Many voluntary organisations are active in the work of Community Learning Partnerships and are continuing this role in the new Community Learning and Development (CLD) partnerships.

The study investigates the level and nature of involvement by voluntary sector partners in CLD partnerships and associated planning processes. It identifies barriers and problems in engaging and retaining voluntary sector partners and highlights good practice.

It offers guidance to all parties concerned in how to engage voluntary sector partners more effectively in the future.

In 1999 the Scottish Executive issued a circular (4/99) requiring all local authorities to develop Community Learning Strategies. The emphasis was on informal learning and addressing community needs for young people and adults provided by statutory and voluntary sector partnerships.

Communities were then asked to develop Community Learning Plans, monitored by Community Learning Partnerships. This led to the elevation of Community Planning to a statutory duty on local authorities and the establishment of Communities Scotland.

In June 2002 new guidance was issued to Community Planning Partnerships to produce Community Learning and Development strategies by autumn 2004.

The study used a survey of local authority Lead Officers and member organisations of the national voluntary networks supported through the VSCLSP. Structured interviews group discussions with statutory and voluntary sector stakeholders were undertaken. Youthlink Scotland helped collate information and structure the focus group discussions.

Interviews where conducted in:

Three focus groups were led by VSCLSP partners, but the intended target number of participants was not achieved. Each group was asked to comment on a number of themes and issues arising from the survey.

The difficulties faced in securing the effective involvement of the voluntary sector in CLD Partnerships should be seen as a special case of a much problem – how best to make cross-sectoral partnerships work. Effective involvement is difficult to attain and even harder to maintain.

It is primarily for the individual sector to try to sort out how best to secure its involvement and influence within partnerships where it has an interest. Recommendations centre on awareness and understanding; involvement and representation and communications and relationships.

Learning Connections, Communities Scotland
scr@communitiesscotland.gsi.gov.uk

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/03/2005

Voluntary Sector Community Learning Support Partnership

research

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration > Community development

Capacity building, Support for local groups