CLDSC Member Bulletin – 21 September 2022

National Occupational Standards – Adult Learning, Family Learning, Community Development

CLD Standards Council Scotland (CLDSC) has been granted a contract from Skills Development Scotland (SDS) to carry out reviews of the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Community Development and Family Learning, and also create new NOS for Adult Learning.  

As these standards are applicable across the United Kingdom, the CLDSC will be working with a range of national and local organisations from Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales. 

NOS specify the standards of performance individuals must achieve in the workplace, together with the knowledge and understanding required for roles, for most employment sectors.  National Occupational Standards can be used to complement the CLD Competences in reflecting on, developing and strengthening practice.  Find out more on the CLDSC NOS webpage.

If you’d like to get involved in the consultation, sign up below for any relevant focus groups taking place in October/November 2022.

Community Development NOS Review Focus Group – Monday 24 October, 2-4.30pm, Zoom

Family Learning NOS Review Focus Group – Monday 31 October, 2-4.30pm, Zoom

Adult Learning NOS Creation Focus Group – Monday 7 November, 2-4.30pm, Zoom


Scottish Government Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategy Review 2022: CLDSC Consultation Submission

The Scottish Government has recently undertaken a consultation to gather views on what a new Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Scotland should look like. The Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy guides the work that the Scottish Government and partners will do to improve mental health and wellbeing in Scotland. The final Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy will be published later in 2022.

The CLDSC recognises that there is common ground between public health services and Community Learning and Development (CLD) in terms of values, outcomes and practice methods. Registered members of the CLDSC (currently over 2,850 in number and steadily increasing) are involved in supporting individuals and communities across Scotland.

The CLDSC consulted with a selection of its CLD practitioner members to form a response to the consultation. This response reflects members’ own experiences; it does not seek to speak on behalf of communities. Using questionnaires and a focus group, we gathered member’s voices in response to key areas of the consultation. Specifically, feedback was gathered to explore how CLDSC members can input and support the development of the Scottish Government strategy for the benefit of CLD practitioners, communities and of the learners it works with.  

This report submission provides a high-level analysis of the feedback received from CLD workers and volunteers across the sector.

View the Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategy CLDSC Submission.


Virtual Members Meet-up – Tuesday, 4 October 1pm-2pm

Know someone who isn’t a member of CLDSC but wants to find out more? Bring them along to our special virtual members meet-up in October!

This open session will give members and non-members a chance to hear all about our recently published CLDSC Annual Report as well as feeding into the plans for 2022-2023. You’ll get the latest updates on our plans for our Members Conference on 1st and 2nd December 2022 (#CLDSCConf2022) and be able to talk directly to the CLDSC staff who will be delivering services for you.

So, grab a cuppa and a pal and join us!

Register for the October Virtual Members Meet-up on EventBrite.  


How Good is our Community Learning and Development? 4th Edition

This framework was published in draft form in 2021 to allow practitioners across Scotland and HMIE to use it in their practice and then provide feedback. The CLD HMIE Team from Education Scotland ran a series of webinars in late 2021 to support practitioners to become familiar with the draft framework. As a result of feedback from practitioners, small changes have been made to the final document. 

HMIE are now planning to run a series of webinars from October 2022 to April 2023 aimed at the CLD sector. Each webinar will have a theme and use Quality Indicators to help practitioners explore how they could use them to improve practice. 

Dates and times are as follows and each webinar can be booked using the links below:


Education Scotland Webinar – CLD: Understanding and challenging poverty across Scotland’s communities

As part of Challenge Poverty Week 2022, Education Scotland colleagues are hosting a webinar on Monday, 3rd October, 2pm-3.30pm, which will take a closer look at the picture of poverty in Scotland’s communities.

The webinar will start with an input from Professor John McKendrick, Professor of Social Justice and co-director of the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit (SPIRU).  It will then explore the ways in which CLD practice mitigates and tackles some of the root causes of poverty with an input from Karen Delaney, Moray Council.

It will provide a reflective space to explore how the CLD sector understands the impacts of poverty and can support positive outcomes on lives affected by the impacts of poverty.  

Register for CLD: Understanding and challenging poverty across Scotland’s communities on EventBrite.


Cùram, Caint, is Coimhearsnachd / Care, Language and Community

Fife Council are hosting an online conference on 26 September (09.30am-4pm) bringing colleagues from CLD together with those working in care and language development, to share best practice from across Celtic speaking nations and develop new ways to work in partnership.

This free event will explore the relationship of first language use in care and wellbeing, both personal and social, and community development, challenging us to re-imagine the role of older and vulnerable adults in our communities from that of services users to key assets in creating learning communities and the formation of language nests.  Examples of best practice will be shared from Wales, Ireland and Nova Scotia as well as here in Fife.  

This event is open to anyone with an interest in sharing practice and exploring new ways of working across the professional strands.

For more information email Gaelic.Development@Fife.gov.uk.

Book your place on Cùram, Caint, is Coimhearsnachd/ Care, Language, and Community on EventBrite