No single agency in Salford could oversee investment in a consistent, co-ordinated and partnership-wide approach to community involvement. The local regeneration community, including the LSP, Partners IN Salford, did not have the resources to develop such an approach.

Case study on how a new agency, Good Practice IN Community Involvement, has been charged with developing staff who work with the community, and with raising the capacity for and commitment to improved community involvement in decision-making across the LSP. Among other things, the agency seeks to avoid consultation fatigue providing a single point of contact for community involvement work.

The delivery team developed new processes that were flexible enough to evolve to meet a number of changing agendas.

The project was the first of its kind nationally.

The project is reducing over-consultation and ‘engagement fatigue’. It delivers support and advice to improve knowledge and coordination across partner agencies, and provides a single point for community involvement issues and community involvement networks.

Training and facilitated learning for partnership staff is provided through face-to-face courses and e-learning packages. Two sets of gold standards, for community consultation and community involvement, provide a framework for conducting engagement activities.

New methods of targeted consulting, including versions for older people, have been piloted across a range of issues including health, disability, ethnicity and sexuality.

The community and partner agencies such as Salford City Council, Salford Primary Care Trust and Age Concern Salford.

A delivery team, which echoes the LSP, has grown from two to five people as the requirements of the service developed.

Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, as well as Single Regeneration Budget 5 and Neighbourhood Renewal Fund.

Partners IN Salford
Jon Stephenson (Project Manager)

/06/2003

case

Urban Policy

Social inclusion & integration