Community development as an intervention to improve the wellbeing and health of communities

Transcription

1 Community development as an intervention to improve the wellbeing and health of Wellbeing and Health VCS Open Forum September 2012 Report prepared by NCVS

2 1 Introduction The Wellbeing and Health Open Forum is supported by Newcastle CVS and provides a way for voluntary and community organisations in Newcastle to stay informed about health and social care issues in the city. The Open Forum gives the sector the opportunity to have influence on public sector policy making and commissioning, through voluntary and community sector representatives and more directly through single events, workshops and focus groups. At its meeting in July 2011 the main item for the Open Forum was asset based community development as a way of improving the wellbeing and health of. Helen Wilding, coordinator for the Wellbeing and Health Partnership gave a presentation setting out the WB&H Partnership s approach to the subject. The WB&H Partnership s approach to the subject was much influenced by Michael Marmot s report Fair Society, Healthy Lives. Commissioned by the last Labour government and published shortly before the formation of the Coalition, Marmot s report argues that reducing inequalities of health is matter of looking beyond clinical interventions and addressing wider social determinants such as housing, employment and access to services. Marmot calls for interventions to take place across social classes but for more resources to be available to work those most disadvantaged. He calls this proportional universalism and it is the framework upon which all of his recommendations lie. Marmot emphasised that central to any action to reduce health inequalities is greater empowerment of individuals and, giving them greater say and control over their lives. The influence of Marmot along with the World Health Organisations Healthy Cities Urban Health programme has carried over to the new Wellbeing for Life Board. Established as a requirement of the Health and Social Care Act, the Board has prioritised three areas of action (again originally developed under by the WB&H Partnership), which includes building the capacity of individuals and. All of this provided the background to a facilitated workshop session which followed Helen s presentation. As an action from the workshop it was agreed to set up a working group to look in more depth at the voluntary and community sectors approach to community development and how voluntary and community sector (VCS) practice sat with the ideas influencing the WB&H Partnership. Working group members are listed in appendix 1. The remit for the working group was to articulate a voluntary and community sector position on community development and to consider the principles on which a common understanding of community development could be based. It was felt this was particularly important in light of the WB&H Partnership s interest in Community Signature, a diagnostic tool for community engagement developed by Business Lab, a commercial enterprise. Page 2 of 12

3 The working group first agreed a set of tasks including a desktop review, an online survey and a series of group exercises with people who had experience of community development either as a worker, volunteer or service user. The working group s conclusions also draw upon the Open Forum workshop session in July This report sets out the working group s position and summarises our recommendations for maintaining an effective approach to community development and its delivery. 2 Community development as an asset based intervention We welcome the recognition that community development is an important tool for working with that allows control to pass from agencies to individuals and community groups The primary aim of any community development activity in the city should be to pass control and influence from leading organisations to Community development is a long term process and the outcomes for the individual may not become apparent during the relatively short time of a funded project We think that community development provides a means of informal education and it provides a route into formal education, training and employment that is particularly valuable for those who start out with few or no formal qualifications We think that community development is under resourced. From the work we have done and the conversations we have had we believe community development is central to the practice of many voluntary and community organisations and informs the relationship they develop with the. It appears to us however that there is a lack of formal training within the sector and that the community development offer could yield even better outcomes if funding was available for specifically community development led projects From our survey there appears to be no consistent application of community development National Occupational Standards (NOS). We propose that funders and commissioners should more actively promote the NOS five key values; equality and anti-discrimination, social justice, collective action, community empowerment, and working and learning together. In the context of Marmot and its influence on the Wellbeing for Life Board the inclusion of community empowerment in the key values is particularly pertinent The introduction by the Localism Act 2012 of community rights and neighbourhood planning offers the potential to exercise more control and influence over their local environment and the delivery of public services. We think that community development, based on the NOS key values can help to ensure a community rights and neighbourhood planning is undertaken in an open, fair and Page 3 of 12

4 inclusive manner. We would encourage community development principles to be at the heart of any community rights activity 3 Wellbeing and Health Open Forum workshop July 2011 In July 2011 the Wellbeing and Health Open Forum considered the question how can we use the power of the community development process to tackle health inequality and to make our work accessible to minority and of interest and identity The WHOF received a presentation from Helen Wilding, Wellbeing and Health Partnership co-ordinator about the influences on the Partnership s approach to asset based community development. A workshop session followed asking the Open Forum to consider a number of more specific questions under four broad themes How do we use our resources? What is it we actually do? What do we (and others) need to do differently? What are the assumptions we make about our practice that we need to challenge? During the workshop it was acknowledged that VCS organisations can be seen to be as remote in delivering its services as any public or private sector provider. Sometimes there is no difference between the statutory sector, council and VCS groups, each likely to impose their own views It was acknowledged that voluntary sector organisations and public sector bodies can operate in parallel to each other and there needs to be more effective dialogue between the two sectors. There was however a view that the voluntary and community sector offer a convenient fall back for statutory bodies that means public sector provision doesn t have to change even if what is provided is unsuccessful. It was suggested that the needs of particular are not always well served by geographical approaches to engagement. Certain issues such as domestic violence can be missed or hidden. There was a view too that may feel marginalised even following a community development intervention. There was support for the idea of services being available proportionate to the needs of particular (Marmot s proportionate universalism). However it was suggest that different levels of influence exist in the city and that more affluent can wield greater influence over decision makers than poorer residents. To level out this disparity the conclusion drawn was the need for more resources being available for poorer areas and marginalised. Our position is that community development has a powerful contribution to make in reducing this gap and increasing the capacity within poorer and marginalised. However funding for specifically community development led projects Page 4 of 12

5 appears sparse, with community development apparently viewed by funders as a useful free add-on. One reason for this maybe an implicit understanding amongst funders and commissioners that community development is a long term process. This is something we seek to demonstrate later in this report in the life journey maps, an exercise designed to track a person s life journey through the organisations, individuals and values that have had a significant influence at different stages. The full benefits of community development interventions are often not fully realised until some time after the specific event. The increasing interest amongst funders and commissioners in measuring the success of projects by outcomes as opposed to outputs recognises that benefits may not be realised during the time limits of a funded project. Funders and commissioners will however expect to see a benefit or change as a result of their funding. There is a concern that the need for VCS organisations to provide outputs or outcomes to demonstrate the effectiveness of a project within the time it is funded might in practice act against a more fully effective community development intervention. We think funders still have some way to go in their understanding of the longer term gains achieved through community development practice. It was acknowledged though by the Open Forum workshop that voluntary and community groups could do more to provide evidence of the work they do and the impact of it on and service users. It was also recognised that feature of voluntary and community organisations was their closeness to and service users and their ability to provide qualitative evidence of the impact organisations have. Doubt was expressed however about the value placed on such evidence by public sector bodies. Given this perception what Newcastle should be aiming to achieve is a progressive learning culture, informing what voluntary and community sector and public sector agencies provide and moving away from tick box cultures. Adopting an ongoing and evolving approach to community development and empowerment is a step on the journey to achieving such a culture. 4 The life journey maps The working group took the feedback from the Open Forum workshop and used it as the basis for its further examination into the reputation and practice of community development in the city. The Group conducted a small number of participatory exercises asking individuals about their experience of community development and the impact it has had on them. All the people who took part are still involved in the voluntary and community sector either as worker, volunteer or user of services. The exercise charts the person s life journey and highlights the significant influences or connections that have enabled the individual to develop new connections, join new networks and progress socially or economically beyond their original position; in other words, to get on. Page 5 of 12

6 From the exercises, it is clear, though hardly surprising, that personal circumstances are the most significant motivating factor for people getting involved and participating in their local community. In the particular exercises the working group conducted, the issue of childcare and the provision of activities for children and young people featured strongly. The condition of the local environment and availability of amenities also provided a stimulus for action. The starting point for our participants therefore tended to be to find a group able to provide a service that was absent locally or to meet a need that could not be met through the persons existing relationships. At this early stage most participants reported having low confidence or self-esteem. Becoming involved in local voluntary groups provided an entry into an environment able to provide support and encouragement not available from family or friends. Joining in offered participants access to new networks beyond their existing set of relationships. Added to this was the opportunity to make connections with volunteers and workers with wider experience and knowledge and who were willing to pass that knowledge onto newcomers. The evidence of the life map exercise suggests there is commonly a period of about two or three years during which the confidence and ability of the individual increases. This period tends to see them take on more challenging roles within the original group and also beginning take an active role in other groups and initiatives. As their confidence grows so does the level of responsibility taken on and we begin to see involvement in groups or panels charged with making decisions on funding or other resources. Whilst this is a period when participants reported a growing sense of empowerment they may find themselves actually feeling more acutely powerless within certain groups. In one example the participant highlighted her simultaneous membership of two panels both of which had funding to allocate. One panel had responsibility for funding projects over a large geographical area made up of several council wards. As a member of this group she reported feeling little power or influence over the decisions it made. By contrast the remit of the second panel of which she was a member covered a smaller geographical area and one that she was familiar with. In this instance her local knowledge was specifically valued by the other panel members, her experience much more positive and her feeling of empowerment greater. This reported lack of power and influence within groups, (particularly if they originate through a public sector driven initiative) echoes the findings in Routes and Barriers to Citizen Governance a 2008 report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. JRF found the culture of participation was often ill aligned with public bodies ambitions for local governance with participants expressing frustration and dissatisfaction with the operation of local governance structures. The obvious conclusion to be drawn is that pubic bodies need to abandon the assumption that their priorities and modes of operation should be privileged over those of local residents or workers. During this period of increasing self-assurance support from individuals and access to local resources appears to be crucial. Particularly if, as in the example offered above, an individual may come to feel their involvement in a project or group is intended to fulfil an expectation of engagement and empowerment rather than properly draw upon the local Page 6 of 12

7 knowledge and skills she or he is able to offer. In such circumstances being able to fall back upon established and trusted support is crucial. The next significant stage life map exercises show is the participant moving on to involvement with other groups and beginning to operate in new associations potentially with a wider geographical or thematic remit. However what we also see is those key individuals who were present at the beginning of the journey providing support and guidance, popping up again and again. This pattern suggests to us that a degree of stability is extremely important not only within the voluntary and community sector but also the public sector. We believe the severity of public sector cuts can only have a detrimental impact on the durability of the local organisations and networks and that this will have a direct impact in individuals working within them. A further important development happens after two or three years when the individuals who started out with few or no qualifications are now confident enough to return to formal education. We find them beginning to study for NVQs or other level two qualifications and often around this time they are moving to paid work often within the voluntary sector. This move to formal education and employment appears to us to be the most significant stage. Community development practice and more generally the support available through community groups and their activities has enabled the individual to progress from what might be seen as initially modest ambitions to achieving greater control over the decisions they make and the opportunities available to them. They have begun to realise Marmot s ambition of greater individual control and its attendant health benefits. 5 The online survey In the previous section we credited community development with much of the success of the individual s journey from service user to volunteer and ultimately to worker. Our online survey however showed the absence of a shared standard and application of community development practice. It appears there is no widely agreed definition or understanding about what community development is and whereas some VCS organisations are fully aware of the NOS and the five key values, others may only follow a community development ethos, informed to a greater or lesser extent by the NOS. Crucially what is likely to be missing in the latter case is the reflective practice that underpins the NOS and what the worker actually does. Additionally our results suggest any formal undertaking of community development techniques or training is confined to paid workers rather than volunteers. This is a concern because the details of the life maps reveal how important the role of volunteers is to the progress of the individual. In terms of how community development is used in practice our survey suggests it is used as a way to enable individuals and to work towards solving their problems and influencing the local scene. Page 7 of 12

8 Our organization listens to the needs of individual and supports local people to establish groups that satisfy that need We support people to collectivise their issues and change things in their local area However the lack of a common application of agreed community development standards, (the NOS or a local equivalent) may act to weaken the benefits community development could be delivering across the city. To return to an earlier theme this might in part be due to the lack of funding available for specific community development work. In our survey only one respondent reported having one full time equivalent post funded (from the Newcastle Fund) for community development work. Without funding specifically available for community development (as opposed to funding for projects that may include an element of community development) it seems unlikely that a minimum level of community development practice will be met that can be guaranteed to achieve (at least some of) the ambitions of Marmot or the NOS. A broad spectrum of community development practice maybe acceptable (indeed in the current financial circumstances may be all that can be expected) however a systematic application of the NOS through specifically targeted community development funding would raise standards across the city and contribute to the Marmot influenced aspirations of the Wellbeing for Life Board. Page 8 of 12

9 Appendix 1 Community Development Working group members Anne Bonner Alisdair Cameron Pummi Mattu Ann McNulty Fiona Swindell Lucy Thomson Sally Young Pam Jobbins Martin Gollan Riverside Community Health Project Launchpad NIWE HAREF East End Community Development Alliance Newcastle Healthy City Newcastle CVS Newcastle CVS Newcastle CVS Appendix 2 1 Which of the following statements best describes your organisation? Community development practice is essential to the work we do with Community development practice is one of a number of methods we use when working with Community development practice is something we occasionally use when working with We do not use community development practice in the work we do 2 Which of the following statements best describes your workforce? Our frontline workers are trained community development workers Our frontline workers have limited formal training but are all experienced using community development methods and techniques Our frontline workers have a various levels of experience in community development but all are expected to be familiar with community development national occupational standards Our frontline workers use a community development ethos but do not follow any particular method or part of the national occupational standards We are all frontline workers and we all use community development methods and techniques Page 9 of 12

10 None of the above 3 Does your organisation have a definition or common understanding of community development that provides a framework for the work it does with? Yes No 4 If you use volunteers, which of the following statements best describes your volunteers? Our volunteers have received training in community development techniques Our volunteers have limited formal training but are all experienced using community development methods and techniques Our volunteers have a various levels of experience in community development but all are expected to be familiar with community development national occupational standards Our frontline workers use a community development ethos but do not follow any particular method or part of the national occupational standards We are all volunteers and we all use community development methods and techniques None of the above 5 Can you give an example (or examples) of the way in which community development practice enables your organisation to work better with? 6 Do you use community development as a way to support to tackle issues they have identified? Yes No 7 Can you give an example from your own experience which illustrates changes achieved for a community using community development practice? 8 The annual income of my organisation is Page 10 of 12

11 0 to 50,000 51,000 to 500, ,000 plus 9 Does your organisation have a recognised quality standard? For more information about QS see tinyurl.com/6szeygv PQASSO Investors in People EFQM Excellence Model ISO 9000 Social Auditing Quality Mark Charter Mark Quality First Investing in Volunteers Other 10 Do you use the community development national occupational standards? Yes (can you tell us how you use them?) No (can you tell us why not?) 11 Do you currently have funding to deliver a specifically community development led project Yes No 12 Have you previously received funding to deliver a specifically community development led project? Yes Page 11 of 12

12 No 13 Which of the following statements would you most agree with? Community development is a well understood and respected practice Community development is respected but little understood Community development is something anybody thinks they can do Community development is no more than a name applied to any sort of work carried out in a community setting Page 12 of 12