walsall which could assist in offering valuable development opportunities.
Additionally, we are aware of organisations which can offer useful experience to Walsall in
building skills and capacity in local communities; such organisations are noted below. There are
different aspects to capacity building from training on effective Board membership, confidence
building or taking up volunteering opportunities; encouraging uptake of supported learning
opportunities will also assist in building trust in local areas. Firstly we consider the experience of
New Deal:New Horizons which share their experience of taking steps to build a learning plan.
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New Deal :New Horizons Learning Plan
As part of its development New Deal recognised that community engagement was an area that
needed a high level of input to get community representatives, staff and partner agency officers
working together effectively. It was about how people behaved, how meetings were run, what
were people’s expectations, understanding what constraints there were and finding a way to
embed better ways of working together into the organisation.
This led to a series of facilitated sessions involving the community representatives, staff and
partners to develop a Learning Plan for New Deal. During the sessions, working together, it was
possible to explore all the tensions, achieve a better understanding, although not always
agreeing, and map a way forward that would make New Deal a community led ‘excellent ‘
organisation which it has now achieved after two years hard work by all concerned.
The Learning Plan takes in the agreements made about protocols, conduct and understanding
the needs and aspirations of participants as well as setting out an action plan for training and
development. This is a proven process for meaningful community engagement between partners
from all sectors once they have agreed the basic format of the partnership. New Deal is willing to
share this experience across the Partnership where people are striving to reach a position of
excellent community engagement.
Part of this project was a Culture Map which looked at good behaviours and unwanted
behaviours at Board meetings, Theme and Staff Meetings and in our day to day working with
each other. This has helped meeting participants and colleagues to control unwanted behaviours
and continues to raise awareness about what we can do to control unwanted behaviour.
Benitlee Housing: EPIC Courses
EPIC Courses are flexibly designed to meet the needs of local partnerships. There are 3
separate but related courses: Neighbourhood Design, Liveability and Safer Places.
Neighbourhood Design focuses on how design can affect behaviour and considers issues of
quality, price and sustainability; in Liveability the inter relationships between the delivery of local
services (e.g. schools, policing and environmental management) and the vitality of existing areas
are explored; whilst Safer Places considers the physical agenda of community safety. Bentilee
Housing is in the process of finalising an Innovation and Good Practice Guide funded by the
Housing Corporation on the EPIC Course. Each course is based on 10 sessions which,
completed alongside 15 sessions on Community Volunteering, leads to achievement of the
ASDAN Certificate in Community Volunteering. Bentilee Housing works with local colleges to
deliver the course in different areas as was the case in Telford where a successful partnership
was established with Telford College of Arts & Technology. Contact details for Bentilee Housing
are at Appendix 2.
Groundwork in Walsall
Groundwork is well established in the Borough, working with local communities to facilitate
improvements in local neighbourhoods. It is successfully offering the ASDAN Certificate in
Community Volunteering which includes units consisting of:
 Preparing for the volunteering role;
 Personal skills for volunteers;
 Dealing with meetings as a volunteer;
 Meeting organisational standards of good practice;
 Describing needs, issues and your own voluntary work;
 Working in a team as a volunteer.
In delivering the award, Groundwork organises suitable placements with local voluntary
organisations to enable participants to gain the relevant skills and knowledge. Groundwork is
also delivering the newly designed ASDAN COPE (Certificate of Personal Effectiveness levels 1,
2 and 3). It is seen as an effective way to develop autonomous learners and widen participation
amongst national priority groups.
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PEP
PEP is a national not-for-profit company working with statutory and voluntary agencies and local
communities, to improve services and to seek to ensure they meet the needs of local people;
PEP has been established for over 25 years. It has experience in a range of initiatives such as
neighbourhood renewal, neighbourhood management issues and inter-agency working.
PEP is a national organisation with locally based trainers. Courses can be offered in a local
venue, for up to 20 participants with all materials supplied and certificates issued on successful
completion.
PEP is supported by ODPM and as such courses are offered at a subsidised rate to local
residents.
PEP has been used by agencies in Walsall, including Burrowes Street TMO, who strongly
advocate the usefulness of PEP courses.
There are a variety of PEP courses and events which appear to support the overall aim of
engaging more people in working with statutory agencies and giving them the skills to participate
more fully in the decision making process. Two such examples, taken from the PEP course
information, are as follows:
Reaching Out: User involvement in the provision of public services and closer working with
community and voluntary groups, are essential to effective service delivery. There is evidence
that some sections of the community continue to be overlooked. Those with the most severe
problems are often lacking in the confidence or capacity to get involved. The training programme
will help groups reach out to all sections of their communities. Some courses teach cutting edge
techniques for engaging people, others are focused on ways of involving particular groups such
as BME people or young people.
Preparing for Board membership: Potential members of shadow Boards or Neighbourhood
Management Boards. Participants will learn about: characteristics of effective Boards, increasing
personal effectiveness within the Board, ensuring Board members have the support they need.
PEP can also offer bespoke courses in discussion with clients such as WBSP to meet specific
needs.
Right People Right Skills(RPRS)
Right People Right Skills is a training and skills consortium operating across the Black Country; it
is hosted by Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council. It offers a range of NVQ training in
vocational areas relevant to the sector, including Business Administration; Learning and
Development and Management, this is available to both paid employees and volunteers of
voluntary sector organisations. RPRS also offers assistance in implementing quality assurance
systems through PQASSO and PACE providing mentors to guide and support organisations; it
has Skills Brokers operating across the Black Country who can visit your organisation and
complete a free Training Needs Analysis for your organisation.
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Walsall Lifelong Learning Alliance
Playing for keeps: Rolling out the Walsall Learning Champions Toolkit
The Walsall Toolkit as produced by NIACE, represents an innovatory response to the task of
engaging citizens, learners and frontline staff from as well as new and existing learners who will
come to see adult learning as powerful resource that can make a real difference to their lives. It
has been written with Learning Champions, community development workers, outreach workers
and other frontline staff in mind, and discussed with a wide range of relevant stakeholders in
Walsall. It can be used in a number of contexts including Adult and Community Learning,
Regeneration, Community Cohesion, Extended Schools, workforce development within Walsall
Council, Youth Work, Sports and Leisure Development, Community Arts and Learning in
Libraries.
The Regeneration Game – “…this
exciting resource offers a
refreshingly different approach to
achieving proper collaboration
between diverse groups of people.
Using a card game format, it
enables people to understand the
problems of regeneration better, to
plan feasible solutions, and to
appreciate alternative perspectives.
Ideal for staff development and for
use in 'real' situations with
residents, activists and
professionals, it is simple to use,
fun to play and above all, highly
effective.”
Needing to look again at the content, structure and
format of the Toolkit, the idea took shape, based on
the Regeneration Game referred to within the Toolkit,
to develop a high-impact pilot for the Toolkit in the
form of a Walsall Learning Champion Toolkit ‘Board
Game.’
Walsall Council Leisure, Culture and Lifelong
Learning, Creative Development Team (CDT) will
work with the Walsall Lifelong learning Alliance to
develop a project in phases that will build on the
Walsall Learning Champions Toolkit manual. The
project will develop a board game, support potential
trainers, document pilot projects for a DVD to
possibly support the next phase of the project and
provide web page content to support training and
development.
Immediately the Toolkit is published, Walsall Council
_______________________
needs to promote widespread awareness of its availability and begin to support effective use of
________________
the materials.
A series of local and/or borough-wide events need to be arranged for potential
users and disseminators to celebrate the Toolkit’s publication but more important, to provide
some introductory activities showing people how to work with it. These should be participatory
events involving a true mix of the intended readership as well as staff and managers. High
profile allies who are willing to rollup their sleeves and get involved will be an asset.
Many of the necessary skills associated with good outreach work and community development
have become extinct in recent years. The widespread decline in adult learning among working
class and other excluded groups is partly related to the loss of this expertise and the reluctance
and/or inability of providers to meet people half way on their own territories.
The Toolkit will encourage and enable frontline staff and Learning Champions to get involved in
these kinds of activities but they will need training and support to use the materials well.
Outreach and proper consultation is difficult work that takes time and a range of skills that cannot
be taken for granted. Learners are likely to have enthusiasm but not necessarily all the skills and
knowledge needed to do what will be required of them. The same goes for frontline staff. Support
and training are indispensable. The Toolkit will not deliver its potential and Walsall will not
achieve its mission without them.
Issues concerning discrimination, equality and diversity, conflict resolution and negotiation are
among the most difficult to deal with. Yet these relate to some of the most common barriers that
prevent particularly non-traditional learners getting involved in learning or community activities.
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Whilst a rolling programme of relevant, good quality training will help to underpin the approaches
suggested in the Toolkit, it will also be necessary to arrange ongoing support at local level. This
will help frontline staff but it is especially important for Learning Champions and local citizens
who get drawn into partnership working. Systems of mentoring, shadowing and placements will
be developed to provide opportunities for learners and citizens to talk through experiences with
more experienced champions or frontline practitioners.
At the time of going to press, the Learning Champions toolkit has been developed by Walsall
CDT into a prototype board game and will be piloted in the week beginning 13 March. This pilot
of the first prototype will be evaluated and then a further, more in depth pilot is scheduled for
week beginning 20 March. Walsall Youth Service will participate in one or both of these pilots
and are very interested in rolling-out the eventual Toolkit to support its work. Other organisations
who are keen to be involved in the piloting phase are Aaina Women’s Centre (Caldmore and
Palfrey Neighbourhood Women’s Centre), Age Concern Training, Walsall tPCT, New Deal for
Communities and Education Walsall on their Aimhigher project.
A domain name has been secured and a website is, as of March 2006, being developed to
support the Toolkit and again is being developed with Walsall CDT. WLLA continues to promote
the Learning Champion ethos throughout Walsall and indeed there was a Walsall Learning
Champions category in this year’s, very successful, Walsall Lifelong Learning Awards.
Kolb’s Learning Cycle
It is also useful to note the work of David Kolb and his definition of experiential learning which, it
has been said, it the most effective way to engender informal, community based learning. His
work was first published in 1984 entitled 'Experiential Learning: Experience as the source of
learning and development' However, it has been said that Kolb’s work can be traced back to
Confucius around 450 BC, when he said: "Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may
remember. Involve me, and I will understand." taking this view perhaps sets it in greater context
when thinking about the necessity to embed effective community development opportunities for
local people.
The best way to view Kolb’s Learning Cycle is to view the diagram below which describes the 4
stage continuous cycle of learning:
Stage 1 – do something – have an “experience”
Stage 2 – reflect or review the experience – think about what you have experienced
Stage 3 - plan to so something as a result of reviewing the experience
Stage 4 – take action as a result of the 3 previous stages
Kolb’s work suggests that no one stage is effective in isolation, hence it is important to take time
to reflect on what has been learnt as a means to plan future learning.
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Appendix 1 – Consultees to the Strategy
Organisation
Name
ACSERG
Ricky Riggon
Age Concern Walsall
People’s Forum)
(Older
Arthritis Care
Bentilee Housing
Debbie Niemann
Sheila Withers
Lisa Alcock
Black & Asian Disability Group
Black Country Asian Businesses
Association
Fides Corpuz
Ranjit Sohal
Contact
2nd Floor, Holden House
37-38 Digbeth, Walsall
WS1 1RY
01922 638825
50 Lower Hall lane
Walsall
WS1 1RJ
01922 634246
l.alcock@bentileehousing.com
114 Lichfield Street, Walsall
WS1 1SZ
07876 220555
r.sohal@btclick.com
17 Wednesbury Road, Walsall WS1
3RU
Black Sisters
Maureen Lewis
Blind Centre
BME Alliance
Amanda Humphries
Manu Vyas
British Bangladeshi Council
Mr B Miah
Burrows
Street
Tenant
Management Organisation
Terry Edis
01922 613292 / 07753782836
Mike Hew
18 Caldmore Green, Caldmore,
Walsall, WSWS1 3RL
01922 630389
webmaster@caldmorehousing.co.uk
Diya Lees
diyal@walsallva.org.uk
Tariq Khan
Tina Thatcher
tariqk@walsallva.org.uk
tinat@walsallva.org.uk
01922 862603
keithstanley@bccbl.com
zena.burton@nch.org.uk
Paul.woodcock@staffordshire.gov.uk
01922 614794
114a, Lichfield Street, Walsall WS!
1SZ
01922 622227
info@walsalldc.co.uk
01922 644983 / 07716 739221
47 Bath Street, Talisman House.
Electric Palace, 157a High Street,
Bloxwich Walsall, WS3 3JT.
smallstreet@firstbase.co.uk
01922 492080
Forest Community Centre, Hawbush
Road, Leamore. WS3 1AG
sara@livearts.co.uk
Caldmore Housing
Community
Network (CEN)
CEN
CEN
Empowerment
Chamber of Commerce
Keith Stanley
Children’s Fund
Community Associations
Deaf Centre
Zena Burton
Paul Woodcock
Colin Sanders
DIAL
Mark Ashbourne
Disability Forum
Andrew Moult
Electric Palace
Eleanor Boycott
First Base
Stuart Ashmore
Forest Community Centre
Barry Dutton
Friction Arts
Sara Fowles
01922 627683
0121 357 8957 / 01922 474447
c/o 33 Countess Street, Walsall WS1
4JZ
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Groundwork Walsall
Library Services (WMBC)
Lifelong Learning Partnership
Local
Neighbourhood
Partnerships Team (LNP)
LNP
LNP
LSC
Vicky Ransone
Sue Grainger
Colin Robinson
vicky.ransome@groundwork.org.uk
graingers@walsall.gov.uk
robinsonc@walsall.gov.uk
Julie Ball
ballj@walsall.gov.uk
Imke Goalby
Ben Wilkinson
Jane Taylor
Multi Faith Forum
Richard Jordan
Neighbourhood Watch
Alan Crunden
NACRO
Steve Jackson
New Deal for Communities (NDC)
Dick Hackett
NDC
Michelle Parry
Ashleigh or Leighton
Nugent
goalbyi@walsall.gov.uk
wilkinsonb@walsall.gov.uk
jane.taylor@lsc.gov.uk
21, Buchanan Road, Walsall WS4
2EW
Richard@church-links.org.uk
4 Longmeadow WS5 3BZ.
c/o Walsall CEN, Jerome Chambers,
16a Bridge Street, Walsall WS1 1HP.
01922 619852
Nacro_walsall@yahoo.co.uk
Blakenall Village Centre
Blakenall Walsall WS3 1LZ
parrym@walsall.gov.uk
Nugent Education
PEP
Tim Moreton
Right People Right Skills
Tracey O Brien
SERCO
SPIR
Surestart
Tim German
Tim Ferguson
Michael Hiscox
The Vine Trust
Kevin Davis
TORA
Teaching Primary Care Trust
Union of Muslim Organisations
Gilmore Grant
Cath Boneham
Mohammed Gora
Walsall Street Teams
Sue Bretherick
Walkways Youth Project
Walsall NHS Hospital Trust
WATMOS
Walsall Housing Group (WHG)
Gwyneth Phelps
Sue Vincent
Sarah Smith
Jenny Barfoot
Rob Gilham
WHG
Kevin Lowry
WM Fire
WM Fire Service
Steve Vincent
Joy Blakeman
WM Police
Insp Gwyn Bevan
WM Police
Bruce Gilbert
WM Police
Insp. Chris Smith
info@nugenteducation.co.uk
0116 285 8908,
email tim.m@pep.org.uk
tobrien@wolverhamptonvsc.org.uk
01902 773761.
Tim.german@we.serco.com
fergusont@walsall.gov.uk
hiscoxm@walsall.gov.uk
The Vine Trust, Walsall Ltd The Vine
33 Lower Hall Lane Walsall WS1 1RR
01922 620092
Catherine.boneham@walsall.nhs.uk
01922 628111
Bradford Street Centre, 51 Bradford
Street, Walsall,
WS1 3QD
44 Littleton Street West
Walsall WS2 8EN. 01922 615393
Sarah.smith1@walsallhospitals.nhs.uk
info@watmos.org.uk
robgilham@whgrp.co.uk
01922 425158
kevinlowry@whgrp.co.uk
Steve.vincent@wmfs.net
Joy.blakeman@wmfs.net
g.bevan@westmidlands.pnn.poiice.uk
b.gilbert@westmidlands.pnn.police.uk
c.small@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk
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Community Engagement Strategy
April 2006
27
Prepared by RHCS
WM Police
Insp. Nick Williams
Walsall Council
Walsall Council
Walsall Council (contact re
Statement
of
Community
Involvement)
Walsall Council (contact re
Council’s
Core
Consultation
Group)
Walsall Council
Walsall Council
Walsall Council
Walsall Council – Social Care
Women’s Forum
Karen Adderley
Peramajit Kaur
n.williams@westmidlands.pnn.police.uk
adderleyk@walsall.gov.uk
kaurparamjit@walsall.gov.uk
Jon Lord
lordj@walsall.gov.uk
Andy Mellors
mellorsa@walsall.gov.uk
Rebecca Rice
Lesley Stokes
David Trethewey
Emma Palmer
Sandhya Budhi
Walsall Regeneration Company
Dr Peter Cromar
ricer@walsall.gov.uk
stokesl@walsall.gov.uk
trewetheweyd@walsall.gov.uk
palmere@walsall.gov.uk
74 Lincoln Road, Walsall WS1 2DQ
petercromar@walsallregeneratiom.co.uk
Walsall
Borough
Partnership (WBSP)
Ross Bell
Strategic
WBSP
Walsall Federation of Tenants
Association
Walsall Voluntary Action (WVA)
WVA/CEN
Youth Opinions Unite
Andrew Rumble
Dave Lambert
Ann Strach
George Rowley
Kirsty Mahon
BellR@walsall.gov.uk
01922 653527 /07834 121114
rumblea@walsall.gov.uk
wtrfdvlman@aol.com
01922 723349
01922 619840
01922 632354
Bath House, Bath Street
Walsall WS1 3DB
_______________________________________________________________________
Community Engagement Strategy
April 2006
28
Prepared by RHCS
Appendix II – Delegate List – Event 23 March 2006
Gregory Aphim
Julie Ball
Amira Begum
Ross Bell
Bruce Bennet
Cath Boneham
Natalie Burdett
Sandhya Budhi
Doug Burch
Lynda Cooper
Rona Cooper
Trish Curtis
Paul Dennis
Tim Ferguson
Tim German
Imke Goalby
Dick Hackett
Pauline Heffernan
Michael Hiscox
Madeleine Holland
Deborah Honnery
Diya Lees
Jon Lord
Andy Mellors
Andrew Moult
Debbie Niemann
Tracey O’Brien
Michelle Parry
Wendy Pearce
Emma Pearson
Barry Poxon
Sue Rawlings
Ricky Riggon
Colin Robinson
Andy Smith
Lesley Stokes
Ann Strach
Hardip Tanda
Ken Whittingham
Benjamin Wilkinson
ACSERG
Walsall Council
Black & Asian Disability Group
Walsall Borough Strategic Partnership
Frank F Harrison Community Association/WPH
Counselling
Teaching Primary Care Trust
Groundwork Black Country
Wolverhampton Voluntary Action
Brownhills Local Committee
Brownhills Local Committee
Walsall Borough Strategic Partnership
Walsall Manor Hospital
Youth Opinions Unite
Walsall Borough Strategic Partnership
SERCO
Walsall Council
New Deal for Communities
RHCS
Education Walsall
Walsall Multi Faith Forum
BCCUP
Community Empowerment Network
Walsall Council
Walsall Council
Community Empowerment Network
Age Concern Walsall
Right People Right Skills
Walsall New Deal for Communities
Moxley People’s Centre
Walsall Borough Strategic Partnership (SPIR)
Brownhills Local Committee
RHCS
ACSERG
Walsall Lifelong Learning Partnership
Walsall Multi Faith Forum
Walsall Council
Walsall Voluntary Action
Youth Opinions Unite
Walsall Deaf People’s Centre
Walsall Council
_______________________________________________________________________
Community Engagement Strategy
April 2006
29
Prepared by RHCS
This Community Engagement Strategy is for all the communities within the
Borough of Walsall. It will be available by request and in an audio tape format from
Walsall Borough Strategic Partnership, Challenge Building, Hatherton Road,
WALSALL WS1 1YB (01922 654708) and in our communities’ languages, including
Braille and available through Al-ta-i Linguistic Support Ltd (0121 313 3777). This
document is also available to view in an enlarged format on Walsall Borough
Strategic Partnership’s website www.walsall.gov.uk/wbsp
_______________________________________________________________________
Community Engagement Strategy
April 2006
30
Prepared by RHCS