Bryan Poole

Manager CVS Fife

Cover

• What is it• Why Community Planning• How do we do it in Fife• Voluntary Sector as Partner?• Strategic Community Planning V Local

Community Planning; Community Engagement

• What If I Was Starting with a Blank Sheet?

Community PlanningWhat is it?

• What does it infer?• Community Involvement?• Local people getting involved in the

decision making processes as it affects them?

• What is it in actuality?– Primarily about Public Sector Service

Providers working together

Why Community Planning

• Poor relationships between Public Sector providers

• Better use of resources

• Financial

• Joined up services makes sense

• Sum of the parts greater than the individual

• Primarily around Service Delivery

How do we do it in Fife?

• Strategic – Fife Partnership– Fife Council– NHS Fife– Communities Scotland– Fife Constabulary– Scottish Enterprise Fife– Fife’s Higher and Further Education

Establishments– Fife’s Voluntary Sector (CVS Fife)

• Community Planning Implementation Group

How do we do it in Fife? (cont)

• Strategic Partnerships– Community Safety– Environmental Partnership– Lifelong Learning Partnership– Economic Partnership– Health Alliance– Sustainable Communities

• Local projects/initiatives (Local Community Planning?)– E.g. Targeting needs of young children/families

• Involves; Education/Social Work/Health/Scottish Enterprise Fife/F.E College/Voluntary Sector

– Regeneration

• Victim Support• SACRO• Apex Fife• Fife Women’s Network• Women’s Aid• Fife Alcohol Support Service• Drug & Alcohol Project Levenmouth • Kingdom Abuse Survivor’s Project

• Workers Educational Association• West Fife Enterprise• BRAG Enterprises• Fife Employment Access Trust• Fife Women’s Technology Centre• Shaw Trust• Volunteer Centre Fife • Fife Society for the Blind

• Crossroads Dunfermline• Forth & Tay Disabled • Ramblers• Open Door Fife• Citizens Advice & Rights • Fife• Fife Elderly Forum• Victoria Family Centre• Cancer Network Fife• The Richmond • Fellowship

• Sustainable Communities • Initiative• WECAN• Recycle Fife• Burntisland 20/20 Development • Trust• Craigencalt Ecology Centre

• Core Club• FEAT • Enterprises• Furniture Plus• Lomonds • Trust•Scottish Childminding Association

Voluntary Sector As A Partner

Voluntary Sector as Partner?

• In or Out?

• Equal or Unequal?

• Full or Partial?

• Lead or Led?

• Because of our contribution or to tick the box?

Strategic vs LocalCommunity Planning

• StrategicBetter Planning of Services

Better coordination of services

Notion of partnership/working together promoted

Probable Improvement in some areas of activity

Children’s services

Health Improvement

Better use of resources

Strategic vs LocalCommunity Planning

• Local and Community Engagement?– Voluntary Sector has engagement via

• Representation within strategic partnerships and structures

• Some evidence that Voluntary Sector as a contributor to the Community Plan is acknowledged

• Significant success in accessing ‘project funding’• More limited progress in ‘influencing policy’

Local Community Planning

• Local and Community Engagement– Limited success– Difficult to evidence– Asking Local People?– Indirect engagement

• E.g. Via– Officials– Councillors– Official Structures– Youth Forums?– Area committees?

What If I was starting with a Blank Sheet?

• Agree what is meant by Community Planning• Community Involvement or just better working practices

amongst Public Sector service providers

• Start at the Level of Community• What do local people think?• What are the needs within local communities?• Starting point – What’s wrong/what could be better just now

• Beware of Complicated Structures• Structure to achieve something• Never think you’ve achieved anything by creating a

structure!!

What If I was starting with a Blank sheet?

• Has to be more than SERVICE DELIVERY• It should be about strengthening and building

communities• It should about Developing Communities• It should be about Community Participation

• Agree a current baseline for future measurement comparison

• How will you know if anything’s having an impact?

• Ask Partners/get Clarity why they want Voluntary/Community sector as Partner?

What if I was starting with a Blank Sheet?

• Joint training and learning

• Funding• Provide funding to enable the voluntary and

community sector to participate and engage on an equal footing