CHCCD412A Cluster 1

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Community Development Exchange defines community development as:  “both an occupation (such as a community development worker) and a way of working with communities. Its key purpose is to build communities based on justice, equality and mutual respect. Community development involves changing the relationships between ordinary people and people in positions of power, so that everyone can take part in the issues that affect their lives. It starts from the principle that within any community there is a wealth of knowledge and experience which, if used in creative ways, can be channelled into collective action to achieve the communities' desired goals.  Community development practitioners work alongside people in communities to help build relationships with key people and organisations and to identify common concerns. They create opportunities for the community to learn new skills and, by enabling people to act together, community development practitioners help to foster social inclusion and equality. [2] [2]

Community development is distinct from other ways of working with communities because it is underpinned by a specific set of values.  Equality and Anti-discrimination Community development practice challenges structural inequalities and discriminatory practices. Community development recognises that people are not the same, but they are all of equal worth and importance and therefore entitled to the same degree of respect and acknowledgement.  Social Justice The aim of increasing social justice is an essential element of community development practice. It involves identifying and seeking to alleviate structural disadvantage and advocating strategies for overcoming exclusion, discrimination and inequality.  Collective Action Community development practice is essentially about working with and supporting groups of people, to increase their knowledge, skills and confidence so they can analyse their situations and identify issues which can be addressed through collective action.  Community Empowerment Community development practice seeks the empowerment of individuals and communities, through using the strengths of the community to bring about desired changes.  Working and Learning Together Community development practice promotes a collective process which enables participants to learn from reflecting on their experiences.

Brainstorm, as a group, a time when you saw or heard of each value in action in the community.

 Meeting community needs  New or improved service delivery  Community projects  Community planning consultative and planning committees  Inter-community collaboration  Enhanced social capital  Enhanced community skills  Enhanced community capacity  Community facilities  Policy changes  Other outcomes identified by the community  Building capacity to address problems in the community and to strengthen community structures  Increased community confidence in public activities  Increased capacity of groups and individuals to engage with political and community structures

 Community development processes are open- ended and can lead to many different outcomes: individuals developing self-esteem and confidence people participating in social activities to overcome social isolation increased participation in political and citizenship activities practical outcomes such as a changed bus route or a new pedestrian crossing government funding for new or additional services.

Realising the potential of communities calls for good organisational skills, along with the ability to manage both people and budgets. Skills in fundraising and marketing are especially useful in consolidating, sustaining and mainstreaming projects or interventions. Both community and professional members will bring different skills and experiences, together with their different commitments outside the group process.

 1. Build a profile  2. Get to know the community  3. Recognise, realise and respond to the potential  4. Prioritise needs and agree on solutions.

Demographic and social mix of the people – age, class, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, housing available in area, access to work, training and income, accessibility to public services, etc. in the area of shops, entertainment, sport, culture, voluntary organisations and services, local associations, political parties, family and community networks. This info is collected in order to assess access points to the community and information about it.

In assessing the needs of a particular community, the following questions need to be asked:  How healthy is the community?  What does it need to be healthier?  What does it need to stay healthy?  What are the best ways to accomplish these goals?

 1. Be aware of culture and political sensitivities of area  2. Network development ‘Networking’ is a term frequently heard in community work. Basically, it is about making contacts, building trust, developing alliances, tapping into local knowledge and listening and learning from as wide a range of people within the community as possible. Making both formal and informal contacts will allow the community worker the opportunity to talk and, more importantly, to listen to people who live and work in the community about what they think constitutes a ‘healthy’ person and community; what the particular health needs of their area are; whether they think that these are being met and, if not, what they think might be the solution to them; and whether they might want to be involved with future developments.

 Acting as an advocate to raise issues on behalf of the community  Assisting the community to develop the skills to speak for themselves (empowerment)  Seeking ways for the community to become active to build up knowledge and skills  Identified needs are expanded on and solutions developed

Effective practices fall under the following main headings:  identify local circumstances that may present barriers to effective community involvement (e.g. lack of transport infrastructure) and act on these  acknowledge the diversity of local communities and develop both targeted and universal strategies to reach all members of the local community, including traditionally ‘hard-to-reach’ groups such as women, young people, people with a disability and members of minority ethnic groups  budget and plan for community development, training and capacity building from the start, ideally involving the local residents in the planning process  provide a variety of opportunities for training and support for local people and professionals  use regular evaluation as a tool to identify barriers to community involvement and actions to address these  establish effective ways of partnership working between statutory and non-statutory agencies and the local community.

Once the community worker has brought the group together, their first task will be to define its purpose, clarify and prioritise its goals, set realistic targets for action, and agree the mechanisms for monitoring and reviewing the outcomes.  1. Assess group’s skills and training needs  2. develop a framework for action including timescale, timetable for meeting agreed objectives, roles and responsibilities.  3. establish effective team building and partnership development

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