Festive edition

2020: a COVID Christmas

In December 2019 COVID-19 was a far off disease causing havoc on distant shores. This year, the very same virus has resulted in a pandemic that has changed our lives and the face of CLD practice across Scotland. Like many, the CLD Standards Council (CLDSC) had to quickly adapt to working from home and providing our services using a range of digital platforms. Our learning curve was steep! However, with your help and patience we have been able to stick to the FACTS.

F is for Face Coverings (and Fun)

Face masks are the health essential of 2020 and our Members applied a CLD professional approach to this rule. Accessing and distributing PPE and supporting learners and young people to design their own masks helped to reduce anxieties and keep people safe while still having fun participating in virtual learning and discussion activities: online quiz or Zoom bingo anyone?

A is for Avoid Crowded Places (and Agile)

As lockdown kicked in, the CLD sector proved just how agile it is. People worked across CLD practice. From adult learning to youth work and everything in between, Members worked with learners and communities from home, learned new digital skills, delivered food, medical equipment and learning materials. The speed and ingenuity of our sector did not go unnoticed. Try buying a gazebo or camping chairs and you’ll probably find that they were sold out to support outdoor, pop-up community spaces.

C is for Clean hands (and Collaboration)

Not only did we clean our hands, we worked with everyone and anyone. Partnerships were even more prominent across CLD, with Members reporting that working across sectors and organisations were key to improved service delivery. With our Chair representing the CLD sector at the Ministerial Leadership Group and leading the CLD partnership group, key collaborations have resulted in supporting the workforce via the CLD guidance, online “Blethers” and CLD webinars.

T is for Two Metres Distance (and Teamwork)

As physical distancing became the norm, the CLD Standards Council Committees connected online. The Approvals Committee continued its programme, implemented the Annual Review system, developed COVID practice placement guidance and continued to work with our UK partners. The Professional Learning Committee ensured that Member support was high on the agenda. Members’ Catch Ups supported peer learning, with the question “Digitally Agile or Fragile” proving to be a hot topic. The launch of Professional Pathways Report provided a picture of CLD professional learning opportunities across the country and the refreshed Code of Ethics resource is a handy guide for practitioners in these mercurial times. Membership continues to grow with the Registration Committee supporting registration renewals and IRP (Individual Recognition Process) requests. Development of a member Alumni featured in their work as did Fitness to Practise matters in collaboration with the other committees. The Executive Committee supported the development of a CLDSC Logic Model to help us focus on our goals and strengthen our planning and evaluation, the recruitment and induction of new Council members and the renewed Framework Agreement with Education Scotland and the Scottish Government. There have been a range of Cross Committee working groups that have seen the CLDSC consider and progress items such as Equality, Inclusion, Professional Induction and Practice Placement Supervisor Training.

S is for Stay Safe (and Self Care and see you in the New Year)

In line with our Self Care ethic, staying safe remains the top priority for us all. Staying connected with the CLD family has sustained and supported our health and wellbeing throughout the year. I would like to say a huge thanks to you all for your engagements and contributions. From responding to our Newsletters to following us on Twitter, completing Members’ surveys and participating with Members’ catch ups you have truly helped to highlight the essential nature of professional CLD practice. So, here’s to a safe and healthy 2021 for us all.

Marion

Virtual Meet Up 17 December 2020 5-6pm

Join us with a mince pie and a mulled wine to connect and reflect on our year. There might even be a Christmas Quiz! Register for the meetup on Eventbrite.

CLDSC Holiday Dates

The CLDSC office will be closed for the festive break from this Friday the 18th December and will reopen on Wednesday 6th January.

We wish you and your loved ones a peaceful festive season.

CLD Standards Council

CLD Plans Guidance 2021-2024 now available

Scottish Government has now published the guidance setting out expectations for education authorities and their partners when meeting duties in CLD planning for 2021-24 as per The Requirements for CLD (Scotland) Regulations 2013. There is an expectation that Community Learning and Development (CLD) plans will be informed by this guidance. The guidance is intended to reinforce the valuable contribution that the CLD sector is making to supporting learners and communities during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. It also takes into account the challenges that the sector is facing as a result of the pandemic and the impact this will have on CLD planning. You can view and download the guidance from the Scottish Government website.

Virtual Meet Up 17 December 2020 5-6pm

So, you might be looking at that date and thinking “I’m sure the next Virtual Meet Up was meant to be on 11th December?!” You’re right! Can’t possibly think how it slipped our mind (could it have been that pesky #CLDSCConf2020?!) Anyway, we’ve rescheduled for a post work (hopefully) slot so please join us with a mince pie and a mulled wine to connect and reflect on our year. There might even be a Christmas Quiz! Register for the meet up on Eventbrite.

Conference Evaluation

Thanks to everyone who came along to our first ever virtual Conference last week! We hope you found it useful and got a chance to ‘connect’ with colleagues. If you haven’t already, could you please take 5 minutes to complete the conference evaluation.

Review of SVQs in Youth Work Stakeholder Survey

We have had a very positive response to our SVQ Review survey; thanks to all of you who have contributed. To date, over 140 people have taken the time to offer their views, but we’d still like to hear from more people with knowledge of the field and the SVQs in Youth Work. The survey has been extended to Friday11 December 2020 to ensure that anyone who would still like to contribute can do so.

The survey only takes a few minutes, but we’re still keen to talk with people familiar with the awards, who can help us to develop a comprehensive view of how the revised qualifications can support the development of youth workers and youth work practice. If this is you, don’t be shy in coming forward to take part in an interview.

You can find the survey, which includes a space for you to volunteer to participate in a short interview on SmartSurvey.

CLD Practitioner event: Our World Our Impact. Tuesday 15th December at 1-2pm

This is an event organised by Education Scotland & Glasgow Science Centre to share and explore new resources on climate change. Glasgow Science Centre would like CLD Practitioners to shape future plans for resources which support CLD practice in relation to the needs and interests of communities for learners. Following their very generous offer of free resources, please support this event by attending or allowing a member of your team to come along. Register on Eventbrite for the event. To be held on Microsoft Teams by Glasgow Science Centre.

Participatory Budgeting in Schools: New Resource

PB Scotland have published a new resource, Evidence and Ideas: PB in Schools — PB Scotland which shows how participatory budgeting can help schools to play a central role in developing the life-skills, citizenship and confidence of young people, and looks at key success factors.

It highlights themes of:

• Deepening democracy and participation in schools;
• Addressing inequalities;
• Strengthening school culture and increasing wider community involvement in the school; and
• Developing student’s life skills;

It also provides case studies and resources for each theme.

SPECIAL CONFERENCE EDITION CLDSC members bulletin

CLD Standards Council Scotland Members’ Conference 1 and 2 December 2020

Over 130 CLDSC Standards Council members registered for our first ever digital conference. Although it would have been great to see each other face to face, there was much to learn, to talk and to laugh about and opportunities for virtual networking.

The aim of the conference was for members to consider the role of professional CLD practice in respect of Scotland’s COVID-19 experience and offered a professional learning opportunity for members to learn, share and discuss:

• Health & wellbeing: CLD connections and motivation
• CLD Practice: responses, planning and evaluation
• Digital: agile or fragile?
• CLD: Policy and workforce planning
• Networking

Conference information and inputs can be found on the conference area on i-develop.

All of the conference inputs were underpinned by the CLD Code of Ethics. The Ethical Practice, Competent Practitioners resource has been refreshed.

Tuesday 1 December

Richard Lochhead, Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science praised the flexibility and creativity of CLD practitioners in supporting communities through the pandemic. He noted that although work on the development of the Youth Work and Adult Learning Strategies had been delayed by the pandemic, it was hoped that these would be published in the Spring and followed later in the year by a Lifelong Learning Framework which will raise the profile of CLD and promote its integration with the broader education system. He concluded by thanking the sector for their contribution and impact. Watch the video of the Minister on idevelop.

This was followed by Alan Sherry, Chair of CLDSC, who echoed the Minister’s praise of the sector’s commitment, going the extra mile…being the glue which holds communities together. Gained political capital. He described the opportunities afforded through the Leadership Group to promote recognition of the impact of CLD on national priorities. Looking ahead to CLD’s role in meeting the needs of those made unemployed for the first time, he stressed the importance of having professional qualified workers to guide and support CLD practice. He reviewed the work of CLDSC over the last year, thanking the staff team, Committee members and all the membership for their contribution.

Susie Bisset, CLDSC Team Member, got us all to share our lockdown laughs – it is safe to say ‘You’re on mute!’ featured in a few. This proved to be a good warm up for our main speaker of the afternoon.

Gavin Oattes internationally-known speaker, award winning comedian, author of several books, and Managing Director of Tree of Knowledge led a session titled ‘be the milk’. You had to be there to fully understand why we all need a Mary Poppins in our lives, why we need to plant trees we will never see and that ‘being the milk’ is about Rice Crispies!  Rice Crispies are quiet and still until you add milk then they come alive. We in CLD are the milk and our tweeters made sure the Twittersphere knows it!

“Was definitely what was needed to remind me why it’s still important to be the milk #CLDSCConf2020 #magic”

“Massive thank you to @gavinoattes for an inspiring input to the @cldstandards virtual conference today. It certainly brightened this afternoon for me. #becauseofCLD #CLDSCConf2020”

Wednesday 3 December

Alan Sherry, Chair of CLDSC, began the morning by sharing key points from the CLDSC paper Engaging, Educating, Connecting and Empowering.

CLDSC see this as a starting point for influencing policy and contributing to discussions on building back better after the pandemic. It expresses the view that the ‘old normal’ is neither viable nor desirable. The three pillars of Health, Economy and Education are fundamental to this. The paper highlights the importance of partnership working in creating the kind of world we would like to live in. The paper emphasises:

• co-creation – sitting down with people to identify their needs and agreeing how to address them.
• the importance of learning out with schools and the need for bite size tailored learning opportunities.
• greater devolution taking more regionalised approaches, with CLD, schools colleges and higher education working together to create a seamless learner journey.

The 2 Sides of the Story session looked at CLD planning and meaningful evaluation.

Nicola McAndrew, CLD Policy Team Scottish Government spoke of the work and aspirations of the CLD Policy Team. She noted that the Adult Learning and Youth Work Strategies were back on track and it is hoped these will be completed over the next few months. Following this, a Framework for Lifelong Learning will be developed. The Framework is intended to be a blue print to support local planning, helping and influencing CLD practitioners and others who do not deliver, but are part of the wider education environment. The CLD Policy Team have strengthened connections across government to recognise the value of CLD at national level but are hopeful that the Framework will be meaningful at local level and help to improve learner journeys locally.

The publication of these documents times well with next round of new 3 years plans for CLD. The guidance for these plans is to be published next week. This draws on learning to date from previous reviews and the findings of HMI inspections.

Professor Karen McArdle then spoke about meaningful evaluation, referring to the recently-published book The Impact of Community Work, which she had co-authored with other CLDSC members.

Karen argued that CLD practitioners need to work at 3 levels – individual, community, and systems and power – and that while we are generally good at the first 2, we need to develop the 3rd, building the transformative capacity of CLD: the ability to establish institutions to carry forward positive change. “Meaningful evaluation” needs to consider both statistics and stories and clarify the scale, quality and significance of CLD work. We need to get better at expressing what we do well to policy makers, and in order to do this, we should reconsider the identity of CLD, thinking about work at the 3 levels; for example, we work on issues that are identified, interpreted and managed at local level, but that are of national and global significance.

Karen’s PowerPoint is available on the conference i-develop space.

Back to the Future let us think about the post Covid future for CLD –
Sinead Gormally, Senior Lecturer in Community Development and Adult Education at the University of Glasgow, spoke first. To try to summarise Sinead’s input is an impossible task. She provoked, inspired, challenged and motivated us. We asked delegates to pick a key piece of learning they’d take away from the Conference – many related to Sinead’s input. Here are just a few:

• Be disruptive!
• Ask why
• Promote our achievements loudly
• Be a lamp, a lighthouse, a ladder

She also read Jennifer Lentfer’s poem –  ‘Here’s to the disruptors; a poem for the development community’

Sinead was followed by Dominique Carlisle-Kitz and Kevin Ditcham. Dominique is Strategic Services Senior Lead in East Renfrewshire Council and she spoke about the Peer Mentoring relationship that had evolved between herself and her colleague, Sue Briggs. They had both got a lot out of the relationship and wanted to share the idea with colleagues.

Peer Mentoring is part of a suite of processes Supporting Professional Learning Together. This also includes CLDSC Connectors, CLDSC Buddies and CLDSC Professional Learning Verifiers. Find further information about these on the Supporting PL Together space on i-develop.

Kevin Ditcham, Network and Delivery Manager at Democratic Society and Co-chair of the Feeling Strong charity, led us into a discussion about the Virtual Meet up’s which create an opportunity for CLDSC members to come together informally to share and reflect on their practice experiences. There have been 7 meet ups to date, engaging 289 members. Kevin facilitated members to give their views on whether the meet-ups were valued, useful and sustainable in their current form, as well as how to get more members interested in hosting and practical ways to do this that work for members

The PowerPoint from Dominique and Kevin can be viewed on the i-develop conference page.

Alan highlighted that Sinead had challenged us to be ready to challenge and disrupt restrictive structures, power relationships and practices, and that Dominique and Kevin had introduced some of the ways that the CLDSC is working to enable practitioners to support each other to do this. He invited people to explore how this might work for them and discussion in smaller groups proved a valuable experience.

Our conference was well received by delegates who shared their thoughts in this word cloud.

New CLD course from Edinburgh University

CLDSC completed an approval visit with University of Edinburgh in January 2020 with the new MA(Hons) Learning in Communities going live in 2021. The report to University of Edinburgh stated:

“The Approval Panel wished to applaud the commitment to widening participation. It is heartening to see the level of consultation undertaken for the establishment of the programme and panel were impressed that recommendations from the consultation were taken into account and embedded within the programme. The panel also wish to acknowledge that the programme will be delivered by a very supportive staff team.”

This programme has two possible exit routes leading to two qualifications:

• BA (Ordinary) – exit after Year 3 – SCQF level 9
• MA (Honours) – exit after Year 4 – SCQF level 10

The BA (Ord) Learning in Communities degree, awarded after three years of study, is professionally approved by the CLD Standards Council for Scotland (CLDSCS).

Students can also graduate after Year 4 with an MA (Hons) Learning in Communities degree.

Find details on programme structure, entry requirements, funding and how to apply on the programme website. Programme details and how to apply

If you have any questions about this programme, you would be welcome to speak to the Programme Directors via live chat at the Undergraduate virtual Open Day taking place on 27 November 2020. Find details on how to register for the Open Day.

Tips & Tricks for CLD Practitioners Webinar

Webinar with Kathryn Koromilas, a CLD Adult Learning practitioner with years of experience of delivering online and blended learning, before it was a necessity. Based on feedback from previous webinar participants this session will aim to give participants some ‘tips and tricks’ around learner engagement online, overcoming technical barriers and making the most of digital platforms.

This webinar is open to all CLD practitioners regardless of role as it focuses on learning engagement. Webinar will take place on 9th December at 11am.

Register for the webinar on Eventbrite.

The College of the Future Report

The Independent Commission on the College of the Future, launched in Spring 2019 as a UK-wide, four nations process, has published its final report. Read the report on the Commission website.

The report aims to answer two questions: what do we want and need from colleges from 2030 onwards, and how do we get there? It sees its recommendations as having a key part to play in “a skills-led recovery to the ongoing health crisis”, and to rebuilding “healthy, connected and cohesive communities”.

Among the recommendations are that Colleges should develop as “key anchor institutions in the local community, supporting wider community action and services as well as providing education and learning”, and that a statutory right to lifelong learning should be established.

The report’s support for strong partnerships between Colleges and “adult community learning providers” (CLD in the Scottish context) at both national and regional/local level is particularly timely as the new Lifelong Learning Strategy develops in Scotland.

Affordability of school uniform in Scotland

Research has found that almost 20% of secondary schools in Scotland specified an exclusive supplier for school uniform, thus increasing costs for families.

In Scotland there is currently no national guidance on school uniform and dress code policy unlike Wales which has statutory guidance and England and Northern Ireland which have non-statutory guidance. The UK Government is supporting a Private Members Bill which intends to ban schools from using an exclusive supplier for uniform.

The research also found that few secondary schools in Scotland address equalities or human rights considerations in their uniform policy and schools do not appear to actively engage pupils in decision-making about uniform policy on a regular basis. These findings have various implications for meeting statutory obligations under UK law, as well as implications for the Scottish Government’s proposed incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law.

The research was carried out by Dr Rachel Shanks, Senior Lecturer at University of Aberdeen, and CLD Standards Council Registered member.

You can read the policy briefing PDF on the Aberdeen University site.

There is also a free online event ‘Making School Uniform Affordable’ on Thursday 26th November 10-11am with Sara Spencer of Child Poverty Action Group Scotland and a Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament. You can sign up to attend at the Explorathon website.

Carnegie UK Report – ‘Accelerating Digital: Learning from a digital inclusion accelerator programme’

Eliminating digital exclusion is not a new challenge and the ways that organisations tackle the issue continue to evolve and refine. As a result, policy makers and funders also need to continually review how they support organisations to deliver the best outcomes to improve wellbeing, sustainably and efficiently.

In 2018, Carnegie UK launched the #NotWithoutMe Accelerator, a development programme to create opportunities for different types of organisations to explore, experiment with and learn more about delivering digital inclusion support, specifically with young people.

They have now published ‘Accelerating Digital: Learning from a digital inclusion accelerator programme’ to explore the relative merits and considerations of the approach, particularly for the third sector. This evaluation has been undertaken by Revealing Reality and is intended to act as a resource for individuals or organisations with an interest in development and capability building in their sector.

This reflective research explores various aspects of the programme design, factors around individual and organisational participation and provides 10 summary considerations. This report is intended to strengthen the evidence base for further capacity building interventions, and with a focus on digital, but also to inform practitioners about this, still relatively novel type of support.

You can read the report on the Carnegie Trust website and follow the hashtag #NotWithoutMe on Twitter to join the conversation.

CLD Standards Council Conference 2020

Don’t forget to book your place at our #CLDSCConf2020 on 1 and 2 December. We have a packed programme but have made sure to include lots of opportunities for connecting with colleagues old and new. Register for the conference on Zoom.

SVQ in Youth Work Survey

We are leading a review of the SVQs in Youth work and are seeking views from youth workers, youth work employers, training organisations and educational institutions to inform that work. The SVQs in Youth Work are an important part of the network of qualifications that support the professional learning and development of youth workers in Scotland.

They were last update in 2015. Since then the Youth Work NOS have been revised. Consequently, there is a need to review the SVQs in Youth Work in order to ensure that they remain fit for purpose.
You can contribute your views to the Review by completing our online survey.

We are also planning to conduct interviews with interested parties. If you have things that you would like to say about the SVQs in Youth Work, you can express interest in being interviewed in your survey response or be emailing Graham Hewitson. (gghwork@btinternet.com)

You can complete the SVQ survey on SmartSurvey. The deadline for completing the online survey is 07 December 2020.

CLD Digital Inclusion Survey

The Scottish Government wants to find out the scale of need when it comes to digital exclusion. Your responses will play a vital role in shaping our policy interventions. We want to support those most disproportionately affected by COVID-19 by having the technology they need to access vital services. We would be extremely grateful if you could please complete this short digital inclusion survey and share this survey with your contacts as well.

SCVO Digital Inclusion Qualification

SCVO, in partnership with Glasgow Kelvin College, have created three SCQF credit rated courses, designed to support local people get online and take measures to address the digital skills gap in Scotland. Whilst the qualifications have been developed in collaboration with colleagues in the housing sector, there is relevance to CLD practitioners. CLDSC Member Rory Brown completed the Digital Inclusion Project Management (SCQF Level 8) which is designed to provide learners with the knowledge and skills required to design, implement and fully evaluate a digital skills project. It combines both Community Learning and Development (CLD) and Business principles and practices in a range of areas, including; researching current provision, partnership working, project management, recruitment, marketing and self-evaluation.

Here’s what Rory said about it:
“This course has been written to be a practical guide to thinking about, implementing and evaluating digital participation projects in a variety of contexts and reflects the CLDSC Competences. It’s perfect for anyone wanting to undertake flexible, place based learning. If you’re interested in Digital Participation and want a work based qualification to help guide you…then sign up. It’s AMAZING! ”

Other available courses are: Certificate in Digital Inclusion Support (SCQF Level 4) and Essential Skills for Digital Champions (SCQF Level 6). All courses are delivered online and are FREE! There are no entry requirements, other than having a strong interest in digital inclusion. Further information is available on the SCVO website.

New Minority Ethnic Recruitment Toolkit

The Working with Scotland’s Communities research identified the need for more diversity in the CLD workforce. Now the Scottish Government has published a toolkit for managers looking to recruit more people from minority ethnic backgrounds. It includes suggestions and ideas for aspects of the process from setting a strategic direction to sifting and interviewing. While a lot of the content has been drawn from practice that is used in parts of the public sector, the information may be equally useful to employers in other sectors.

You can access the toolkit on the Scottish Government website.

How are you doing? Report

The Children’s Parliament has published the fourth/final report for 2020 on the results from our How are you doing? national wellbeing survey for 8 to 14 year olds.

The survey report can be viewed on the Children’s Parliament website.

Community Development Alliance Scotland (CDAS) AGM and Networking Event

CDAS’s AGM will take place on Zoom on Thursday 3rd December, 10-11.30. As well as dealing with the AGM business, this will be an opportunity to network, with speakers and discussion on influencing decision-making, democratic participation, human rights and other topics.

You can register free on the CDAS website.

The November issue of the CDAS Bulletin, with a focus on collaborative working, is out; you can subscribe at the same address.

Housing First National Framework Consultation

A new National Framework for Housing First in Scotland has opened for consultation.

Housing First provides ordinary, settled housing as a first response to redress the disadvantages faced by people whose homelessness is made harder by longer-term experiences such as trauma and addiction. The National Framework is a ‘how to and why’ professional guide, setting out what each partner brings, and what each will need in order to make Housing First a success in all parts of the country from 2021. The Framework is designed for all organisations and sectors starting or scaling up Housing First in Scotland. It sets out the context in which the approach can be successfully delivered, and should act as a guide to planning, commissioning and implementing the approach.

Homeless Network Scotland has drafted the Framework with support from expert advisors from across national and local government, housing and support providers and the Pathfinders.

If you are an individual or organisation that has an interest in Housing First, or a role in delivering it, you can share your views by please responding to the consultation by 31 December 2020.

View the National Framework for Housing First (PDF)  and complete the consultation survey.

There is also a series of consultation webinars during November and December. Please follow @HFScotland on Twitter for updates and email housingfirst@homelessnetwork.scot to discuss any element of the Framework.

CLDSC Conference 2020 – Registration now open!

It’s been delayed by eight months, looks a little different and the programme has been updated to reflect our ever changing practice landscape, but we’re delighted to announce that Conference 2020 registration is now open!

Over the afternoon of 1 December (1.30-4pm) and the morning of 2 December (9.30am-1pm) we’ll take time to reenergise by focussing on our health and wellbeing as practitioners whilst looking to the future of CLD in 2021 and beyond. Gavin Oattes, author, comedian and managing director of Tree of Knowledge is our keynote speaker on the 1st. On the 2nd there will be panel inputs with Q & A sessions and member discussions where we will consider emerging issues for our profession. We’ll be using Zoom as the conference platform and our friends at SCVO are dealing with booking administration. Please register on Zoom to attend.

We look forward to seeing you but meantime, if you’re tweeting, please spread the word using #CLDSCConf2020.

Community Learning and Development (CLD) COVID-19 recovery guidance webinar series

In partnership with the Scottish Government, leaders from key national CLD organisations are collaborating to provide a series of webinars focussed on the recently updated CLD COVID-19 recovery guidance, and other relevant government guidance and related third sector advice on assessing risk and planning for re-opening safely.
• The series is designed to address a range of audiences in the CLD sector, both generic and practice specific. The webinars will be of most interest to managers and practitioners in the public, and third sector including community representatives planning the recovery of services, or adjusting recovery plans in light of ongoing changes in local circumstances.
• The webinars will offer a walkthrough the latest Scottish Government CLD guidance, highlight other related guidance, and provide an opportunity to learn from others’ experiences of interpreting and applying guidance in their context. Insights to the webinars will inform ongoing Scottish Government monitoring and review of the guidance.
• Delegates are invited to contribute a question in advance of the session, and we will aim to respond to as many of the emerging themes as we can.

Please sign up to the event of most relevance to your area of focus at the link below.

20th November, 3-4pm – CLD COVID-19 recovery guidance webinar for universal CLD audience
Register on Eventbrite for 20th November universal audience

24th November, 5.30 – 6.30 pm – CLD COVID-19 recovery guidance webinar for youth work
Register on Eventbrite for 24th November Youth work

25th November, 3-4pm – CLD COVID-19 recovery guidance webinar for adult learning
Register on Eventbrite for 25th November adult learning

26th November, 10-11:30am – CLD COVID-19 recovery guidance webinar for community development
Register on Eventbrite for 26th November community development

Stay in Scotland – a toolkit for EU citizens and their employers

Are you or is another CLD practitioner or volunteer you know an EU citizen? Perhaps some of the community members, learners or young people you work with are EU citizens. EU citizens must apply to the UK Government’s EU Settlement Scheme by 30 June 2021 in order to continue living, working and studying in the UK after that date. The Scottish Government’s Stay in Scotland toolkit includes information on the EU Settlement Scheme, details of the application process and requirements, links to other resources and some practical suggestions about how employers can support their EU employees in the workplace.

As part of the Stay in Scotland campaign Citizens Advice Scotland operate a free national helpline on 0800 916 9847 where people with questions about the EU Settlement Scheme can get confidential and impartial advice and support from qualified advisers. CLDSC members can help get this information out to those who need it. Full details can be found on the mygov.scot website.

Introduction to the STEM Ambassador Programme for CLD Practitioners

A webinar on Tuesday 17 November 4-5 pm is being hosted in conjunction with Education Scotland. It is open to anyone delivering CLD services and will provide information about the STEM ambassador programme and how it can support local CLD groups with a focus on young people and family learning.
You can register on Eventbrite for STEM Ambassador introduction.

Updated Covid-19 Guidance for CLD Sector

Scottish Government has published updated guidance for the CLD sector to include reference to the new protection levels which were introduced on 2 November.

Specific information has been included regarding the delivery of Youth Work and Adult Learning in each protection level. Please visit the Scottish Government website for more information.

Information for Community Development delivery can be found on the SCDC website.

Meet Up – Climate Emergency – 13 November 1-2pm

Join in the Climate emergency conversation at our next Virtual Meet Up. As CLD Professionals, our Code of Ethics, competences and values call us to be critically aware, well informed and proactive in addressing inequality and injustice.

Can we do more individually and collectively to address these issues? Does our practice need to change now in order for us to protect democratic, human rights and the natural environment for our own and future generations?

Register to attend on Eventbrite.

CLDSC Conference – 1 and 2 December 2020 – SAVE THE DATES!

Just a reminder that our Conference is back! We’re delighted to confirm that Gavin Oattes, author and managing director of Tree Of Knowledge will be our keynote speaker. Keep look out in your email inbox for registration and programme details.

CLDSC Membership– Tell a pal!

Encourage someone you know to join. If you have a colleague who is not yet a member send them this link to our new membership information video. It is just 2 minutes long and tells them everything they need to know.

Remember there are associate and registered member options. Benefits include taking part in Member meetups, our annual conference (see info above!), learning opportunities, and being part of your recognised professional body, not to mention this newsletter.

Apply online on i-develop.

Intercultural Youth Scotland Covid in Colour report

Intercultural Youth Scotland is “a youth-led movement dedicated to supporting young Black and young People of Colour to share, grow and succeed in their personal lives, at school and at work”. They “aim to give young people a chance to express themselves as well as help to expose the problems they currently face in Scottish society”.

Recognising the issues raised by both the Covid pandemic and the traumatic events leading to the Black Lives Matter movement, in their Covid in Colour research report they aim to tell “what the impact of these uncertain times has been on our Black and POC youth communities”.

Please visit the Intercultural Youth Scotland website for further information.

DTAS conference – 9-12 November 2020

We’re looking forward to attending the Development Trust Association Scotland (DTAS) virtual conference and hosting a virtual market stall. As with all things this year, it will be a bit different for us not to attend with our bundles of Competent Practitioner Framework booklets, Code of Ethics and of course, the obligatory CLDSC pens! However, it will be a valuable space to network and hear about the triumphs and challenges of DTAS members.

Visit the DTAS website for more information.

EPALE Conference October 2020 – view videos

The EPALE Community Conference brought together world-renowned policy makers, trainers, and professionals who focus on the powerful potential of our daily choices in teaching, providing education and training programmes for adults in different contexts. Lots of exciting topics were addressed, exploring the problem of how to reach groups at risk of social exclusion and the issues of inequality in accessing digital opportunities, digital inclusion of rural areas and the need to make sure that technological platforms and solutions are inclusive and not exclusive.

All the speeches at the conference touched on participation and engagement as key elements of inclusive education and effective outreach. You can view the speeches, panel and workshops on the EPALE website.

Member Meet Up 13 November 1-2pm – Climate Emergency

Climate emergency represents a crucial moment for all human beings to take stock of our circumstances and review what impact our activities or lack of them are having on the planet and potential future generations. CLD Professionals have a code of ethics and set of values that calls us to be critically aware, well informed and proactive in addressing inequality and injustice – climate emergency and the Covid 19 pandemic exacerbate and magnify already catastrophic levels of inequality both locally and globally.

Can we do more individually and collectively to address these issues? How does our practice need to change now in order for us to protect democratic, human rights and the natural environment for our own and future generations?

To join the conversation, Register on Eventbrite.

CLD Standards Council Conference 2020 – Did you save the date?

As we said last week, the CLDSC Member Conference is back! We are hosting a virtual conference over 1st and 2nd December and we’ll have a split day format (Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning) so that we avoid zoom fatigue and increase opportunities for members to participate. We’ll also make sure as many inputs as possible are recorded and placed on i-develop so you can access them if you’re not able to attend. More details will follow soon.

Education Scotland Events

Education Scotland CLD colleagues are hosting a range of events over the next few weeks – see below for information and joining details:

Introduction to the STEM Ambassador Programme for CLD Practitioners
Tuesday 17th November, 4pm – 5pm Platform: Zoom
Sign up to join the session on Eventbrite.

ESOL Practitioner national webinar
Wednesday 18th November 10am – 11am
Register to attend the webinar

4 lunchtime Blethers for CLD practitioners in the West of Scotland
Register to attend the Blethers

Outdoor Education Funding 

The Scottish Government has announced it will provide £2 million of funding to mitigate the financial challenges facing the residential outdoor education sector as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.  The package will include funding to help centres provide safe, impactful outdoor learning experiences to support young people’s education and wellbeing through this challenging period. Discussions on administration of the package of support continue and details of how to apply will be made available as soon as possible.

For further information please visit the Scottish Government Help for residential outdoor education.

Get into Governance – Free Virtual Workshop

Joining a board is a great way to share your views, enhance your skills, expand your professional networks and make a difference to your local community.
To find out more about becoming a board member join CDN and Changing the Chemistry for the free Get into Governance virtual workshop on 9 November at 6pm.

The workshop will explore why you should consider going on a board, and hear from current board members in the education and third sector about their experience and what joining a board has done for them. It will also provide information on the support and training available including the new Get into Governance training programme.

Further information and booking on the CDN site.

Exams 2020: Review and Scottish Government Response

Scottish Government commissioned a rapid review of the processes through which National Qualifications were awarded in 2020 after exams were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The review made 9 recommendations for the future, 8 of which have been accepted by Scottish Government.

Among the recommendations accepted were suspension of the 2021 National 5 exams, development of improved systems for moderation of assessments not based on exams and – of particular interest from a CLD perspective – development of more systematic processes for working with and engaging young people, as stakeholders and rights holders in education.

The recommendation not accepted was for commissioning of independent research into the development and application of the 2020 Alternative Certification Model.

You can access the review report on the Scottish Government website and the Scottish Government Response.

National Standards for Community Engagement – Recovery and Renewal

The Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC) is offering a guide to the National Standards for Community Engagement, which aims to help with thinking about how to engage communities for recovery and renewal. It covers some of the issues arising from the Covid-19 pandemic which are impacting on communities and which might make it more difficult for people to take part in engagement activity. It also points to useful resources and online tools that can help address these issues.

You can download the guidance from the Voice Scotland website.

CLD Standards Council Conference 2020 

Well, we thought it might not happen and it certainly won’t happen the way we thought, but, your CLDSC Member Conference is back!  We’ll be hosting a virtual conference over 1st and 2nd December so save the date!  After having to cancel our original dates in March, we’ve taken time to review and reflect on how our world is changing and learn from the lessons our online interactions have taught us.

Through increased engagement with members and experiencing a range of webinars, workshops, blethers and conferences during the last 6 months, we’ll have a split day format (Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning) so that we avoid zoom fatigue and increase opportunities for members to participate. We’ll also make sure as many inputs as possible are recorded and placed on i-develop so you can access them if you’re not able to attend. We’re still working on the programme, so watch this space for information and booking details. Can’t wait to see you!

Framework for Good Practice in Working with Volunteers in ESOL

We were delighted to be part of the steering group developing the Framework for Good Practice in Working with Volunteers in ESOL and we’re now proud to highlight its launch. As you will know, volunteers bring enthusiasm and a range of other valuable skills. This Framework aims to aid organisations to reflect on their practice to ensure a positive volunteering experience for learners, volunteers and projects. We hope it will be an interesting read and source of support for projects of any size.  

You can continue to share ideas on Volunteering in ESOL page on i-develop. 
You might also want to attend one of the events below:

7th November: NATECLA Scotland conference online. Book here.
26th November: National discussion (Scotland) event for volunteer ESOL coordinators. Book on Eventbrite. 

Scottish Educational Research Association (SERA) Conference 2020

To mark the 2020 conference SERA has organised three online events. The theme for the week of events is:
Education and Educational Research – past, present and future.

Monday 16th November 4pm – 5:30pm
Wednesday 18th November 4pm – 5:30pm
Thursday 19th November 4pm – 5:30pm

Look out for more information about speakers and registering for the events on Twitter and the SERA website over the coming weeks.

EPALE UK in Conversation with the Adult Learning Sector

EPALE is hosting a day of online workshops: ‘EPALE UK in conversation with the Adult learning sector’ on Tuesday 10 November 10.30am-3.30pm. 

Participants will have the chance to share learning experiences, discuss challenges facing the sector, and make valuable connections with like-minded adult learning practitioners.

Particularly relevant themes including digital skills, community learning, and inclusion, will all be covered.

Click to register on Eventbrite

Carnegie UK: ‘Learning from Lockdown: 12 Steps to Eliminate Digital Exclusion’

Since the outbreak of Covid-19 the scale of digital exclusion in the UK has been exposed and exacerbated beyond previous understanding. While new initiatives have been rapidly and successfully delivered, substantially accelerating progress and ensuring thousands of individuals now have appropriate digital access, there is still much more to be done to ensure no one in the UK is left digitally excluded. 

In its new report, Carnegie UK sets out a series of 12 recommendations calling for ambitious action from policy makers, practitioners, academia and industry. The recommendations build on work on digital inclusion over the past decade, and particularly draw on learning and reflections from the coronavirus outbreak and lockdown period. 

You can read the report here and follow the hashtag #12stepsfordigital on Twitter to join the conversation. 

Scottish Funding Council – Review of Coherent Provision and Sustainability

Back in August, we told you that we’d submitted a response to the review of sustainability on Further and Higher Education being led by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), the national, strategic body that funds further and higher education and research in Scotland. The review has now been published and you can access it on the SFC website.

Best Wishes
CLD Standards Council

CLDSC Member Meet-ups

Thanks to all those who joined in and shared their practice in using the CLD competences to challenge poverty at last week’s Virtual Meet-up. Our next meet-up will take place at 1 pm on Friday 13 November when we will look at the role of CLD practitioners in tackling climate change. Register for the Meet up on Eventbrite.

You can suggest and select topics for the meet-ups, or volunteer to lead or present on this or future Meet-ups by joining our Slack group workspace (you can download the Slack app on a tablet or phone). We can chat, share information, files, and more. Increasing numbers of people are joining and chatting about CLD practice. If you’d like to join, email contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk and we’ll send you the workspace invite!

Feedback from Network inputs

During September, we provided inputs to a range of network meetings and webinars hosted by Education Scotland. We spoke with Adult Learning, Adult Literacy & Numeracy practitioners to tell them about what the Standards Council has been doing, highlight some new resources and get their views on the benefits of membership. We also asked people to tell us if there were any particular reasons that they hadn’t joined CLDSC – for most people who aren’t members, it’s on their To Do list!

Below are some of the benefits they identified of being a member of CLD Standards Council. If you’d like us to come along to your team or organisation to talk about registration, have a tour of i-develop or just find out a bit more about us, please get in touch.

Citizen Literacy App Test and Evaluation Opportunity

The Citizen Literacy project is developing an app and learning resources to support adult learners improve their reading and writing skills.
The app uses voice and handwriting recognition technologies for learner input and features virtual tutor voices to provide information and directions to learners. The final version of the app will be free to use, with no registration required, no adverts and no personal data recorded.

There is an opportunity to provide direct input into the design process through a test and evaluation exercise for the app.
You can find all the information and web links you need to participate in the testing and evaluation exercise on the Citizen Literacy web page. You will also find a user and feedback guide and options for providing your feedback, as well as evaluation copies of the Teacher Handbook and Student Workbook, and a link to the ‘White Paper’ that provides background information about adult literacy in the UK.

Feedback to the Social Renewal Advisory Board

Help shape a fairer recovery after coronavirus by submitting your ideas to the Social Renewal Advisory Board, which has been set up by the Scottish Government.
This is an invitation for you to tell the board what needs to change to bring about a Fairer Scotland in the future, based on your learning from the COVID pandemic.
Your ideas could focus on one of the themes discussed by the board: housing and place, work, income, public services, and attitudes and discrimination. Or on something else you think is important.
Any organisation should feel free to send in ideas. The Advisory Board would particularly like to hear from groups working with people with protected characteristics.
Further information is available on Communities Channel Scotland

Community-led Action research toolkit

National Youth Work Conference –

Youth Work 2020: Resilient, resourceful and reimagined

Online Event: Tuesday 3rd and Wednesday 4th November 2020, 10am to 2.30pm.

The National Youth Work Conference will showcase the strength and adaptability of the sector, share practice from across Scotland – and internationally – and explore the future direction of youth work.
This event is for member organisations of YouthLink Scotland, but is also open to anyone who has an interest in making the youth work sector in Scotland ever more resilient, growing our resources and working towards a positive future for young people.
More information including programme for the event and online booking available on the YouthLink website.