The University of Glasgow and the CLD Standards Council Scotland recognise that this is a particularly stressful time for students and staff.
The University is doing everything it can to mitigate against the impact of this period of industrial action and has written to all affected students with the latest information, advice and support.
The University has committed that no student will be prevented from graduating or onwards progression if they are eligible to do so. Graduating students who have not received grades can attend graduation ceremonies and will receive a parchment, pending final confirmation of their degree classification. Continuing students can also enrol in the next stage of their degree programmes.
The CLD Standards Council confirmed that the University of Glasgow currently holds professional approval for the BA/BA(HONS) in Community Development, as a suitable course of study for employment within the distinct profession of Community Learning and Development. They continue to ensure that all professional standards are upheld and are working directly with the University on this basis. As a professional standards body the CLD Standards Council have no involvement in the industrial dispute.
Students and employers should raise any associated queries directly with the University.
The CLD Standards Council are delighted to announce that the Modern Apprenticeship (MA) in Youth Work has now been approved and is ready for use. The MA in CLD: Youth Work provides a practical work based route for learners to gain employment experience and an SCQF level 6 or 7 qualification. It is just one of a range of qualifications in the suite of Community Learning and Development programmes.
Dr Marion Allison, Director of the CLD Standards Council said,
“We were delighted to extend our reach to deliver the review of this learning programme. The Modern Apprenticeship in CLD: Youth Work provides trainees and employers with a tried and tested qualification that ensures young people and communities have access to well-trained CLD: Youth Workers. The ambition for all of Scotland’s young people, learners and communities to be served by highly trained CLD practitioners is central to the CLD Standards Council’s mission”.
Youth Work Modern Apprenticeships Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Question: Why has there been an “uprating of SCQF level from 5/6 to 6/7 in the MA”?
Answer: The MA level has been uprated as the SVQ was uprated from SCQF Level 5/6 to SCQF Level 6/7.
Question: Why are Core Skills now at SCQF Level 5/6 rather than the previous SCQF Level 4/5?
Answer: Workplace Core Skills must be applied at a minimum required level according to the level of the Modern Apprenticeship. Different levels may be acceptable, higher or lower, but developers would need to provide evidence to justify this. In the Steering groups opinion there was no compelling justification that would meet this criteria.
The following information aligns MA levels with minimum Core Skills levels; this should be used as a guide when considering a Framework submission.
MA Level – Minimum Core Skill level
SCQF level 5 – SCQF level 4
SCQF level 6 – SCQF level 5
SCQF level 7 – SCQF level 6
Question: Why are some Core Skills embedded and others are not?
Answer:
The core skills of “Communication, Working with Others & Problem Solving” have been judged to be embedded through the performance criteria for the mandatory modules.
ICT & Numeracy is not embedded in the CLD Youth Work MA mandatory modules. There is evidence for ICT in the optional unit CLD YW 08 but this can not be used for evidence.
Where the developer believes that the Workplace Core Skills do not require separate certification then a detailed mapping exercise must be carried out and included within the framework submission. Each element (or performance criteria) for each of the SVQ mandatory units must be mapped against each Core Skill task. SQA Accreditation guidance on signposting and mapping work-based core skills highlights the following distinction:
“The main difference between signposting and mapping Workplace Core Skills is depth. Signposting is indicative, and normally involves reviewing the SVQ competences against the Workplace Core Skills titles. Mapping involves a more in-depth review in which the job role is compared to individual Outcomes or Performance Criteria (PC) of SVQ and Workplace Core Skills Units.”
For clarity, even where core skills can be shown to be embedded, employers in the sector still have the option of requesting that separate certification is mandatory in the Framework.
Question: Why is there a mandatory enhancement requirement to the MA CLD Youth Work?
Answer: This maintains the position of the previous Youth Work Modern Apprenticeship and parity of esteem with the Community Development Modern Apprenticeship. The number and scope of the mandatory enhancements have been increased to allow as wide a choice as possible for the learners and providers, whilst meeting the feedback provided by the Apprentice Approvals Group that there should be “clear and concise differentiation” between the Youth Work Modern Apprenticeship frameworks at level 6 and at level 7. For this reason some mandatory enhancements only appear at the relevant level and not in both frameworks.
As you may have seen from previous bulletins, we have been undertaking a review of the Communications Strategy for CLD Standards Council Scotland. Our next exciting instalment is that we will be taking a break from the weekly bulletin so that we can remodel, plan content and return rejuvenated in late Spring!
BUT FRET NOT! 😀
In the meantime, we will keep in touch with any important news and events, and also through our social media channels, so make sure you join us on Facebook and Slack, as well as follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Connections to all of our social media platforms are on our Linktree.
Please remember to make sure we have the right contact details for you. Have you changed job, mobile phone, email? Please make sure your contact details are correct on i-develop or if you are not sure then send us an email at contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk.
Upcoming CLD Events
CLD Standards Council: Member Meet-up – Adult Learning with Citizen Literacy
Come along to our next members meet-up on 6th March at 4pm and meet Diane and John from Citizen Phonics. Together we will explore their resources designed for adult literacy, including a freelearners’ app!
The Citizen Literacy programme is designed to help adults who can speak English to improve their reading and writing skills. It can also be used to support learners who are learning English as a second language.
Following two rounds of focus groups, we have now prepared draft National Occupational Standards (NOS) for you to review and comment on.
Please make your views known by completing our Adult Learning NOS online survey and please also share with your colleagues and networks.
The survey will be open until 6pm on 9th March 2023. The draft NOS, new Functional Map and all information on the creation process can be found on the Adult Learning NOS webpage.
Have Your Say: Post-school education, research and skills – Third Sector and Students
At the CLD Standards Council, we are committed to supporting the development of policy and research that impacts you, as well as the learners and communities that we work with across Scotland.
This Scottish Government consultation on Post-school education, research and skills ecosystem includes colleges, universities, community learning and development, apprenticeships and employer-led training along with the research that develops the new thinking, systems and products.
This consultation is an opportunity for the CLD workforce across Scotland to inform what does and does not work in the current ecosystem. We have already met with practitioners from Local Authorities, as well as from the HE/FE sector. If you work or volunteer in a charitable organisation, or are a student studying CLD, then we still need to hear from you, so sign up below and have your say. 😊
Our response will inform Ministers and other decision-makers to shape and deliver the reform we believe necessary to secure a sustainable future for our learners, communities and economy.
Monday, 17th April at 6pm in Hamilton Universal Connections. Bringing CLD Talks to a live audience for the very first time! Interviews and a panel discussion and a Q&A with guests. Free event.
The data presented here is from their 2023 UK Poverty report, setting out the trends and impacts of poverty across the UK. Right now 90% of households receiving #UniversalCredit are going without essentials like food, utilities and vital household goods.
The Scottish Digital Academy confirms that from March 2023, they will fund and offer cyber security professional learning for the public and third sectors in Scotland.
We are currently seeking views from CLD Youth Workers, Youth Work Providers, Training Organisations and Educational Institutions to inform the review of the Modern Apprenticeship Framework based on the Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) in CLD Youth Work. The Modern Apprenticeship and SVQs in CLD Youth Work are an important part of the network of Community Learning and Development qualifications that support the professional learning and development of CLD youth workers in Scotland.
The survey deadline has been extended until 6pm on Friday, 3rd March. Information on the review process can be found on the Family Learning NOS webpage.
And in other news…the brand new National Occupational Standards for Adult Learning have now been drafted and are ready for you to review and comment on. The Functional Map and the Standards are available to view on the Adult Learning NOS webpage. You can share your views and highlight any amendments by completing the Adult Learning NOS survey. The survey will remain open until 6pm on 9 March 2023.
CLD Standards Council: Member Meet-up – Adult Learning with Citizen Literacy
Citizen Literacy is a home grown, wholly independent Community Interest Company (CIC), a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping improve adult literacy in the English language, based and registered in Scotland.
The educational design of the programme is a good fit with the ideas connected to the Science of Reading and the use of phonics, but with very different methods to those used with children. Where possible they make the resources free (e.g. the free learner web app and downloads for tutors to use in ‘class’).
Join this members meet-up session on 6th March at 4 pm, to find out how this adult learning resource could work for you and your learners.
Have Your Say: Post-school education, research and skills
Come and join us to help clarify the work of the CLD workforce across Scotland and inform what does and does not work in the current post-school education ecosystem.
Our response will inform Ministers and other decision makers to shape and deliver the reform we believe necessary to secure a sustainable future for our learners, communities and economy. CLD workers are not a shy breed so come and have your say.
You can sign up using the Eventbrite links below for a focus group specifically aimed at your sector: FE/HE, Local Authority, Third Sector and Students.
Scottish Education Awards – Have you nominated for CLD?
There is only one week left to nominate your amazing CLD programmes and practitioners for a Scottish Education Award. Let’s highlight all the good CLD practice that happens across Scotland. There is there a CLD Award which recognises CLD’s contribution to improving life chances for people of all ages. There are also Digital, Lifelong Achievement, Parent and Family Engagement Awards, so get nominating on the Scottish Education Awards website. #BecauseOfCLD#ScotEdAwards2023
This network began as a visionary seed project in 2008 and by 2016 was spearheading the Scottish Government sponsored ‘Year of the Dad’. By the end of the campaign they had inspired almost 6,000 individuals and well over 1,000 organisations to celebrate the difference a supportive dad can make to improving children’s lives as well as raise awareness of the learning and support dads need.
27th Feb – 5th March. Free webinars, resources and learning opportunities will be available throughout the week. These will help people and organisations become more informed about cyber risks and learn how to become more cyber resilient.
Through the Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland, environmental organisations, community groups, land owners and farmers will be eligible to apply for a share of £1.8 million in funding to help grow their nature projects.
Scottish Cycling have ambitious plans to grow the network of youth cycling clubs as a key legacy outcome of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, by supporting a network of inclusive and engaging clubs, where everyone has an opportunity to play their part in the cycling community.
Many thanks to everyone who has signed up or taken part in recent members meet ups, surveys and focus groups. Your engagement and voice is critical to enable us to keep raising the profile of the CLD sector to support you and your professional practice. So thank you from the CLD Standards Council to all our members and supporters who practise, promote and advocate for our professional values and competences that impact on our learners and communities every day.
In this bulletin, you will discover new and interesting opportunities to get involved with and links to useful resources and information to help support your CLD practice.
Alan Sherry OBE, Reappointed as Chair of CLD Standards Council
The CLD Standards Council is delighted to share that our Chair, Mr Alan Sherry OBE, has been reappointed for another 4-year term of office.
Alan continues to champion the CLD Standards Council and the wider sector in a number of areas ranging from CLD career pathways and learner pathways to the essential role that CLD practitioners play in the positive advancement of young people, adult learners and communities.
Congratulations to Alan on his reappointment!
Family Learning National Occupational Standards (NOS) – online survey now open!
Following two rounds of focus groups, we have now prepared draft NOS and have changes available to comment on.
The survey will be open until 6pm on Tuesday, 21st February. Information on the review process can be found on the Family Learning NOS webpage.
CLD Standards Council: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Members Forum, 17 February, 3pm
This Friday, come along to our first meeting for 2023. Join us in discussions at the new CLD Standards Council members forum on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. We aim to co-create a designated space for CLD practitioners to come together, ask questions and develop an understanding of the issues impacting the CLD Sector across Scotland, as well as share solutions.
All members and potential members welcome so join us online on 17th February at 3pm to find out more.
There are only 2 weeks left to nominate your amazing CLD programmes and practitioners for a Scottish Education Award. Let’s highlight all the good CLD practice that happens across Scotland. There is there a CLD Award which recognises CLD’s contribution to improving life chances for people of all ages. There are also Digital, Lifelong Achievement, Parent and Family Engagement Awards, so get nominating on the Scottish Education Awards website. #BecauseOfCLD#ScotEdAwards2023
Community Wealth Building is focused on growing the influence communities have on the economy and ensuring communities receive more of the benefits from the wealth they help to generate. The Scottish Government are currently consulting on their plans for a community wealth building approach to economic development. This should improve the influence and involvement of local communities in creating both wealth and wellbeing. The consultation outlines 5 pillars of community wealth building: spending, workforce, land and property, inclusive ownership and finance. CLD Standards Council will be hosting an online focus group to gather members views to form a response, so watch this space for more information.
Join Volunteer Scotland’s wide range of interactive learning bites to update your knowledge of volunteer practice and discover the latest best practices in volunteer management.
This is a process through which you can identify, research, analyse and record the anticipated impact of any proposed law, policy or measure on children’s human rights and wellbeing. It should be used on all new legislation and policy that impacts on children. This guidance includes links to useful resources for gathering evidence, involving children and young people in the development of policy/measure and ensuring decisions are necessary and proportionate.
PB Scotland Network is free and open to anyone who is interested in participatory budgeting. Network members are invited to contribute their ideas, learning and enthusiasm to advancing PB in Scotland.
An LGBTQI+ led non-profit organisation that aims to help people identify, navigate and create safe spaces for LGBTQI+ communities worldwide and a global and collaborative safe space community. There is no cost for listing your space and place so let’s get Scotland’s safe spaces on the map!
Ready Scotland’s learning hub provides learning resources to help individuals, community groups and voluntary sector organisations to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a range of emergencies and to better understand how to work with responder organisations.
A huge thank you to everyone who completed the communications survey. We had a fabulous response and are busy updating emails and inputting your responses into our communications strategy developments. It’s not too late to complete our communications survey and it literally takes 2 minutes.
We are currently seeking views from CLD Youth Workers, Youth Work Providers, Training Organisations and Educational Institutions to inform the review of the Modern Apprenticeship Framework based on the Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) in CLD Youth Work. The Modern Apprenticeship and SVQs in CLD Youth Work are an important part of the network of Community Learning and Development qualifications that support the professional learning and development of CLD youth workers in Scotland.
CLD Standards Council: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Members Forum, 17 February, 3pm
Come along to our first meeting for 2023 and join us in discussion at a new CLD Standards Council members forum on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. We aim to co-create a designated space for CLD practitioners to come together, ask questions and develop an understanding of the issues impacting the CLD Sector across Scotland, as well as share solutions.
All members and potential members welcome so join us online on 17th February at 3 pm to find out more.
Have Your Say: Post-School Education, Research and Skills
We are committed to supporting the development of policy and research that impacts you, as well as the learners and communities that we work with across Scotland.
This Scottish Government consultation on Post-school education, research and skills ecosystem includes colleges, universities, community learning and development, apprenticeships and employer-led training, along with the research that develops the new thinking, systems and products.
This consultation is an opportunity for the CLD workforce across Scotland to inform what does and does not work in the current ecosystem. All four online focus groups will discuss the purpose and five principles, from the lens of specific sectors where CLD practitioners practice or engage with professional learning. Our response will inform Ministers, and other decision makers to shape and deliver the reform we believe necessary to secure a sustainable future for our learners, communities and economy.
You can sign up using the Eventbrite links below for a focus group specifically aimed at your sector: FE/HE, Local Authority, Third Sector and Students.
LGBT+ communities and individuals have experienced and continue to face discrimination, particularly in schools. The recent LGBT Youth Scotland report states that only 10% of participants rated the experience of school for LGBT people as ‘good’ and 70% of gay/lesbian participants report experiencing bullying due to their sexual orientation at school.
This SCDC participation resource pack contains a range of guides, tools and templates to help you understand the Participation Request process, the language and terms that are used, and the process involved.
SRN are holding a series of recovery conversation cafés to help develop the Scottish Government’s new Self-Harm Strategy. They are looking for people who are willing to share their experiences of self-harm support and would also like to hear from people, services and organisations that provide support.
The Scottish Government wants to ensure planning authorities properly involve the Gypsy/Traveller community and are seeking views on a proposed definition of ‘Gypsies and Travellers’ for the specific purposes of the planning legislation. They want to hear from the Gypsy/Traveller community and other travelling communities, as well as CLD teams who are working closely with them. This consultation closes on 15th February 2023.
The cost of living crisis is going beyond affecting finance – with 59 per cent of Scots saying it has had an impact on their mental health, according to new research. Published on 2 February 2023, it was released to mark Time to Talk Day, a national day of conversations about mental health that seeks to tackle the stigma which so many people continue to face.
This consultation considers possible improvements to electoral law such as: how to increase voter registration, how to improve accessibility in elections, the small number of people resident in Scotland without voting rights (such as asylum seekers and people detained under mental health legislation), as well as rights for young people who can vote but cannot stand for election. Can you support communities to have their say and inform decisions?
Scottish Government funded wellbeing programmes currently on offer provide support for individuals working within schools, Community Learning and Development (CLD), and Early Learning and Childcare (ELC). Fully funded and delivered online, there is a range of courses, from supervision spaces to coaching, all designed to help you look after your own wellbeing and the wellbeing of those you work with.
Please note you will need to use your member login to i-develop to access this. If you have lost your login/password, please contact us at contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk.
We had a number of excellent and illuminating presentations beginning with Professor Ken Muir delivering the annual lecture, ‘Making a Lifelong Learning Curriculum in Scotland a Reality’.
Members were welcomed by Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Higher Education and Further Education, Youth Employment and Training who reflected on the importance of CLD.
Alan Sherry OBE, Chair of the CLD Standards Council set the scene and the theme of the conference ‘A Successful CLD Workforce’ by offering up points for thought and discussion.
Sara Thiam, CEO of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry concluded the conference with an enlightening and informative keynote presentation about the importance of connecting the CLD sector with industry and discussed James Withers’ independent review of skills delivery.
In other news, the team held the first of the Higher Education & Further Education working group meetings for 2023 this week when they met online with College and University representatives from across Scotland. This productive meeting enabled training providers and the CLD Standards Council to discuss current issues, including recruitment onto CLD programmes, as well as the number of CLD programmes at various SCQF levels available to practitioners and students.
The main key action points the group agreed to focus on were:
The need to raise awareness of CLD as a profession along with the training opportunities and career pathways available for people
Improvements required regarding data gathering and sharing
Articulation pathways
We will provide further updates as work develops.
Ross and Marion held a valuable meeting with representatives from third sector and uniformed youth work organisations at the Scottish Council For Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) offices in Edinburgh on Friday. Lots of positive and constructive feedback was had regarding membership and registration, as well as the value of the CLD Standards Council for both CLD practitioners and organisations. All involved fully endorsed the importance and strength of youth work being a part of CLD across Scotland.
Just a wee reminder that we are working on the development of the CLD Standards Council Communications Strategy and we would like to hear from you. Tell us about which social media platforms you use and how you would like your CLD Standards Council to communicate with you? We have a very short and simple social media survey which will only take 2 to 3 minutes of your time. Your responses will be really helpful, so thank you in advance. 😊👍
Don’t forget to sign up for our Gaelic CLD Cèilidh/meet-up to explore how Gaelic language and culture could provide a useful and accessible tool in both adult learning and capacity building, as well as a new engaging content for most communities.
An information guide is available on how to help someone who might be experiencing domestic abuse. It can be difficult to know what to do and how to do it in a way that is safe and supportive.
CLD Talks are back with the first CLD Talk of 2023 going live on Wednesday, 1st February. You can access this and the back catalogue of podcasts from CLD Talks from all the major streaming platforms or just search for “CLD Talks”.
As part of Cyber Scotland week 2023, LEAD Scotland are offering a number of FREE public webinars, such as making your online presence accessible and staying safe online. Open to everyone. Got a question? Contact cyberproject@lead.org.uk.
Supporting local sharing and repairing projects is an amazing way to change the way we consume, make less waste and support your local community – but what exactly is sharing and repairing? Where are the local projects in Scotland and what does it mean to get involved?
The Turing Scheme provides grants to fund individuals undertaking education and training in the UK to go on study or work placements across the world. They have widened out the scope in regard to the kinds of organisations which can be involved in bids. This may create potential opportunities for CLD organisations to apply as part of partnerships with schools or colleges. Please get in touch with Dehra.Macdonald@gov.scot if you want to chat through any potential bids in more detail.
These bitesize chunks of information are for people with dyslexia as well as families and for changemakers in different settings. You can download general dyslexia information leaflets, information specific for children, parents and educators, for employment and the workplace, as well as for study skills.
The CLD Standards Council would like to join in the celebrations for the life and creations of Robert Burns, the man who has contributed to the literature of Scotland and the World. Let us all express our gratitude and enjoy his writings that will continue to influence generations to come.
Best wishes to you all on Burns’ Night and enjoy your haggis, neeps and tatties!
This week the whole team has been working together on the development of the CLD Standards Council Communications Strategy and we would like to hear from you! Which social media platforms do you use and in what way would you like your CLD Standards Council to communicate with you? We have a very short social media survey which will only take 2 to 3 minutes of your time. Your responses will be really helpful, so thank you in advance 😊👍
Following two rounds of focus groups and a short questionnaire specifically looking at the Purpose and Values of Community Development, we have now prepared draft NOS and have changes available to comment on.
Don’t forget to sign up for our Gaelic CLD Cèilidh/meet-up to explore how Gaelic language and culture could provide a useful and accessible tool in both adult learning and capacity building, as well as a new engaging content for most communities.
CLD Numeracy Practitioners National Network Meeting, 2 March, 10am
Booking is now open for the National Network Meeting for CLD Numeracy Practitioners which will take place on MS Teams 10am-11.30am on Thursday, 2 March 2023.
CLD Talks was set up to raise the profile of Community Learning Development across Scotland. It is by practitioners and for practitioners and is all about sharing practice and learning from each other. Check out their new logo and their back catalogue.
The Scottish Parliament are currently asking for views on the Citizens Panel Interim Report which makes recommendations on the priorities and actions that should be taken in regard to making sure that the views and opinions of everyone in Scotland is included in the work of the Parliament.
Languages Day is on Monday, 30th January 2023 and e-Sgoil are providing four online sessions about the benefits that a second language can have on your future career.
The Scottish Government recently highlighted participatory budgeting as a way to support community-led responses to the climate emergency. Find out more about the benefits of Green Participatory budgeting.
Shaped by people who have been affected by suicide, this SAMH campaign aims to create a culture where people can talk openly and honestly about suicide and find support when they need it including useful resources and training.
CyberScotland aim to improve cyber resilience across Scotland in a coordinated and coherent way through partnership working. There are lots of useful resources, training and opportunities, including a really informative bulletin with a Community Learning and Development section.
🤗 Hello and welcome to this week’s bulletin. We hope this finds you all well and recovered from any festive celebrations and raring to go #2023ForCLD
Kirsty and Steven are currently busy with the National Occupations Standards (NOS) review of Community Development and Family Learning NOS, as well as creating a brand new Adult Learning NOS suite. They have been hosting the last few focus groups and online surveys will be available soon – watch this space!
Vikki has been responding to Professor Hayward’s Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment consultation as well as the Scottish Government Withers review of skills delivery across Scotland. Thank you to all who contributed, you can see our responses to these consultations on our website.
Vikki has also been working on our Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion policies and promotions, and will be looking for some of you lovely members to come and join a working group soon, so keep you eyes peeled in future bulletins for more information.
Robbie is in the midst of organising the next members meet up session which is about Gaelic in CLD and you can read more about that below and we hope to see a lot of your faces online at the session.
If you would like to host a Members Meet Up session on a CLD topic you are passionate about, or have any suggestions about a topic that you would like to learn more about then please get in touch contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk.
Gaelic received its first inclusion in the Adult Learning Strategy for Scotland last year. With strong emphasis on inclusivity, environment and connection to community, Gaelic language and culture could provide a useful and accessible tool in both adult learning and capacity building, as well as a new engaging content for most communities.
Join this cèilidh/meet-up to explore how Gaelic is already being used, meet up with colleagues already working in Gaelic CLD and shares tools and resources widely, and freely, available and accessible to those with no Gaelic, yet!
Have Your Say: Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy Update
In 2022, we facilitated a number of really engaging and insightful Have your Say sessions with you, our members, along with a questionnaire on the strategy consultation proposed outcomes.
From all the responses and data gathered, we submitted a response to the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy consultation in September 2022. You can read the full response report on our website.
We recently contacted the Scottish Government policy team working on the strategy and requested an update and enquired if there was a timeline regarding publishing a draft for final review. They said:
“We received a broad range of feedback to consider, and are keen to ensure there is ample opportunity to engage further on the important issues that have been raised. In light of this, we have decided to delay the publication of the strategy to Spring 2023. This will allow more time for detailed work to take place to shape the Strategy and Delivery Plan; and we will use this opportunity to work directly with stakeholders to develop and co-design the final documents.”
We have reminded the team we hope to be one of the stakeholders that help shape the final strategy and we will keep you posted on any further developments. Thank you again for sharing your views and experiences which allowed us to submit a balanced, honest and informative response to this consultation.
A new edition of Concept (the Journal of Contemporary Community Education Practice Theory) has been published with a focus on a generalised ‘care crisis’. This has steadily gained momentum in public discourse over the last 15 years, often acting as an index of other crises and this special issue of Concept explores critical questions by providing a space for practitioners, academics and activists to explore different ways of thinking about and practising care.
This in-person event at Abertay University, Dundee on 7 February 2023 (UK Safer Internet Day) is aimed at CLD youth workers, CLD managers working in the sector and anyone interested in using digital effectively in their work with young people.
Volunteer Scotland has produced the first of three bulletins which will track the impact of the cost of living crisis on people and Third Sector Organisations in Scotland. The research builds upon Volunteer Scotland’s Testing our Resilience (PDF) report published in autumn 2022. Their blog Cost of Living Crisis – The Hard Facts discusses some of the headline data and the volunteering issues arising from the research.
Rehab Recovery UK have designed an informative infographic outlining how the cost of living crisis is impacting particular groups’ mental health, including people of working age, retired people, disabled people, and people with dependents.
This downloadable guide explains how to make your home energy efficient, manage your bills, keep your home warm, benefit the environment and stay as well as you can over winter. A great resource for learners and community groups, as well as lots of information and signposting links on their website.
Happy New Year and best wishes to all our members for 2023 😀
Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Fisher A warm welcome to the CLD Standards Council team, Mrs Fisher! (AKA Kirsty Gemmell 😂). Huge congratulations to our very own Kirsty and her lovely husband Gordon who were married during the festive break 💓. We had a wonderful time celebrating with them and wish them both love and happiness for their future together as “Mr & Mrs”.
The CLD Standards Council Team with the bride 🥰
New Year Honours: MBE for Sue Briggs
We are absolutely delighted that another member of the CLD Standards Council is being recognised for their dedication and commitment to community learning and development in Scotland, in the King’s New Year Honours. Congratulations Sue!
Conference Evaluation – we need your views!
Don’t forget to complete your Conference Evaluation if you attended online or in person. We’re keen to get your views on what worked and what we can do better next time!
CLD Talks Teaser
And speaking of our conference, our friends @CLDTalks have been busy editing the podcast and vlog footage they captured on the day – look out for the big reveals over the coming weeks!
Upcoming CLD Events
The Winter Learning Festival for CLD restarts this month
If you’re still thinking about your new year’s resolutions, how about resolving to make time in your busy workload in 2023 for your own professional learning and development? The Winter Learning Festival for CLD – organised by the regional CLD professional learning networks – restarts this month and runs until the end of February.
In January, join Education Scotland for either of these 2 online sessions, focused on supporting CLD staff wellbeing. Register for the events at the links below:
In February, there are a range of sessions on offer from the West Alliance, The Tayside and Fife Professional Learning Alliance and the South West Network. You can sign up now through i-Develop:
How Good is our Community Learning and Development? 4th Edition
The CLD HMIE Team from Education Scotland are running seven webinars between January to March 2023 aimed at CLD and third sector practitioners, to support all CLD practitioners to become familiar with the framework. Dates and times, with links to register are below.
SCVO are offering a free Good Governance Check-up tool to assess how good an organisation’s governance is. Once it’s completed, they give the group a personalised action plan with 1-2-1 support for any areas that need improvement! A great tool to support our community groups.
Time to Talk Day is run by See Me, with SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) in Scotland. Thursday, 2nd February 2023, is a day that friends, families, communities, and workplaces come together to talk, listen and change lives. Can you make space in your day for a conversation about mental health? See Me have resource packs available to order and loads of resources available to download. Talking about mental health reduces stigma helping to create supportive communities where we can talk openly about mental health and feel empowered to seek help when we need it.
Have you checked out their website recently? Some great information, which may be useful to support our CLD learners and the communities we work in, about getting help with the cost of living, grants, benefits and what to do if you are struggling.
The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring equality of opportunity for all of Scotland’s Gypsy/Travellers, and wants to ensure planning authorities properly involve the Gypsy/Traveller community in planning the future of their places. They want to establish the most appropriate definition of ‘Gypsies and Travellers’ to enable planning authorities implementing the legislation to have a better understanding of who the Gypsy/Traveller community are and how their needs can be met. Can you get involved in this consultation? Perhaps you support members of a Gypsy/Travellers community to have their say?
The next issue of Practice Insights will focus on the central place of culture in community development processes and practice. Community development practitioners, researchers and academicians are invited to submit an abstract or a contribution for publication in this issue. If you’re interested, you should submit a note of interest describing your article in 500 words or less by February 28, 2023.
New Scots Connect is a national project, led by Scottish Refugee Council, which aims to build New Scots’ social connections and enhance Scotland’s welcome to refugees. The Map provides information about communities and organisations supporting refugees, for example, their location, activities, and how to get in touch with them. You can also add your organisation to the map.
The Forum enables communities and organisations supporting refugees to work more closely with each other, to share experiences and knowledge, and to access training and funding opportunities. Completing the New Scots Connect (Forum) form will give you access to the Forum to post and receive updates from other groups.
