Ten for 10: Community Engagement – Past and Future
/As we mark 10 years of SCDC as an independent organisation, Paul Nelis explores how community engagement practice has changed in Scotland over the last decade.
How can we talk about community engagement in Scotland without referring to the National Standards for Community Engagement (NSfCE)? We can’t! And it’s helpful to remind ourselves where they came from, how they are used now and identify some of the challenges for the future.
Then…
The NSfCE were introduced to tackle the issues which had undermined engagement practice for decades. Communities told us then that community engagement practice was:
A tick box exercise – with decisions taken before the engagement took place.
Characterised by poor communication and planning and little clarity on how communities could influence decisions;
poorly communicated regarding what decisions had been taken; and,
using methods which often favoured the loudest voices with no real effort to reach less heard voices e.g. young mothers or BME communities.
The NSfCE makes clear that good community engagement is a way to help people and community groups to work together with public and private organisations on the priorities that are important to their community, and that working together can make the community itself stronger and helps to develop better service that meet people’s needs.
Launched in 2005 with the endorsement of agencies and communities across Scotland, they were refreshed in 2016 to reflect developments like social media in engagement, community groups engaging with their own communities and a focus on the impact of engagement.
Now…
I would argue that the NSfCE are contributing to better quality community engagement practice in Scotland. But don’t take my word for it! SCDC’s 2017 survey of community engagement practitioners found that 68% of respondents said that community engagement practice had improved in Scotland over the last 5-10 years. Some comments:
“…over the last 5 years the Scottish Government has placed a greater emphasis on engaging local people in the decision-making process and as a result more professionals are using the Standards for community engagement to ensure effective outcomes.” (Community Capacity Building Worker – Fife Council)
“There is now more engagement with the public than ever, and in a meaningful way.” (Development Worker – Community Development Trust)
Of course, the Standards alone have not improved engagement practice in Scotland, we are seeing increased legislation which brings to the foreground the importance of good community engagement in many areas of public policy and services. The most prominent of these is the Community Empowerment Act (2015) but also includes new legislation regarding Children and Young People’s Services, Health and Social Care, Community Justice Services and physical and land use planning.
Going forward
The NSfCE have already made a significant impact but have even more potential to have a positive impact. If we choose to build on our success, we need to:
Promote them to a new generation of community workers and service managers in the statutory, community and voluntary sectors so they can put them into everyday practice.
Share the best methods so that new and existing community workers will have the knowledge, confidence and skills to engage and build stronger communities.
Most importantly, the Standards continue to support legislation and policy which promotes equality and ensures that those overlooked in the past are regarded in the future.
The 7 Standards:
Inclusion
Support
Planning
Working together
Methods
Communication
Impact
Learn more about the Standards (new tab)