Here are some of the key things we were talking about at our joint Approvals, Professional Learning and Registration Committee meetings on 17th August 2018:

Communications

• We’ll be working on updating some of our information including the development of short videos to explain and promote our work.
• TSIs – look out!  We’ll be in touch to discuss how we can better work together to support your CLD activities.

You and your Standards Council

• Registration Renewal – we’ve been developing our renewal process and will be in touch soon with existing Members to explain the process and what you will need to do to renew your registration.
• Member Vote coming soon to get your views on having our register of members publicly searchable.

Events

• 2019 Members’ Conference – save the date!  27th March 2019, Edinburgh. Deputy First Minister John Swinney will be giving the keynote address.  Workshop and booking details to follow.
• Come and see us at Scotland’s Learning Festival on 19th and 20th September (Stand C50).  Registration is free and there are CLD workshops on offer.   Find registration information here – https://education.gov.scot/what-we-do/scottish%20learning%20festival
• And finally…….the Workforce Survey is still open so please ensure you submit your information.  So far, around 600 individual CLD practitioners have completed the survey, but we need more!  We’re also keen that organisations submit a CLD workforce response.  Find the survey here: https://www.research.net/r/WorkingWithScotlandsCommunitiesSurvey

Member Statistics: Total Membership of 2119

The first-ever international standards for community development practice are now available.

The CLD Standards Council had been working on the Standards with the International Association for Community Development, and the Association launched them at their AGM as part of the World Community Development Conference at the end of June 2018.

The full Standards Guidance, and recommendations on how it can be used can be found on the IACD website

The STEM (Sciences Technologies, Engineering and Mathematics) Strategy was launched in the Scottish Parliament in November 2017 by Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP, who was then Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science.   The strategy sets out the vision for STEM Education and Training for the next five years around the themes of Excellence, Equity, Inspiration and Connection.  There are a number of Actions in the Strategy related to Community Learning and Development which are summarised in the attachment below.

One of the key actions is around professional learning/training in STEM subjects and there is a CLD STEM Professional Learning Survey specifically aimed at CLD practitioners.

Colleagues in Education Scotland are keen to hear about the types of professional learning that would make the greatest impact on CLD practitioners and the participants in CLD activities. They would also like to know more about the best way for you to access career-long professional learning.  There is also an opportunity to consider how your CLD work can incorporate STEM activities, as well as identifying supports to assist with this.

The survey will only take a few minutes to complete.  Your individual response will not be shared with other organisations. However, the overall findings from the survey will play an important role in shaping the Scottish Government strategy for CLD career-long professional learning in STEM and your help is appreciated.

Please take a few minutes to complete the  CLD STEM Professional Learning Survey

Summary of actions in the Strategy related to CLD- [fac_icon icon=”file-pdf-o” color=”#392D43″ font_size=”18px”] STEM Strategy CLD Related Actions

The CLD Standards Council notes with interest the Deputy First Minister’s statement to Parliament yesterday in respect of the proposed Education Reforms. Firstly, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to the hundreds of CLD practitioners across Scotland who participated in the consultation programme over the last year. Whilst our Members understood the rationale for the co-creation of an Education Workforce Council they were adamant about the clear value and benefits of the CLD Standards Council. We will now continue to expand and strengthen professional learning and support for CLD to ensure that all of Scotland’s young people, learners and communities have access to trained professionals in education programmes across all contexts and look forward to our continued engagement with the Scottish Government and Education Scotland.

https://beta.gov.scot/publications/draft-education-scotland-bill/

The CLD Standards Council and Education Scotland have commissioned Rocket Science UK Ltd to conduct research into the community learning and development workforce.
The Working with Scotland’s Communities survey is core to this research.

Views from practitioners, volunteers, employer organisations  and stakeholders are essential to be able to understand who is doing what across Scotland.  The research will help us to better advocate for community learning and development, and better support the workforce, volunteers, employers and organisations with the training and development needs.

Completing the survey

We are seeking responses from individuals AND from employer organisations.  The online survey will be followed up by some optional telephone interviews later in the year.

The survey can be found – https://www.research.net/r/WorkingWithScotlandsCommunitiesSurvey

Who does this research apply to?

We know that community learning and development staff and volunteers work in a wide range of roles many of whom may not automatically identify as a CLD practitioner.
We are keen to hear from practitioners, volunteers, employer organisations and stakeholders who:

• Work with communities to support their learning and development
• This could include job titles such as community learning and development, youth work, community planning, public health, adult or family learning, or inequality, poverty or other interventions in the community
• Work in the public or third sectors
• Conduct work in a way that meets the competencies and values of community learning and development

What are we looking for from employer organisations?

One of the respondent groups we are interested in are organisations that employ staff in community and learning development roles –i.e. anyone who fits into the list above.
We would like a survey response from the employer organisations on behalf of  their whole organisation, regional office, department or team.   The survey asks if it is being answered as an individual or on behalf of an organisation.

What we would like you to do

We need help to identify and encourage as many people and organisations as possible to complete the survey.

• Please circulate or highlight the ‘Working with Scotland’s Communities’ survey link to your networks, members, and known contacts as soon as possible.
• Complete the survey yourself- https://www.research.net/r/WorkingWithScotlandsCommunitiesSurvey

Privacy

All responses will be anonymous. We will not use this information to compare performance, expenditure or needs between specific organisations or local authorities. All answers will be aggregated, and the key themes reported on by Rocket Science for Education Scotland and the CLD Standards Council.

Any questions?

Please get in touch with Clare Hammond, Associate Director at Rocket Science UK Ltd – clare.hammond@rocketsciencelab.co.uk or 0131 226 4949.

Become a CLD Standards Council Committee Member and have your opportunity to be involved in shaping the way CLD practitioners  learn, practice and apply our standards in community learning and development.

The CLD Standards Council Scotland is looking for Registered or Associate CLD Standards Council members to join its Approval, Registration and Professional Learning Committees.

Who we need

We need people who can represent the increasingly diverse nature of community learning and development practice, including members who are –

• Newly qualified and/or in the early stages of their career
• Active in the Third sector
• Active in broader CLD contexts such as health, the arts and equalities
• From HE/FE

What we ask of you

• To attend a minimum  of three full-day Committee Meetings a year, for a minimum of three years
• To occasionally work on projects out with the Committee Meeting dates (for example this could be as a panel member on approval visit or it could be participation in a working group looking at professional learning)
• To secure the agreement of your line manager for your time commitment to the Committee
• Completion of Induction training
• A commitment to raising standards across all aspects of our work

What can you expect?

• National Professional Learning opportunities
• Networking – across CLD including third sector
• Conference attendance and involvement
• Shaping CLD Standards Council policy, practice and workforce developments
• Support for you in discussions with your employer to confirm the benefits of you being actively involved in your Professional Body.
• Travel expenses
• Induction training

Want to join us ?

Download and complete the application form below
Download: Committee Application Form 2018
Or email contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk  to have one sent to you.
Please return the completed from by email to contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk by 15 July 2018.
You can find further information about our committees on the Committees page.
If you want to discuss the role in more detail, please contact Marion Allison at contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk
The appointment of Committee members will follow our defined process, described in this process document:  Committee Appointment Process 2018

Working with Scotland’s Communities: Community Learning and Development Workforce Study 2018-19

The CLD Standards Council for Scotland and Education Scotland have commissioned a new research study on the current size and make-up of the community learning and development workforce across all sectors.

In 2015, Education Scotland and partners carried out the Working with Scotland’s Communities survey. This was the first national study of the community learning and development (CLD) workforce in Scotland in over 5 years. Around 300 different organisations responded and the findings indicated that there were at least 7,400 CLD practitioners employed in a wide range of diverse roles across the public and voluntary sectors in Scotland; and more than 40,000 people volunteering in CLD-related roles at that time. Education Scotland made a commitment to continue to update information on the CLD workforce on a regular basis.

CLD Standards Council and Education Scotland have now jointly commissioned independent research and consultancy company, Rocket Science, to carry out a new Working with Scotland’s Communities study to find out:

• Who is working and volunteering in CLD-related roles in 2018
• Where are they; what do they do; and what challenges do they face
• What is the demand for practitioners with CLD skills and are there enough practitioners to meet that demand

The intended outcome of the study is to provide up to date workforce data that will help to inform CLD policy and planning at a local authority, regional and national level.

Rocket Science will be engaging with the CLD sector over the coming weeks to scope the project and seek advice from key stakeholders. They will then conduct field research using online surveys and interviews to gather information from:

• CLD practitioners
• CLD employers
• Organisations that work in partnership with CLD providers

We want as a wide a range of practitioners and organisations to participate – and we know that you don’t have to have ‘CLD’ in your job title or in the name of your organisation to be doing
great CLD work – so please spread the attached flyer about this study across your organisations and networks and look out for more details over the coming weeks.

Download: CLD Workforce Study Leaflet

The  Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC) has issued a statement of support for the CLD Standards Council regarding the current Education Governance Review.

SCDC is a highly regarded organisation that plays a leading role in promoting community development in Scotland.

This timely piece is informative and clearly outlines the importance of the CLD Standards Council and CLD professionals in improving outcomes for communities and learners.

View the SCDC Statement of support

The World Community Development Conference 2018, is being held in Ireland on 24-27 July 2018.

Information here:
http://www.iacdglobal.org/2018/04/05/80-day-countdown-to-the-world-community-development-conference-places-still-available/ and to register go to http://www.wcdc2018.ie/registration/

The Standards Council has been collaborating with the organisers of the conference, the International Association for Community Development (IACD) on their project “towards international standards for community development”- http://www.iacdglobal.org/2018/04/04/community-development-international-standards-consultation-has-ended/

The Standards will be launched at the conference.

And…next year’s World Community Development Conference will be held in Dundee, with the City Council as host: http://www.iacdglobal.org/2018/04/07/dundee-scotland-confirmed-as-venue-for-june-2019-world-community-development-conference/ .

CLD Standards Council members to the fore in planning for the 2019 event!

The new theme covers support for organisations and practitioners who deploy volunteers and advice for the volunteers themselves.

View on i-develop: Volunteering in CLD

We know from “working with Scotland’s Communities – CLD Workforce Survey 2015” that at least 40,000 CLD volunteers across Scotland are helping adult learners get back into work, supporting newcomers to our country to learn English, building the confidence of community members to make a difference in their neighbourhoods, changing the lives of young people through youth work activities and much more.

By developing this theme, we aim to help support volunteers to be confident CLD practitioners, making sure they have the opportunities we all need to develop our skills and practice.

We also hope it will encourage CLD volunteers to become members by raising awareness of what CLDSC already offers volunteers and exploring how this can be developed and improved.

The advice on deploying volunteers includes sections on –

• Volunteer policies;
• recruitment, selection and induction;
• supporting volunteers in practice;
• Professional Learning
• Valuing and celebrating the impact of CLD volunteers.

You can join a specific discussion forum for volunteering matters and we would welcome contributions and comments.

This new theme is being supported and developed by Maggie Paterson who is volunteering with the CLD Standards Council.