CLDSC Member Bulletin – 09 September 2020

Adult Learners Week 2020

This is Adult Learners Week and not even a global pandemic can keep Adult Learners Week down! Have a look on Twitter for all the latest goings on. Use the Hashtags #ALW2020 and #AdultLearningMatters to hone in on all things adult learning. Why not follow some of these amazing adult learning organisations and supporters:

Scotland’s Learning Partnership @SLPLearn
Learning Link Scotland @LearningLinkSCO
WEA Scotland @WEAScotland
Lead Scotland @leadscot_tweet
Education Scotland @EdScotCLD

You can also have a look at the Education Scotland Adult Learning Wakelet

Join Us at the Scottish Charity Awards Ceremony!

The Scottish Charity Awards recognise and celebrate the best that Scotland’s voluntary sector has to offer and CLD Standards Council is proud to be sponsoring the Celebrating Communities Award at this year’s #ScotCharityAwards. Sally Magnusson is presenting live and there will be surprise special guests too. The six finalists in the Celebrating Communities category are listed below:

Cyrenians – Flavour and Haver Community Cook School – improves health and wellbeing by helping people develop skills and confidence around cooking through free cooking classes, supper clubs and community cook clubs across Edinburgh, Fife and the Lothians.

Headway East Lothian SCIO – supports brain injury survivors and their families/carers. To increase community engagement and improve health and well-being levels the team devised an art project with participants and art tutors, using inspiration from nature to create a two week art exhibition.

Milan Senior Welfare Organisation – delivers essential services meeting the social, cultural, language and care needs of older people in Edinburgh. Milan provides the only registered day care provision specifically for South Asian communities in Edinburgh, as well as a carers support group.

Perth Autism Support (PAS) – supports autistic young people and their families and delivers training across Scotland, with services based on listening to children and families and ensuring resources are what they want, at a time that is right for them.

Space & Broomhouse Hub – addresses poverty in South West Edinburgh, last year opening a new community hub and developing Broomhouse Home Farm to create the opportunity to grow high quality local food on a site, run by local residents, bringing in young and old, to community growing activities.

Supporting our Community – a community hub in South Lanarkshire helping families struggling to access support and offers intergenerational activities that encourage community participation, reduce isolation and signpost to other agencies.

The ceremony is being held online on Friday 25 September and we’d like to invite you to join us for virtual pre-ceremony drinks reception at 6pm. Get your glad rags on, top up your glass and join fellow CLDSC members to celebrate the work of CLD in the voluntary sector. The ceremony is scheduled to take place form 7-8pm and we hope to watch together as it will be live streamed on YouTube.

To join us on the night, register on Eventbrite

SCVO Webinar Q&A with Professor Jason Leitch

The webinar is now available to watch online here: SCVO Webinar Please feel free to share with colleagues.

There’s also a blog on the SCVO website summarising the key messages from the webinar and helpfully highlighting key answers to commonly asked questions by taking you to the exact spot on the webinar e.g. Can our organisation’s AGM be held indoors?; What is the advice for reopening community centres?; Are community support groups allowed to restart and meet?

Upcoming Webinars from SCVO include:
Access to Community Facilities – 15 September
DigitShift – Delivering effective online learning – 17 September

Virtual meet-up 11 September 1-2pm – Put the Kettle On for MacMillan

Don’t forget to register for our next virtual meet up which will combine a good old blether about anything and everything related to CLD while raising a coffee cup and a few pounds for Macmillan’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning.

A chance to catch up, share stories, get support. There’s a lot going on at the moment, so we’re pretty sure we won’t run out of things to talk about! So, grab your cuppa and cake, consider making a donation. You can register and donate on on the Macmillan site. Please email us at contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk to join in.

Thank you.

Free online course for learners from Lead Scotland

Lead Scotland have announced a new free online course, ‘Everyday computer skills: a beginner’s guide to computers, tablets, mobile phones and accessibility’, produced for and by disabled learners, in partnership with Open University in Scotland (OUiS). The course is designed for beginners and may be useful for participants receiving digital devices as part of the Connecting Scotland initiative.

To learn more and register for the course, please go to the Lead Scotland website.

On 29th September at 11am, LEAD will be hosting a webinar demonstrating ‘Everyday computer skills: a beginner’s guide to computers, tablets, mobile phones and accessibility’. You’ll hear from the people involved in its creation about what the course has to offer, how to support people to use it and have a chance to ask any questions.

CLDSC Member Bulletin – 2 September 2020

Scottish Government Programme for Government 2020-21

CLD, and issues that will be of interest to CLDSC members, are well represented in the Programme for Government published yesterday.

See the full programme on the Scottish Government website

We will be exploring implications, challenges and opportunities with committees and members in the coming weeks.

In particular, the Programme:

Commits to developing a lifelong learning strategy:
“We know that COVID-19 has increased the poverty gap for Scotland’s most marginalised adults and young people, and reinforced that we must to do more to support vulnerable young people and adults with few or no qualifications, including those for whom English is not a first language. We will develop a lifelong learning strategy that ensures youth and adult learning are integrated within our wider education and skills system. Implementation of the strategy would seek to increase provision for vulnerable adults by building on existing and creating new learning partnerships between colleges, the Open University and community based organisations.”
Highlights that “Our experience during COVID-19 school closures..reinforced the vital role played by community learning and development in supporting young people and families – a role that will become ever more important in our recovery year. As part of our support to the sector we will allocate £3 million to a new Youth Work for Education Recovery Fund, supporting young people to engage with youth work activities that build their confidence and skills, support their health and well being, and address the poverty related attainment gap.”
And commits to legislation that “fully and directly incorporates into Scots law the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
Indicates that the Scottish Government wants “to harness the energy of communities to ensure they are a core part of how we do economic development in Scotland” and that “this is also the time to build on the progress we have been making on Community Wealth Building. This is a way of working that looks to reorganise our local economies to maximise local opportunities and resilience – ensuring that local people and businesses have a genuine stake in producing, owning and enjoying the wealth they create.”

Guidance update to support the reopening of indoor Youth Work

The Scottish Government have issued Guidance for the safe running of indoor and outdoor organised activities for children and young people.

View the Guidance on the Scottish Government site

This guidance is for unregulated activities and services provided indoors for children and young people, including babies and toddlers, that are voluntary, 3rd sector, parent or peer led or unregulated providers delivering a service or activity directly to children under 18.

Placement Supervisor Training and Support

CLD Standards Council is currently working with colleges, universities and employers to think about how we can best support students through the creation of a Scotland–wide placement supervisor professional training and development qualification. If you have not done so already please respond to one of the surveys below to help us shape this work:

Virtual meet-up 11 September 1-2pm – Put the Kettle On for MacMillan

Our next virtual meet up with combine a good old blether about anything and everything related to CLD while raising a coffee cup and a few pounds for MacMillan’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning.
There’s no theme for this Meet-Up; just a chance to catch up, share stories, get support. There’s a lot going on at the moment, so we’re pretty sure we won’t run out of things to talk about! So, grab your cuppa and cake and consider making a donation. You can register and donate on this MacMillan Support page
Thank you.

Digital Inclusion Fund applications now open

There has never been a more important time to end digital poverty, please help us spread the word about this new fund for young adult learners.

£250K CLD programme to tackle the digital divide

The new £250,000 programme has been launched as part of an ongoing effort to address digital poverty.
The Digital Inclusion Fund will be used to facilitate the purchase of laptops, tablets, adaptive/assistive equipment and other devices in order to promote digital inclusion and connectivity, and is open to organisations working with young adult learners.

To qualify, the supported young adult learners must be:

Aged 16 to 30
Who are actively supported by Community Learning and Development
Are not in full-time education, employment or training

Covid-19 has highlighted the stark digital divide that exists in Scotland.

As part of wider digital inclusion efforts, the Scottish Government and the CLD sector have been working to address the digital divide for young adult learners.
YouthLink Scotland, WEA and Lead Scotland will work together with their networks to reach those who could benefit most from support to access digital equipment and the internet. This is a limited fund, we would therefore ask you to prioritise those most in need of this support, and who may not be able to access other similar programmes such as Connecting Scotland.
Access further information about the Digital Inclusion Fund criteria (PDF)
Complete the online application form
The closing date for applications is the 25th of September (5pm).

Wee blether for youth work

Education Scotland are hosting an online Wee Blether on 7 September at 4pm.

This will be an opportunity for schools and youth work practitioners to reflect on the contributions that youth work makes to closing the poverty related attainment gap and discuss how to strengthen collaboration between schools and their youth work partners during the recovery phase.
This blether is for head teachers, teachers, and CLD practitioners.
Book your place on the Education Scotland events page

There is still time to apply for Erasmus+ Youth Funding

Final deadline for application: October 1st 2020.

Erasmus+ is the European Union programme for education, training, youth and sport. Since the current programme started 2014, youth organisations and young people in Scotland have accessed more than 5 million Euros of Erasmus+ funding to support life-changing international opportunities. The current programme is due to end in December and the UK Government will decide whether the UK will be part of future programmes but that means that there is still one more round of funding to apply for.

Erasmus+ Youth Strand can fund a range of activities including youth volunteering projects, youth exchanges, mobility projects for young people and youth workers, international partnerships, and projects to shape youth policy.

The British Council has provided guidance for applicants and recipients of Erasmus+ funding as a result of the Covid-19 crisis. For example, they suggest that organisations may wish to consider applying for ‘blended’ activities , with virtual elements supported by physical mobilities in the future.

Check out the Erasmus+ site for more information about what you can apply for and how to go about it.

Celebrating the Impact of Adult Learning Photo Competition

EPALE UK Star Supporter Photo Competition 2020 is now open!
The theme is Celebrating the Impact of Adult Learning and how it is benefiting our community.
See full details on the EPALE competition page
The prizes are Instax Cameras with built-in printers. All UK individuals and organisations working in the field of adult education are welcome to participate. Entries will be accepted until 12pm on October 20, 2020.

CLDSC Member Bulletin – 26 August 2020

Message from Gayle Gorman Chief Executive of Education Scotland

The success of recent collaborations – and let’s have more

There is no doubt that 2020 will be a year which we won’t forget in a hurry. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has been felt right across the country, and indeed the world, and not least by those of us involved in the delivery of education in Scotland. As establishments closed their doors, partnership working and the role of CLD practitioners became ever more important. The swift move to a totally different delivery model meant that those working in Community Learning and Development had to adapt to a new way of working very quickly.

The agility and flexibility of CLD practitioners responding to need at a neighbourhood level during lockdown, has been impressive and clearly evident across the length and breadth of Scotland. This rapid shift to a new way of working has brought about new and strengthened relationships between CLD practitioners, school staff and allied professionals. Leading with an intelligence informed approach, these collaborations have achieved so much together in extremely complex circumstances.

The common goal and shared commitment to identify and target support to vulnerable children, young people and families in our communities has ensured vital services were available to those who needed them most.

There have been many examples of that support: from providing childcare hubs; food hubs; preparing and delivering free school meals; supporting learning at home; and, many more things besides. There are also many examples of where practitioners’ commitment to shift CLD services online enabled learning to continue, with new services developed to respond specifically to learners needs amid the Covid-19 crisis. I am very proud of what the sector has achieved and you should be too.

All of this work has created a strong legacy upon which to build and I am optimistic that we can all work together to further develop these collaborations.

I don’t want to single out any one example, but I was very interested to see the multi-agency approach Dumfries and Galloway Council took to offer online Q&A sessions for children, young people and parents during lockdown highlighted on twitter. Education, CLD, social work and others, working side-by-side to provide online support for learners and families.

So much has been learned, so much has been achieved – and there are now opportunities to capitalise on these effective collaborations. Let’s make the most of this new found momentum and take it forward into our recovery and renewal.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your enormous efforts. I hope you have managed to get some time over the summer to rest and relax and that you are ready to take on the challenges of the next session – whatever they may be.
Gayle Gorman
Chief Executive, Education Scotland

Shape CLD in Scotland – Last call for Committee Recruitment!

Applications to join one of our committees must be submitted by 31 August, so if you’re thinking about applying, go on….you know you want to!

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. All appointments will be made for an initial 3 year period. We need people who can represent the increasingly diverse nature of community learning and development practice however, we are particularly interested in hearing from colleagues 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 equalities
From the Further Education sector
Working or volunteering in a rural setting

See the CLDSC Website for more information and the application pack.

CLD Standards Council members publish new book

Congratulations to Karen McArdle, Sue Briggs, Kirsty Forrester, Ed Garrett and Catherine McKay, all long standing members of the CLD Standards Council, on writing and publishing a new book for CLD.

The book is called The impact of Community Work – How to gather evidence
It provides essential guidance for professionals and pre-qualifying students on how to gather and generate evidence of the impact of projects in the community.
Including case studies from diverse community settings, it provides easy to implement, practical ideas and examples of methods to demonstrate the impact of community work.
Considering not only evaluation, but also the complex processes of evidence gathering, it will help all those involved with work in the community to demonstrate the impact and value of their work.
The book is available to buy from Policy Press

EPALE Community Stories initiative

The EPALE Community Stories initiative has helped communities share the issues and challenges they have been facing since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
So far, they have collected 78 stories from 28 countries, including entries from older people, librarians, museum curators, language teachers, and more.
You can read a sample of stories and download a summary on the EPALE website.

If you’re a member of EPALE, you can contribute your own experiences – they’re particularly keen for more UK stories. If you’re not, why not join –it’s free and has lots of Adult Learning resources and information.

Adult Learning webinar – 2 September at 11 am

Education Scotland is hosting a webinar for Adult Learning practitioners with inputs from Lead Scotland, Learning Link, local authority CLD provider, CLDSC and more…
If you’d like to join in, you can register on Eventbrite.
Or see other events Education Scotland are organising on their Professional Learning Events pages.

Free online events and training for community and youth groups to help get your voice heard

The UK Parliament offers free workshops and presentations on how to take action and be heard on the issues that are important to your group.
You can book an online session for your group and feel the benefit of first-hand expertise guiding you to a rich understanding of UK democracy. There are a range of workshops to choose from and each can be tailored to suit your group’s needs.

Find out more at: https://learning.parliament.uk/outreach/community-and-youth-groups/

CLDSC Member Bulletin – 19 August 2020

CLD Standards Council – Get involved!

We’re moving forward a lot of work areas this year and we’d love it if some of our members could get involved. We have set up a range of short term working groups, all taking place between now and March 2021. Each group will meet virtually and there may be some tasks to do between meetings. The frequency and duration of working group meetings will be agreed by each group.

Examples of areas we’re looking for your experience and input to include:

Practice Placements – creation of a Supervisor Training Course
i-develop – reviewing the platform and content
Youth Work SVQ – reviewing the existing SVQ to take account of the updated Youth Work National Occupational Standards.
Approvals Process – moving our existing Approvals process from Guidelines to Standards
CLD Career Pathways – developing the work highlighted in our recent report.

We also have an ongoing Equalities Reference Group that we’d love you to join.
For more information on the working groups, have a look at the detail on i-develop
If you’d like to get involved, or to find out more, please email contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk

Survey of Online Professional Learning

The CLD Standards Council is reviewing our online learning provision. We are keen to gather your views and details of use of professional learning online, and the i-develop service in particular. This information will help us support the professional learning needs of CLD practitioners and to update the i-develop platform accordingly.

Please complete the Survey of Online Professional Learning

The CLD Standards Council provides the i-develop platform to support professional learning. However, it has been several years since there was a significant service update and there has been increased use for various groups and purposes.
So we want to hear from you so that we can improve the support and service provided. If you haven’t used i-develop in ages – tell us why !

Please also pass the survey link on to CLD colleagues.

Supervisor Training and Support

Thanks to everyone who has responded to one of the surveys on Supervisor Training and Support included in last week’s newsletter. The closing date for responses is 4 September. We would particularly appreciate some more responses from former students who have completed their course within the last 5 years.
In case you missed it last week, CLD Standards Council is currently working with colleges, universities and employers to think about how we can best support students through the creation of a Scotland–wide placement supervisor professional training and development qualification.
Responding to one of the survey’s below will help us shape this work:

If you or your organisation is interested in finding out more about CLD Practice Placements and what’s involved, get in touch!
You can email us at contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk

A Review of Coherent Provision and Sustainability in Further and Higher Education: Consultation Response

The CLD Standards Council recently contributed to the review of provision and sustainability in Further and Higher Education. This review is being led by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) who is the national, strategic body that funds further and higher education, and research in Scotland. They have been asked by Scottish Ministers to review how best we can secure coherent provision by post-16 education bodies and the undertaking of research, in these changing times.
Further to the Cumberford-Little Report, One Tertiary System: Agile, Collaborative, Inclusive and our recent CLD Career pathway review we were keen to ensure CLD and its component parts, were included in our response.
You can find our response on the website.

Phase 2 of Connecting Scotland has been launched today

This is worth £15 million to help 23,000 more people get online.
This investment phase will prioritise disadvantaged families with children and young people leaving care. These families will get a device, twelve months unlimited data as well as technical support to get online safely and securely.
Households will also be linked with a Digital Champion who will provide six months of training and support over the phone. Suitable recipients will be identified by local authorities and third sector organisations who apply to the programme on behalf of those they support.
Full information can be found on the Connecting Scotland website.

The Connecting Scotland programme is delivered in partnership with the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and local authorities in collaboration with a broad range of local, public and third sector organisations.

Research on communities and active travel

Scottish Community Development Centre has been commissioned by Sustrans to research how and why communities engage (or don’t engage) with active travel projects (view definition of active travel). All types and sizes of community and voluntary organisations across the country are asked to give their views.

Wherever you are on your active travel journey your experience matters: from those who have never even considered an active travel project, to those that are thinking and planning one, to those who have successfully completed one. Whatever your organisation’s focus, Sustrans would like to know how they can work with all sections of our communities to deliver the benefits of active travel to everyone.

Complete the short survey on active travel
Survey closes Friday 28th August at midnight.

CLDSC Member Bulletin – 12 August 2020

CLD Practice Placement Edition

As Scotland’s educational establishments begin to open up, our CLD students and training providers are facing a “new-normal” as they prepare for the academic year ahead. This includes CLD practice placements and how they will be newly constructed and affected. Over recent months the CLD Standards Council has been developing guidance to help support our sector with the practicalities of CLD student placements. More information can be found here:
Guidance for CLD students and programme providers
Restarting CLD Sector Guidance from the Scottish Government

As practice placements are an essential part of our learning journey, in Scotland we have a number of colleges and universities who ask their students to undertake work placements, integral to their CLD course. The essence of learning to do the job well is in grasping the link between theories and what actually happens when we work with people, their communities and the organisations that impact upon their lives. As part of our recent discussions with sector leads we recently posed the question to employers: what’s your experience of supporting CLD students?

Practice Placements Providers

One employer told us that having a student augmented and supported the work of their organisation: “the student undertook some very valuable work …. very worthwhile”. Many placement providers found that having a student was healthy for their organisation as having research undertaken or questions asked about CLD standards within their own context helped to shape and evaluate their services.

Supervisors

Many supervisors take the opportunity to support a student in order to develop their leadership and management experience and reflect on their own practice. Some reported a boost in their own motivation with one CLDSC Member stating: “I was very gratified to see, at first hand, a student with the passion and commitment for and to the values and principles of C.L.D. and its emancipatory potential as well as the insight to be able to bring theory into practice. I was also inspired to revisit theory that had faded in my memory as well as to discover new perspectives.” Other supervisors said that supporting a student helped their professional learning as it challenged them to keep up to date with recent theory and research.

Students

CLD students report that practice placement not only helped them with on-the-job training but that it helped them to grow and develop their professional network. Students have said that they welcomed partnership working and gained from coaching and mentoring around essential paperwork including reflective logs and work-plans.

Supervisor Training and Support

The CLD Standards Council is currently working with colleges, universities and employers to think about how we can best support students through the creation of a Scotland–wide placement supervisor professional training and development qualification.
To help us shape this work we would be grateful if you could complete the following surveys:

Placement Supervisors survey

Students Survey

Survey for people who would like to be a supervisor

If you or your organisation is interested in finding out more about CLD Practice Placements and what’s involved, get in touch!
You can email us at contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk

CLDSC Member Bulletin – 5 August 2020

CLDSC Virtual Meet Up – Engaging with learners and communities in the ‘new normal’

The next member meet up will be on Friday 14 August at 1 pm. You can register for the Meet-up on Eventbrite.
Join with CLDSC members to share how you are engaging learners and communities. Does digital help? What’s difficult? How can we adapt our outreach and detached youth work approaches for other contexts? Where can we meet and begin to engage with learners when still socially distancing?

You can also 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!

Survey of Online Professional Learning

Please complete the Survey of Online Professional Learning

Professional learning and development is an essential activity that enhances the quality and impact of CLD practice and is an ongoing requirement for registration with the CLD Standards Council. Increasingly professional learning is conducted through online means – for collaboration, personal research, keeping up to date, as well as formal learning courses.
The CLD Standards Council provides the i-develop platform to support professional learning. However, it has been several years since there was a significant service update and there has been increased use for various groups and purposes.
So we want to hear from you so that we can improve the support and service provided.
If you haven’t used i-develop in ages – tell us why !

Please also pass the survey on to CLD colleagues.

CLD Response to COVID-19 Survey: Wave 3 Results and next steps

112 practitioners responded to wave 3 of the CLDSC’s survey of the CLD Response to COVID-19. Two thirds of these had not responded previously so the reach of the survey has increased.
The wave 3 results confirmed that CLD practitioners are involved in essential front-line responses to Covid 19 in a variety of ways. A smaller proportion of respondents than previously reported involvement in supporting vulnerable adults, and a higher proportion that they were involved in school hubs, which appears to reflect changes in needs and priorities. A point of concern is that there was an increase in the proportion of respondents worried about wellbeing at work.
The results of wave 3, which ran from 18 May to the 17 June, are available on the website.

Wave 4 was closed on the 31 July. We are now analysing the data and considering how to best present the findings form the survey so far and to capture CLD practitioners’ experiences and impact in the next stages of recovery.

Many thanks to everyone who has responded to waves 1-4 of the survey, and extra thanks to those who have provided a series of responses.

Updated guidance for CLD Practitioners on working safely

We have been highlighting the Scottish Government’s COVID-19 guidance for the CLD sector, which aims “to help local authorities, third sector organisations and partners working in Scotland’s schools, colleges and communities to provide community learning and development (CLD) services safely.”

The guidance is being kept under review and has now been updated. It contains a wealth of important information and we would encourage all members to make use of it.

You can view the updated guidance on the Scottish Government website, or you can download from the CLD Standards Council website in PDF format.

Tackling Child Poverty

Scottish Government funding announced for Colleges and their CLD partners to work together to Tackle Child Poverty

The Scottish Government has made up to £300,000 available to the college sector from the Tackling Child Poverty Fund in 2020-21. Applications are invited from colleges and their partners for joint proposals that support young people and young parents who have grown up in poverty to have positive destinations and to build a future for themselves and their families. Proposals will be required to demonstrate how colleges are working with their community learning and development partners to maximise impact and sustainability.

You can find more information about how to apply on the Scottish Funding Council website.
The closing date for applications is 31 August.

Scottish Government Third Sector Survey – LAST CALL FOR RESPONSES

The Scottish Government is keen to develop its understanding of how national measures and local effort are supporting those at risk due to Covid-19, to inform consideration of future support options. They are reaching out to third sector partners for information on the kind of groups being supported and the types of support being provided during the crisis, as well as for views on working with other organisations through this period and what future needs might be.
Please share your views and complete this online survey by this Friday, 7th August.

CLD Response to COVID-19 Survey: Wave 3 Results

The CLD Standards Council asked practitioners to complete a short survey to gather information and examples on the CLD Response to COVID-19.

The responses are being reviewed in monthly waves. Wave 3 ran from 19 May to 17 June 2020.

112 practitioners responded to wave 3 of the CLDSC’s survey of the CLD Response to COVID-19. Two thirds of these had not responded previously so the reach of the survey has increased.

Wave 3 results confirmed that CLD practitioners are involved in essential front-line responses to Covid 19 in a variety of ways. A smaller proportion of respondents than previously reported involvement in supporting Vulnerable adults, and a higher proportion that they were involved in School hubs, which appears to reflect changes in needs and priorities. A point of concern is that there was an increase in the proportion of respondents worried about wellbeing at work.

Statistical results for wave 3

CLD Response to COVID-19 Wave 3 Results (PDF)Download

Previous wave results

You can also view –

What’s next ?

Wave 4 of the survey was closed on the 31 July. We are now analysing the data and considering how to best present the findings form the survey so far and to capture CLD practitioners’ experiences and impact in the next stages of recovery.

CLDSC Member Bulletin – 29 July 2020

Final call on Wave 4 of the CLD Response to COVID-19 Survey

The fourth wave of the survey will close this Friday 31 July.
Please complete the survey here: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/6R65JN/
Please also pass the link on to any CLD colleagues. We really appreciate your support with this task at this busy time.

CLDSC Virtual Meet Ups

The next member meet up will on Friday 14 August and you can register for the Meet-up on Eventbrite.

You can also suggest and select topics for the meet-ups, or volunteer to lead or present at a Meet-up 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!

New CLDSC Introduction video

Have a look at our new video outlining our key roles as your professional association.
Please feel free to share with your wider networks to help raise awareness of CLD and how we support your professional practice and professional learning.

Scottish Communities for Health and Wellbeing

Starting 14 years ago as a network of local healthy living centres, Scottish Communities for Health and Wellbeing (SCHW) now involves around 75 community-led health and wellbeing improvement organisations. They have created a Blueprint for a Healthier Scotland to present as a proposal to the Scottish Government – you can access the blueprint and find out more on the SCHW website.

Children, Young People and Families COVID-19 Evidence and Intelligence Report

This is the third report from the Scottish Government with SOLACE and other partners to provide an overview of the evidence on the impact of COVID-19 and the associated lockdown measures for children, young people and families, in particular for those experiencing the greatest challenges. A wide range of evidence sources were reviewed and intelligence was gathered from both local partnerships and third sector organisations.
View the report on the Scottish Government website.

A Review of Coherent Provision and Sustainability in Further and Higher Education: Call for Evidence

The CLD Standards Council have been invited to contribute to the current review of provision and sustainability in Further and Higher Education. This review is being led by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) which is the national, strategic body that funds further and higher education, and research in Scotland. They have been asked by Scottish Ministers to review how best we can secure coherent provision by post-16 education bodies and the undertaking of research, in these changing times.
Further to the Cumberford-Little Report, One Tertiary System: Agile, Collaborative, Inclusive and our recent CLD pathway review it is important that a CLD response is made.
You can find further information on the SFC website.

Call for Contributors to a special issue of Education Sciences (online journal)

A special edition of Education Sciences Journal seeking to emphasise the value of informal education, its values and practices not only for students of education or informal education, but for society as a whole is being produced. The guest editors (Prof. Dr. Pam Alldred and Dr. Frances Howard [Nottingham Trent University]) want to curate a series of articles that celebrate the distinctive contribution of CLD practitioners to the development of informal education pedagogies. Contributions are invited covering (and not limited to) the following themes:

Critical pedagogy
Group work/self-directed learning
Digital Youth work
Anti-oppressive practice
Collaboration / co-production of knowledge
Placements / experiential learning
Residentials / Accompaniment
Detached youth work
Impact and measurement
Creativity / improvisation
Building relationships / relational learning
Cultural difference, gender, race, class
Social pedagogy

Further information is available here: ‘Educating Informal Educators’ An expression of interest / abstract is required by 11th September 2020 and should be submitted to: Frances.Howard@ntu.ac.uk
The deadline for full and final drafts of articles is 1st June 2021 for peer review.
Online publication is planned for Summer 2021.

Committee recruitment 2020

Shape CLD in Scotland.

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 CLDSC Members (Registered or Associate) to join its Committees. As a growing organisation, you would be joining us at a very exciting stage of development in CLDSC.

Duration of Appointments

All appointments will be made for an initial 3 year period. There may be times when those who have served the 3 years are requested to continue in order to complete ongoing projects or to allow for continuity of knowledge.

Who we are

The CLDSC is the professional body for Community Learning and Development practitioners in Scotland who are generally identified as being paid or voluntary workers in the areas of Adult Learning, Community Development and Youth Work.

Vision

“Our vision is that the communities and people of Scotland are served by CLD practitioners that are recognised as competent, confident and committed to equality, empowerment and life-wide learning for all.”

Mission
“Our mission is to drive high standards of professional practice in the CLD sector by the approval of professional learning, the registration of practitioners and the enabling of professional development, working with our members to be a voice for the profession.”

Strategic Objectives

Deliver, maintain and further develop a professional Approvals structure for qualifications, courses and development opportunities for everyone involved in CLD.
Maintain and develop the Registration system and establish members’ services for practitioners delivering and active in CLD.
Maintain and develop models of Profession Learning and training opportunities for CLD practitioners.
Improve and develop our organisational capability.
Lead and contribute to relevant CLD policy and workforce information services.

The CLD Standards Council has an Executive Committee plus 3 functional committees: Approvals; Professional Learning; and Registration. Find out more about our Committees.

Who we need

We need people who can represent the increasingly diverse nature of community learning and development practice however, we are particularly interested in hearing from colleagues 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 equalities
From the Further Education sector
Working or volunteering in a rural setting

What we ask of you

A commitment to raising standards across all aspects of our work
To support and serve on a committee for minimum of three years
To attend a minimum of three Committee Meetings a year
To work on projects out with the Committee Meetings which progress the work of the Committee.
To occasionally work on tasks 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 to this commitment
Completion of Induction training

What can you expect?

National Professional Learning opportunities
Networking – across CLD including third sector, local and central government; and across the UK and Ireland through connections to JETS (Joint Education Training Standards) and TAG (The Professional Association of Lecturers in Youth and Community Work)
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

What next?

You might find it helpful to look round this website to familiarise yourself with the work we do.
Review the Terms of reference and person specification below
If you want to discuss the role in more detail, please email contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk and one of the team will get back to you.
Download an application form below, (unfortunately at this time we cannot issue or accept paper applications).
Once you have completed the form, you can send it to us by email to contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk titled Committee Membership Application
Applications should be with us by 31 August 2020

CLDSC Committee Application Form 2020 (Word)Download

CLDSC Committee Member Person Specification 2020 (Word)Download

Committee Terms of Reference and Membership (PDF)Download

Committee Appointment Process 2020 (PDF)Download

CLDSC Member Bulletin – 23 July 2020

Remembering Srebrenica 25 years on

This month commemorates the 25th anniversary of the massacre in Srebrenica. In July 1995, thousands of people sought protection at a battery factory where a Dutch battalion of UN peacekeepers were stationed. Over a matter of days, Bosnian Serb forces executed more than 8,000 men and boys. The genocide is the worst atrocity in Europe since the second world war. In November 2018, our Director Marion Allison, was part of a delegation led by Remembering Srebrenica Scotland. In this pod-cast she reflects on her time in Bosnia and the values of community, communication and friendship. Listen through web browser or on Spotify

Wave 4 of the CLD Response to COVID-19 Survey

Since March we have been asking practitioners to complete a survey to gather information and examples on the CLD Response to COVID-19. In this wave of the survey, we are asking how CLD practice is being adapted again as restrictions ease but social distancing and other measures are still in place. This will tell us how the Scottish Government’s COVID-19 guidance for CLD Practitioners on working safely is being implemented in your area. Whether you responded to previous waves or not, please take the time to contribute to wave 4 about how things are changing as we move out of lockdown. The fourth wave of the survey will close on Friday 31 July.

Please complete the survey here: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/6R65JN/

Please also pass the link on to any CLD colleagues. We really appreciate your support with this task at this busy time.

The results from the first and second wave of the survey have been collated and you can find the reports on the CLDSC website.
In case you missed it, the guidance on working safely can be found on the Scottish Government website, or you can download from the CLD Standards Council website in PDF format.

CLDSC Virtual Meet Ups

Huge thanks to everyone who participated in last Friday’s Member Meet Up. In particular Jenni Snell, Vikki Carpenter and Anita Jamieson who shared their experiences of Kahoot, Menti, Jamboard and Padlet, It was a great way to try out and play with different online learning tools with the guidance and help of colleagues. At the following networking chat, participants agreed that they would like a Members’ Meet-Up to discuss engagement. Working digitally has thrown up lots of challenges. From losing connection with known learners to reaching out to new ones and the value of outreach and detached work. The short discussion certainly got us all thinking. If you would like to take part in the next meet up on Friday 14 August you can register for the Meet-up on Eventbrite.

New Concept issue

A new edition of the Concept journal has been published. Articles include: Reflections on 40 years of ALP (Adult Learning Project); The Significance of Affective Social Relationships in Preventing Gender-Based Violence; and Lived Experiences of ESOL provision. Grab a cuppa and make yourself comfy for an interesting read: http://concept.lib.ed.ac.uk/issue/current

Scotland’s Census 2021 – Postponed until March 2022

National Records of Scotland has conducted an options assessment on the risks of Covid-19 to the delivery of the census due to take place in March 2021. It has come to the conclusion that in order to secure a high level of response rate, it will move the date of the census to March 2022. As many CLD practitioners offer information and learning sessions around completing census forms etc, this may impact on workplans. For more information and further updates, check the census website.
You can also subscribe to a Census newsletter.