1. Community Matters’ Local Authority Conference – Community Buildings: delivering more with less Linking Practice to current Policy Karen Cheney 21-6-2011

2. Introduction  My role at Birmingham CC– Community Empowerment and Community Asset Transfer Presentation to cover practical experience around  Birmingham Community Asset Transfer Development Programme – Particularly Valuing Worth Methodology  Co- production – “A Community Asset Approach to Co production of Neighbourhoods and Neighbourhood Services in Birmingham”  Birmingham Empowerment Programmes – investment in building local civil and civic capacity – Take Part, TSEPI etc  Social Media – website development and social reporting training

3. Context  New and difficult reality- public services are likely to contract substantially over next 3yrs - BCC budgets predicted to fall by almost a third  Increased focus on delivering sustainable outcomes for communities  Culture change – Communities one of dependency / subsidy. LA seeing itself as the professional expert and operating a deficit model rather than seeing people as assets in relation to service delivery – needs to change  So is it “more for less” “less for less” – I would say “different for less” Not best value but social value added – different ground rules and different models of delivery  Big Society / Our Society / Good Society influence  Localism Bill – Right to Buy and Right to Challenge  less resource but just as important a need to reconfigure service delivery to be more effective - requires investment in community empowerment, increased social action (mutual responsibility) and public service reform

4. Birmingham Community Asset Transfer Development Programme (Jan 2008- March 2010)  AWM Grant – Revenue and Capital  Regional Exemplar and demonstration project – from the beginning an Action Learning Programme for all  Community Assets Capital Work – Norton Hall and Witton Lodge Community Association plus support re legal fees, business planning and pre-contract fees ( make viable not liable)  Protocol Group – cross directorate and third sector partnership.  Valuing Worth – development of tools to measure the social value and impact

5. Contd…  Capacity building and support inc. VISIBLE  Communication and Learning – for all  Innovative use of creative engagement techniques eg structured dialogue, neutral facilitators and social media  Commissioning of Coproduction Report – “Looking Sideways – A community asset approach to coproduction of neighbourhoods and neighbourhood services in Birmingham”  Development Programme – the best combination of property and community development experience and practice  Protocol and New Way of working agreed at Cabinet in March 2011

6. Capital Programme – Sep 09 – March10  Successful AWM Funding to pilot 2 building refurbishment projects – Norton Hall Children and Family Centre and Perry Common Hall (WLCA)  £250K per building plus additional support costs for Business planning plus WLCA contributing own monies  Organisations piloted new Lease agreements and toolkits  Innovative work around Video Diaries and pod casts – Physical regeneration acting as catalyst for social regeneration and enterprising activity  Facilitated Joint Dialogue de- briefing session

7. Website, podcasts and flips…  www.communityassettransfer.com www.communityassettransfer.com  Website: progress of programme warts and all – mutual learning, trust and understanding – see what we do  Accountability – putting names to faces (both BCC and community) podcasts rather than just dry reports – give programme a bit of soul and celebrate sucesses  Honest dialogue – no editing/ accessible/ open and transparent - disintermediation  Repository for learning material from programme a

8. Website…

9. Valuing Worth Methodology  Development of toolkit to measure social value and impact of asset transfer  Developed with third sector partners on Protocol group and piloted with Norton Hall and Witton Lodge CA  Action Learning Set (7 LAs) - to test and adapt approach  Social Value Tool – values activities of the third sector organisation which currently are either not valued or undervalued – “splash”  Qualitative process

10. Contd…  Second part of toolkit is impact assessment based on completion of an “impact map” – the so what factor / “ripples”  Process requiring “grown up” dialogue and negotiation  Tools are by no means perfect BUT emphasise the need for change in mindset to take account of the contribution/ value of third sector organisations and their tangible worth in the delivery of desired outcomes in neighbourhoods  B’ham context for CAT but concept easily transferable and adaptable to measure the value of coproductive activity and to make decisions about investment in coproduction between local authority and communities.

11. Commissioned Coproduction Report – Chamberlain Forum  Co-efficiency  Importance of community hubs and networks and the management of services by place rather than by theme or function  The need for culture change in public services re organisational values and behaviours  Joint ventures – “Public Community Initiatives”  Existing good practice evident across many neighbourhoods already – needs acknowledgement and investment …..don’t re-invent the wheel

12. Personal reflections on journey so far and key Learning points  We did it ! - Come a long way very quickly but complex – acknowledge that need to be in it for the long haul and lots of patience for all partners  AWARENESS -CAT is not resource neutral for either side – time, capacity and finance  LEARNING is key for everyone – LA, other public agencies and not just TSOs and learning from our mistakes and change as well as the good practice and success!  HONESTY - CAT is not for everybody - not enough to be a good idea need sound business plan, governance and finance  RELATIONSHIPS first -Asset Transfer is so much more than the building/ asset but more to do with relationship building and strengthening communities. Physical regeneration/ refurbishment can be the catalyst for social regeneration, social enterprise and entrepreneurship  LINKAGES-Importance of joint approach linking property function and community development process – strategic context and embedding

13. Personal reflections and learning contd.  VALUING not just cost - investment and commitment  FLEXIBILITY – of all partners especially LA  Vision, Innovation and Risk – essential on both sides  Key has been the PARTNERSHIP WORKING, engagement and empowerment with Third Sector Partners and internally with colleagues  COMMUNICATION and use of language – honest robust dialogue and challenge to build mutual trusting mature relationships adult to adult rather than parent/ child – usefulness of neutral facilitators  Importance of Celebrating Success – reward and recognition of largely voluntary input from TSOs  Useful / Essential to have Champions – political and key officer(s) –stat and vol sector  Information and Learning should be open and accessible to as many people as possible – website development

14. Birmingham Empowerment Programmes  If new ways of working are to succeed then need to invest in community empowerment, ability to influence and support community action EGs  Take Part Programme – Voice, Echo and Structured Dialogue  Local Democracy Week/ Local Hearts – reward and recognition – www.birminghamlocaldemocracyweek.comwww.birminghamlocaldemocracyweek.com  Be Heard and Be Involved  Joint Learning, training and activity programme- enable joint understanding of the issues facing BCC and Communities, change the way the community and public sector talk together and break down barriers, skill acquisition for joint problem solving – developing underpinning strong relationships, trust and dialogue between BCC and its citizens to enable better sustainable rational joint service redesign and delivery of local services

15. Conclusions and what next …  Must link the policy to the practical  Not an either/ or choice but innovation and flexibility eg joint ventures, Public Community Initiatives  Real importance of culture change / relationship based rather than transactional – civic and civil entrepreneurship and the need for intermediaries  Focus on a holistic integrated neighbourhood approach – hub and network not just individual services and functions  Valuing Social Worth measures  Won’t happen by magic needs investment – resources and mind set for it to be a sustainable viable effective option

16. My little quiz…  Word(s) of the year 2010- Oxford University Press – BIG SOCIETY “a political concept whereby a significant amount of responsibility for the running of society’s services is devolved to local communities and volunteers”  My newly learnt word – DISINTERMEDIATION – “giving the user or the consumer direct access to information that otherwise would require a mediator, such as a salesperson, librarian or lawyer” – internet and www removing the need for the mediator or at the very least changing the relationship between the user and the product or service provider.

17. Any Questions?