1. The challenges and opportunities of working in rural areas Dr Sarah Skerratt, Head, Land Economy, Environment and Society Research Group Director, Rural Policy Centre Scotland’s Rural College Sarah.skerratt@sruc.ac.uk

2. 22 Outline of my presentation 1.Introduction 2.Why interested in rural issues 3.Overview of rural issues 4.Potential early lessons on the evaluation of CEDAR in rural areas: a.Findings from rural CEDAR Workshop, Oct 2013 b.Intersections between rural issues and supporting survivors 5.So…?

3. 33 Introduction

4. 4 4 Brief personal introduction Head of Research Group (Land Economy, Environment & Society) at SRUC. Director of our Rural Policy Centre Leader of Rural Society Research at SRUC 25+ years working in rural development, as a researcher and consultant Main research fields: –evaluating processes of sustainable rural community development and adaptation, and rural leadership; –rural, national and international policy.

5. 55 Why interested in rural issues?

6. 66 (1) An empowered and resilient citizenship [SG] (1) An empowered and resilient citizenship [SG]

7. Resilient communities: “We have strong resilient and supportive communities where people take responsibility for their own actions and how they affect others” (Outcome 11) 7

8. SG & COSLA: Community Empowerment “Community empowerment is a process where people work together to make change happen in their communities by having more power and influence over what matters to them” 8 2009

9. Community Empowerment & Renewal Bill

10. 10

11. 11 EU & National Programmes 11

12. 12 EU & National Programmes 12

13. 13 (2) UK and international shifts

14. 14 Civil Society Revivalists… Civil society as the means to address all development challenges Government -> governance “Governing through community” (MacKinnon, 2002) Role of civil society: –Voluntary associations are “the ‘gene carriers’ of the good society” (Edwards, 2009) 14

15. 15 7 community capitals & ABCD: 15 (Kretzmann & McKnight, 1993) (Hegney et al, 2008) (Flora et al)

16. 16 Resilient communities… 16 Intuitively, we know…

17. 17 Empowered people… 17

18. 18 Less resilient communities… 18

19. 19 Overview of rural issues: more ‘systematic’ Overview of rural issues: more ‘systematic’

20. Spiraling up or down… Emery and Flora (2006)

21. 21 Research framework: ‘Resilience’ 21 Magis, 2010 “Community resilience is the existence, development and engagement of community resources by community members to thrive in an environment characterised by change, uncertainty, unpredictability, and surprise. Members of communities intentionally develop personal and collective capacity to respond to and influence change, to sustain and renew the community, and to develop new trajectories for the communities’ future”

22. 22 RESAS-commissioned Programme 2011-12 2012-14 2014-15 2015-16

23. 23 Phase 1: Community Land Trusts Where communities buy the land and assets they live on, from a private or Government owner

24. 24 Some findings: Local people with local knowledge taking local decisions on local matters… Local land ownership leads directly to: –Private enterprise & investment due to security of tenure (=> re-investment) –Affordable housing for rent or purchase –Renewable energy –Infrastructure development –Increasing population and school numbers Localism AND multi-scale See Skerratt (2011), Skerratt (2013)

25. 25 Phase 2: Family estates and resilience

26. 26 Phase 2: private estates and resilience Aim: to explore the links between the management and decision-making of family estates, and wider rural community resilience. Important: Time horizons, networks, connections, motivations. Family estates can support community resilience.

29. 29 What does all this tell us? 1.Rural communities have capacity PLUS they link outside their communities to draw down additional knowledge, experience, links. 2.Not all communities are the same, i.e. some are stronger, some are weaker – and so projects have to recognise communities’ different starting points: a.Important for co-production of services too. 3.Communities and areas have their own ‘power relations’; not everything is ‘cosy’ and ‘rosy’. 4.Multiple sectors (private, public, third) have roles. 5.Investment, not only spend, is important.

30. 30 Rural Scotland in Focus: 20 14

31. 31 RSiF “persistent” themes: 1.Population change: a.Ageing rural (negative AND positive implications); b.Youth outmigration (education, jobs, housing). 2.Affordable housing is key: a.Critical situation in some areas – remote and accessible. 3.Accessible rural: accessible to what? a.Vulnerability Index of 90 rural towns 4.Service centralisation: a.Accessibility; remoteness (social & economic); b.Broadband. 5.Poverty and disadvantage: interconnected factors

32. 32 Potential early lessons from CEDAR in rural areas Potential early lessons from CEDAR in rural areas

34. 34 Rural CEDAR workshop, Oct 2013 Transport: –Affects where can provide the support; –Travel costs for staff; –Time spent in taxis by children/mums and/or escorts. Low population numbers: –May have to mix age range and gender. –Siblings in same group: affects time taken to accept referrals. Public life in rural communities: –Particularly where children from same school; –Confidentiality/anonymity; (impacts of local or centralised; use of buses). Centralisation of services: –Lack of Crèche/childcare provision, especially in evenings; –Remoteness: economic remoteness as well as distance.

35. 35 Rural CEDAR workshop, Oct 2013 What needs to change and why: –Maintain/increase flexibility to recognise rural aspects: Keep integrity of CEDAR; differentiate between ideal & reality –Possible cross-border (cross-LA) areas to help e.g. with anonymity or with distances –Identify minimum resources required to deliver CEDAR successfully within rural area –Important to have a ‘champion’ within LA (Heads of Education, Social Work etc.) –Look at possible other models, e.g. residential. Generate evidence of “what works”.

36. 36 Intersections between rural issues and supporting survivors Woman of colour Woman who misuses substances Woman with mental health issues LGBT Woman Woman with disability Woman living in a rural area Single parent woman Woman experiencing domestic abuse Unemployed woman Woman with caring responsibilities

37. Possible intersections: Increased isolation for women living in more remote rural areas; More limited access to alternative housing, increasing risk of homelessness for women who leave their abusers; Increased visibility in rural areas: more difficult for women and their children to leave safely. Rurality may compound other issues for women experiencing domestic abuse: –E.g. for a woman who has a disability, it may be more difficult to gain access to accessible refuge space or suitable alternative housing in rural areas.

38. 38 So, where next? Recognising domestic abuse within the “rural landscape”. Clarifying the very specific ways in which “rural” intersects with effective provision of services for women and children experiencing domestic abuse. Identifying how these are being addressed, e.g. through CEDAR: –Flexibility; some centralisation; transport solutions. Communicating evidence to those with influence. Locating arguments within wider rural policy/practice.

39. The challenges and opportunities of working in rural areas Dr Sarah Skerratt, Head, Land Economy, Environment and Society Research Group Director, Rural Policy Centre Scotland’s Rural College Sarah.skerratt@sruc.ac.uk