CLDSC Member Bulletin – 15 July 2020

CLDSC Member Virtual Meet Up 17 July 2020

Don’t forget the next Virtual Meet-Up this Friday 17 July 1-2 p.m. This time the topic is Sharing Digital Learning Tools. So, whether you are digitally agile or fragile come along and share your experiences, skills and the digital tools you’ve used. Register on Eventbrite for the Meet-up (NOW CLOSED)

To set the scene for Friday we have included a link to Dr Jane Melvin’s ‘ode to lockdown’ (PDF) – the verse below gives you a flavour.

“But what of the pedagogy, what did this all mean?
Had anything changed cos I just shared my screen?
For those with more confidence, experiences were shared
Resources were pooled and we felt more prepared.”

Guidance for CLD Practitioners on working safely

Last week we highlighted 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.” Hopefully you’ve taken an opportunity to refer to the guidance, which was the product of significant discussion and debate involving CLD stakeholders with Scottish Government colleagues.

The guidance can be found on the Scottish Government website.
Or you can download from the CLD Standards Council website in PDF format.

There is also more specific advice available for CLD practitioners in particular practice contexts:

Wave 4 of the CLD Response to COVID-19 Survey

The fourth wave of the survey will close on Friday 31 July.
Whether you responded to previous waves or not, please take the time to contribute to wave 4 which asks about how things are changing as we move out of lockdown. We want to hear how CLD practice is being adapted again as restrictions ease but social distancing and other measures are still in place.
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 CLD Standards Council has asked practitioners in all sectors and settings to complete the short survey to gather information and examples on the CLD Response to COVID-19.
The results from the first and second wave of the survey have been collated and you can find the reports on the CLDSC website.

Refreshing an online resource for communities

Since 2014, the Communities Channel Scotland website has been acting as a first-port of call for many community organisations, providing and linking to important information and sharing the great work of groups across the country. In 2016, the website began hosting the Scottish Government’s Social Impact Pledge, which is a way for public bodies to improve the positive impact they have on communities. Over the next few months Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC) intends to redevelop Communities Channel Scotland and to revitalise the Social Impact Pledge.
SCDC wants to hear from you on how to make this content as useful as possible for you. Please complete the following 10-minute survey to give your view. Visit the SCDC survey

Recruitment Coming soon!

We are refreshing the CLD Standards Council committees so there will be opportunities for members to apply to be involved in shaping the way CLD practitioners learn, practice and apply our standards in Community Learning and Development. Look out for details in the bulletin.

CLDSC Member Bulletin – 8 July 2020

Review of Career Pathways for CLD

The CLD Standards Council (CLDSC) has identified that for those wishing to continue to develop their skills and professional practice, a clear, supported learning pathway is essential. We have conducted a review of the professional learning opportunities currently available, assessing the range of existing pathways and identifying actions to make them more effective and efficient.

The review report and summary are available on the website.

The review has been circulated to relevant Scottish Ministers and senior colleagues in universities, colleges and partner organisations to secure their support in addressing the actions recommended at a strategic level.

Issues like the availability and accessibility of CLDSC approved college and university CLD programmes, the barriers facing CLD practitioners at different stages along the path, such as funding and the need for a variety of modes of study, are highlighted and Improvement Actions proposed. The more local element of the review is ongoing and more information is needed about local and regional provision to find where there are gaps. If you can tell us about professional learning and development opportunities in your area or organisation, please get in touch. They don’t need to be happening right now – we’re keen to hear about what’s available generally. Email contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk

CLDSC see this review as fundamental to its vision ‘that the communities and people of Scotland are served effectively by CLD practitioners who are recognised as competent, confident and committed to equality, empowerment and life-wide learning for all’.

CLDSC Member Virtual Meet Up 17 July 2020

The next Virtual Meet-Up will take place on Friday 17 July 1-2pm. We got lots of ideas from the last Meet-Up for discussion themes and the topic for this Meet Up is Sharing Digital Learning Tools. So, this one is all about you and sharing your experiences (good or not!), skills and the digital tools you’ve used – especially over the last few months when we’ve all had to become more digitally agile! Even if you’re feeling a bit digitally fragile, join in, find out what others are using and/or share what you’re using.

Register for the Meet-up on Eventbrite

Don’t forget you can also join our Slack group workspace (you can download the Slack app on a tablet or phone). It has an instant chat facility and different channels for group discussions. We can also share information, files, and more. More and more 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!

Wave 4 of the CLD Response to COVID-19 Survey

The fourth wave of the survey will be open till Friday the 31 July.
Whether you responded to previous waves or not, please take the time to contribute to wave 4 which is asks about how things are changing as we move out of lockdown. We want to hear how CLD practice is being adapted again as restrictions ease but social distancing and other measures are still in place.
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 CLD Standards Council has asked practitioners to complete the short survey to gather information and examples on the CLD Response to COVID-19.
The results from the first and second wave of the survey have been collected and you can find the reports on the CLDSC website.

Standards for Community Development Practice

The International Association for Community Development (IACD) has published a summary version of their Shared International Standards for Community Development Practice. These can be used for example to build shared awareness and understanding of what community development is. You can access both the summary and the full standards on the IACD website.

The CLDSC partnered IACD in the development of the standards, and CLDSC member Clare MacGillivray, also a member of IACD’s board, has been honoured by being named IACD Global Ambassador 2020. Many congratulations, Clare! See Clare’s acceptance speech on twitter.

TES Professional Learning Opportunity

If you are looking for useful reading material, remember that your CLD Standards Council Membership gives you free online access to TES magazine. Details are available in the Members benefit page on i-develop . But you will need to login to access this.
Email us at contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk if you have lost your username or password and are having difficulty resetting.

Restarting CLD Sector Guidance from the Scottish Government

The Scottish Government has issued guidance for the CLD sector on providing community learning and development (CLD) services safely.

The guidance can be found on the Scottish Government website.

The guidance was updated on 3 November 2020.

You can download the updated guidance in PDF format –

Covid-19 – Restarting CLD – Sector Guidance – Updated 3 November 2020(PDF)

Mr Richard Lochhead, Minister for Further Education Higher Education and Science has also issued a letter on the Covid-19 Framework for decision making: Scotland’s Route map through and out of the crisis: Phase 3, which mentions that the government is now looking at whether exemptions to operate with a 1 metre distancing (with agreed mitigations) may be applied to community learning environments and colleges and universities for small tutorials. The letter is attached here for information –

Letter from Mr Lochhead on Phase-3 (PDF)Download

CLDSC Member bulletin – 1 July 2020

CLD Response Survey Special

This week we are focusing on Wave 4 of our CLD Response to COVID-19 survey.

We have been asking you to complete this survey since the beginning of the pandemic and gathering your examples of how CLD practice is being utilised to support individuals and communities in the challenges that we all currently face.

How your data has been used

The data you have provided in previous waves of this survey has been used both to support sharing among practitioners and to highlight to decision-makers the role of CLD. It has informed the CLD Strategic Partnership, the Tertiary Education Strategy group, CLD Standards Council practice placement advice and the CLD guidance soon to be issued by Scottish Government.

Findings of the previous waves are available on the website –

The fourth wave of the survey

As we move out of lockdown and constraints begin to ease, we would also like to know how this is affecting your experiences and your practice. In addition to giving you the opportunity to share examples of success in adapting how you carry out your CLD role, the support you are getting for this and any issues, such as access to technology, affecting you in the current circumstances, the Wave 4 version of the survey asks about how things are changing. We want to hear how CLD practice is being adapted again as restrictions ease but social distancing and other measures are still in place. This will enable the CLD Standards Council to highlight examples of good practice, and to pick up any general issues affecting CLD practitioners. It is our intention that the data drawn from Wave 4 onwards will be of use as we look towards recovery and renewal

Please complete the survey:

https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/6R65JN/

Thanks to all of you who have contributed to the survey to date, we now ask you to complete Wave 4 to tell us about the next chapter in your story. If you have not completed the survey before, don’t worry Wave 4 gives you the opportunity to answer the previous questions too!

Once again thanks for your continued engagement with this work, and please pass the survey link on to any colleagues.

CLDSC Member bulletin – 24 June 2020

CLDSC Member Virtual Meet Ups and Slack sign up

Great to have requests to join our Slack group workspace. Our Slack space has an instant chat facility and different channels for group discussions. We can also share information, files, and more.
You can download the Slack app on a tablet or phone. Come on over and join in the chat. If you’re interested in joining, email contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk and we’ll send you the workspace invite!
The next Virtual Meet-Up will take place on Friday 17 July 1-2pm. We got lots of ideas from the last Meet-Up for discussion themes. There’s a Poll on Slack for what we should discuss in July. Don’t forget to cast your vote!

Survey on CLD Response to COVID-19

The results from wave 2 continue to show that in response to issues arising from the pandemic and the lockdown, large numbers of respondents are involved in support for people of all ages, particularly those at risk, and in working with community organisations who are themselves responding. A large majority point to positive ways in which they have used technology to adapt their practice to current needs. Sizable minorities of respondents have concerns over their own well-being, and issues over access to suitable technology.
Full statistical results from wave 2 are available on the website.
The forth wave of the survey is suspended right now as we reconfigure to take account of the issues arising from the recovery phase.

SCVO and DigiShift Resources

SCVO have been supporting organisations to find new ways to deliver services and to support employees and users to adapt to digital and remote working. They’ve produced three new ‘How to’ guides which highlight best practice and case studies.

  • Digital services
    This guide details the main topics you need to explore when you move your services to digital channels.
  • Remote working
    This guide will help you give your best support to employees and volunteers to empower them to do their best work from home.
  • Digital inclusion
    This guide will help any organisation delivering digital inclusion projects.

Their DigiShift Zoom calls have also generated lots of interest and you can find all the related blog posts, case studies and DigiListen podcasts on the DigiShift section of the SCVO website, along with the full recordings of the main sessions.

The resources from the calls are also accumulated into a resource library in this large Google Doc by Third Sector Lab. This is an open source document, so you can add your own resources, or any others you find useful.

The recordings of the themed DigiShift sessions for specific sectors are also available to watch on the SCVO You Tube channel. There’s one for CLD on there!

Community Development conversation

Community Development Alliance Scotland (CDAS) promotes policy and practice that supports community development. CDAS is inviting their members and subscribers to take part in a conversation about networking, sharing good practice, influencing policy, and the CDAS plans for the year ahead on 15th July at 11.00. You can subscribe to CDAS’s regular bulletin and register for the event on the CDAs website.

Associate member? Been working in CLD for several years? You could become a Registered Member through the Individual Recognition Process.

Associate members whose professional learning and experience has equipped them to the professional standard required for Registered Membership can have this recognised by demonstrating it through the Individual Recognition process.
The Individual Recognition application is reviewed by a panel of our practitioner committee members. They will consider the content of any relevant qualifications and professional learning you have done, along with your practice experience which you will be required to describe in terms of the CLD competences. You can use examples from work or voluntary activity that demonstrates your understanding and delivery using the CLD values, ethics and competences. If the panel feel they need additional detail they might also request an interview.
If you are an Associate member you can request the Individual Recognition application from contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk
Further detail of the process and evidence required can be found on the website.

Report of the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery

The Advisory Group on Economic Recovery has published its report on how we as a country recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Towards a Robust, Resilient Wellbeing Economy for Scotland, is based on the four capitals of People, Environment, Community and Business and considers how work in these areas can support the challenges presented by inequality, unemployment and education.

View the full report on the Scottish Government website.

Education Scotland useful links

Education Scotland have assembled a collection of links to online resources for Community Learning and Development on Wakelet. The online Wakelet makes it easy to access relevant materials from the one place. Please check which are available and suitable for use within your area of practice.
View the online wakelet resource.

CLD Big Blether

The CLD Standards Council is partnering with Education Scotland to host a series of online discussion sessions for CLD practitioners to share their experiences during the COVID-19 crisis. A group space has been created on i-develop with a note of the CLD Blether that took place on the 28 May and a forum for further comments and discussion.
Big CLD Blether space on i-develop

The CLD Response to COVID-19 -wave 2 survey 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 2 ran from 20 April to 18 May 2020.

The results from wave 2 continue to show that in response to issues arising from the pandemic and the lockdown, large majorities of respondents are involved in support for people of all ages, particularly those at risk, and in working with community organisations who ae themselves responding. A large majority point to positive ways in which they have used technology to adapt their practice to current needs. Sizable minorities of respondents have concerns over their own well-being, and issues over access to suitable technology.

Statistical results for wave 2

CLD Response to COVID-19 Wave 2 Results (PDF)Download

Results from previous and subsequent waves

You can also view

The fourth wave of the survey

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.

CLDSC Member Bulletin – 17 June 2020

Virtual Meet-Ups – And Beyond!

At our recent Virtual Meet-Ups, those who attended indicated that it would be useful to have a more instant means of connecting with each other. We’re going to test this out by establishing a Slack group workspace. Slack is essentially a chat room and we can organise different channels for group discussions, share information, files, and more.
You can download the Slack app on a tablet or phone. If you’re interested in joining the Slack workspace, email contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk and we’ll send you the workspace invite!

The next Virtual Meet-Up will take place on Friday 17 July 1-2pm – get the date in your diary! Topic and joining details will be issued soon.

Review of Youth Work SVQ Levels 5 and 6

We’re delighted to announce that Skills Development Scotland have awarded CLDSC the contract to review the SVQ Youth Work Levels 5 and 6. This work will take place between now and March 2021. We’ll be seeking input from those involved in Youth Work so watch this space for consultation opportunities.

IACD unconference – “Co-creating Future Stories of Hope and Action”

Have you ever wanted to attend a huge international conference? Now is your chance to do so from wherever you are in the world!
From 24th – 25th June 2020, IACD is thrilled to support the unconference, – Co-Creating Future Stories of Hope and Action. The theme of this event is, “A “Glocal” Asset and Strengths Based (Un)Conference.”
This is a truly international endeavour and will take place over 48 continuous hours around the globe.
Find more info on the IACD Virtual Conferenece page.

Minister thanks the CLD sector

Mr Richard Lochhead, MSP, Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science has sent an open letter of thanks to everyone across Scotland’s CLD sector. We sent the letter out to members, but you might also like to watch the extended video message on Twitter from Mr Lochead.

CLD Standards Council Executive Meeting

The CLD Executive Committee met on Tuesday15th June. Committee Members thanked our Members and the staff team for their efforts. CLD workforce development including qualification pathway and practice placements featured in the discussions.

An opportunity to highlight practice achievements and challenges

The International Association for Community Development (IACD) is currently developing an International Community Development Handbook for practitioners, with a target publication date of June 2021, and is inviting community development practitioners worldwide to register interest in contributing case studies for inclusion in the publication.
You can find further details and a template for case study proposals on the IACD Expressions of interest page.
The deadline for proposals is 30th July 2020.
We’d encourage CLDSC members to consider contributing. If you do, it would be great if you can also share your proposal with us and we will look at how case studies that aren’t included in the IACD publication can be shared on the CLDSC website or other platforms.

Register with the CLD Standards Council

We are still processing registrations so if you or any colleagues are not registered we would encourage you to become members.
You can become Associate or Registered members depending on their qualifications and experience.
Registration details and application form can be found on the i-develop registration page.

CLDSC Member Bulletin – 10 June 2020

CLDSC Members Virtual Meet-Up – Digitally Agile or Digitally Fragile?

Over these past few months, we’ve all had to embrace the digital world more than ever before. This has brought lots of frustrations, but it’s also highlighted our creativity and adaptability as CLD practitioners – bet you’re more agile than you think! Our next Virtual Meet-Up gives us a chance to share the highs of feeling digitally agile, the lows of feeling digitally fragile and the space to come up with practical ways to support each other. If you haven’t already registered yet for the next Virtual Meet-Up on Friday 12 June 1-2pm, what are you waiting for?! Registration for event now closed.

Wave 3 of the CLD Response to COVID-19 Survey

The third wave of the survey will close on Wednesday the 17 June (just 1 week away).
Whether you responded to wave 1 or 2 or not, please take the time to contribute to wave 3.

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 CLD Standards Council has asked practitioners to complete the short survey to gather information and examples on the CLD Response to COVID-19. The survey is open to collect a third wave of information to build the picture over time.
The results from the first wave of the survey to the 19 April 2020 have been collected and you can find the report on the CLDSC website.

Guidance on moving SCQF rated programmes online

Learning providers are having to adapt rapidly in these times with many of you moving your provision online. What are the implications when you are making all of these changes to the way you deliver your programmes and assess your learners? How do you make sure that you are still meeting the requirements of SCQF and ensuring that your learners can still be certificated?
This blog from SCQF gives some useful information and guidance.

SURF Awards

Scotland’s regeneration forum – SURF – opened its annual awards for applications on 4 June. Categories for the awards include Community Led Regeneration and Supporting Youth Employability.
You can see further information and download application forms on the SURF Awards website.

Closing date for applications is 7 September 2020.

Children’s survey from the Children’s Parliament

The Children’s Parliament is engaging children age 8 to 14 years old in a conversation about their experience of Coronavirus and lockdown.
They have launched the June edition of the national wellbeing survey – How are you doing?

The survey is available on this link: bit.ly/Coronavirus_Kids

Children can access the survey themselves via the link, but it if you could highlight the survey to children in the target age range that you know, that would be most helpful. The survey is also a great conversation starter. Children can access and complete the survey for the first time, or return to it having completed it before.
If you visit the How are you doing web page you will also find a report on findings from the April and May How are you doing? surveys. Nearly 4,000 children took part in both months and the Children’s Parliament are working hard to ensure Government and other agencies are listening to the insight from children as they develop actions to address concerns and plan for recovery.

Coronavirus (COVID-19): support for continuity in learning

Last Friday, the Scottish Government issued further guidance to support children and young people’s learning during the COVID-19 crisis. In recovery planning, Education Authorities are advised to “consider the support available through CLD services (provided by local authorities, other statutory services and the third sector) as part of their local delivery plan”.
It notes that “youth workers can provide an alternative trusted relationship for young people through both one to one and group support. Youth work is often targeted to individuals and communities furthest from engagement or inclusion.” The report also highlights that CLD services also include “family learning, adult learning and ESOL (English of Speakers of Other Languages). These can be useful in supporting parents and carers to engage with the school and with their children’s learning.”
The report recognises that many schools across Scotland have youth and family learning workers engaged directly in schools and across the wider community; “These services are especially useful in reconnecting some vulnerable children and young people to reconnect with education.”. It is also acknowledges that CLD workers “provide information and practical and emotional support to children, young people, parents and carers through transitions and, in partnership with other professionals, can support a holistic approach to meeting their needs.”.
The full report can be accessed on the Scottish Government website.

MEd CLD Research project – participants required

Understanding how to grow the young CLD workforce.
Approvals Committee member Ceri Hunter is carrying out a piece of research as part of her CLD MEd that actions a key recommendation of the Working with Scotland’s Communities report: Understanding how to grow the young CLD workforce.
Ceri writes: “This research project is looking to conduct interviews with students/recent graduates about their journey into the CLD profession. I am looking for those students who have recently completed 1st or 4th year of a CLD/Community Development/Community Education degree in Scotland, who are able to take part in an online video interview, which should take between 30 – 45mins. Many thanks in advance”
Access further information and contact details to participate

CLDSC Member Bulletin – 3 June 2020

Welcome to the weekly CLDSC bulletin from Chair, Alan Sherry O.B.E.

Throughout the lockdown I have been humbled, awestruck and inspired by our Members’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Across the CLD practice areas of Adult Learning, Community Development and Youth Work, Members have been working days, evenings and weekends to deliver a wide range of services, including, digital learning services whilst addressing community needs. Equally impressive has been the dedication of volunteers across aspects of CLD devoting time to supporting individuals and communities.
At the National CLD Stakeholders Group and the Tertiary Sector group Chaired by Mr Richard Lochhead, Minister for FE, HE, Science and CLD, I am pleased to sit alongside colleagues from the further and higher education sectors where the data drawn from the current CLD Workforce Survey is supporting my input to these meetings. I would like to thank everyone for continuing to share your experiences with us.

The multi-faceted challenges facing young people, adult learners and communities also impact upon us as a workforce of practitioners, volunteers and leaders. It is very obvious that CLD practice and services are needed now more than ever to support the communities which we serve. Equally, it is important CLD Standards are maintained and applied to allow flex for different individual and organisational circumstances.

An expert short life working group has been established, led by Avril Nicol, Chair of CLD Managers’ Scotland, to work with the Scottish Government to produce guidance to the CLD sector as we move through the phases to reduce the current restrictions on face to face working. It is anticipated that this guidance will be available later this month.

Over the coming months we will continue to issue weekly bulletins, deliver on-line CLD Chats, support organisational professional learning, address registration needs and issue relevant guidance and support aids. Our aim is to continue to provide you with professional support as you respond so effectively to the pandemic.

Finally I would wish to take this opportunity to thank you all for your considerable contribution to ensuring that individuals and communities are supported during this challenging period.

This week’s articles specifically focus on Volunteers Week Scotland and the difference CLD volunteers make.

CLDSC Registration – We Welcome Volunteers!

Do you know anyone who volunteers in a youth group, as an adult literacy tutor, as an ESOL Buddy, as a peer mentor, in a community action group (and so many more areas!)? If so, did you know that Volunteers can register with CLDSC too? As long as they are delivering in a CLD context, they can join us to access all the member benefits e.g. learning and development opportunities, connecting with peers, borrow books/journals from university/college libraries across Scotland and much more!

Registration is as easy as 1, 2, 3!

  1. Go to the Registration page on i-develop
  2. Download and complete the Application form.
  3. Submit your form on i-develop.

Want to find out more about how your organisation’s volunteers can register? Email kirsty.gemmell@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk to arrange a chat.

i-develop

There are lots of resources available on i-develop for CLD volunteers and those supporting them.

In the Themes area, you’ll find the Volunteering in Community Learning and Development space. There’s information on the different types of volunteering people are doing, resources to help volunteers link to the CLDSC Ethics & Competences and a space for research reports on the deployment and impact of CLD volunteers.

And over on the ESOL Themes page, you’ll find the Volunteering in ESOL space. This space is very new, so doesn’t have lots of content yet. But if you have information you’d like to share, let us know and we’ll get it added to the space.

Both spaces have Discussion Forums for volunteers or coordinators where you can connect with others across Scotland.

Working with Scotland’s Communities – Messages about CLD volunteers

As part of this week’s spotlight on volunteers CLDSC have reviewed the 2018 CLD workforce survey focussing on what it tells us about CLD volunteers. One of the key findings of this report is that ‘Volunteers are a hugely valued part of the CLD workforce’. Volunteers are seen by practitioners and employers as a vital part of supporting communities and bring important skills and an understanding of communities. Have a look at the Messages about Volunteers report (PDF) to see what the report says about –
• How many CLD volunteers are there?
• How much time do CLD volunteers contribute to organisations?
• What do volunteers do?
• Are volunteers expected to have qualifications?
• Recruitment and development needs for volunteers
• Impact of reduction in size of paid CLD workforce
• Understanding the role of volunteers in the CLD sector

A community of volunteers?

This article in the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/may/26/uk-volunteering-coronavirus-crisis-community-lockdown highlights that “ten million UK adults have been volunteering in their community during the coronavirus crisis”. Will this growth in response to very immediate needs be sustained into longer-term change? CLD practitioners enable volunteers to develop themselves and work with others to develop their communities – now is the ideal time to demonstrate and promote this role!

Good practice documents – Volunteer Scotland website:

Volunteering for All: Our National Outcomes Framework – the Framework was developed by Scottish Government jointly with partners from the volunteer and community sector, local government and NHS, with academics social researcher, and with volunteers. It sets out a coherent and compelling narrative for volunteering and defines the key outcomes desired for volunteering in Scotland over the next 10 years.

A Volunteer Charter – sets out the 10 key principles for assuring legitimacy and preventing exploitation of workers and volunteers

Web and Social Media Links

A few useful webpages…..
www.volunteersweek.scot
www.volunteerscotland.net
www.scvo.org

Why not follow these folks on Twitter…..
@VolunteersWeek
@volunteerscot
@VolScotland
@volunteer_scot
@befriendingnet
@SCVOtweet
@TSIScotNet

Or check out the discussions on these Twitter hashtags…
#VolunteersWeekScot
#VolunteersWeek
#NeverMoreNeeded
#VolunteerAppreciation
#VolunteeringIs
#ThankYouVolunteers
#BecauseOfCLD

CLDSC Member Bulletin – 27 May 2020

CLD Practice Placement Guidance

We are continuing to work with partners to provide flexibility whilst ensuring that the CLD Standards are maintained. By liaising with colleges, universities, students, placement providers and partners across the UK who are responsible for approving CLD learning programmes, we aim to provide practical practice placement guidelines. Our most recent guidance and FAQ in relation to the impact of COVID-19 on practice placements can be found on the website.
It is well worth a read and if you have any further questions please submit them to contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk
As the guidance may be updated frequently please remember to check in now and again for further updates.

SQA Updates
In addition to placement guidance developments, we continue to engage with the Scottish Qualifications Authority regarding accreditation. The SQA recent updates on COVID-19 can be found on their website.
Like the CLD Standards Council, the SQA continuously updates their website so please remember to check websites for the most up-to-date guidance.

Education Scotland are holding 3 CLD themed webinars –

The webinars will be hosted through Google Meet.
Each meeting will last for 1 hour and will follow the same format-
• The National Context• Practice Sharing • Next Steps for future webinars.
Participants will be encouraged to share resources, questions, and feedback in the chat facility throughout the webinar. The chat content will then be shared with all participants.

DigiShift – Community Learning and Development (CLD) Digital

SCVO have organised a Zoom webinar open to all CLD professionals on making the shift to digital service delivery, supporting learners through tech and remote working with staff and volunteers.
Our own Dr Marion Allison will be one of the speakers.
This online event is taking place on Thursday 4 June from 2 till 3:30
Find out more and book your place.

College Expo 20

We’re delighted to be hosting a stall at the Virtual College Expo on 11 June 2020. The theme is: ‘The Future is Now: Learning from Lockdown’ and there are a range of seminars available as well as the stalls.
General information about the College Expo can be found on the CDN website
View the programme info as PDF.
Great to see a session on The Role of Adult Learning in Civic Recovery hosted by Mhairi Harrington, OBE and Nicola McAndrew CLD Policy Team Leader, Scottish Government.
If you’re involved in CLD in the College sector (or even if you’re not!), come along and say hello! #CollegeExpo20

Virtual Meet-Up #2

The CLD Response to COVID-19: Wave 2 Survey found that many members are using new digital platforms to reach adult learners, young people and communities – it seems we have closed the digital skills gap identified in the most recent CLD Workforce in just a few months! But this is not true for everyone – as the survey also found that comprehensive access to technology remains a challenge and we know that others are struggling to become comfortable with online communication where you don’t get the eye contact and non-verbal cues that we rely on for feedback.
So the topic for our next meet up at 1 pm Friday 12 June is Digitally Agile or Digitally Fragile? – how members can help each other make the most of new online opportunities. As with our first meet up we ask you to register your interest with Eventbrite.

Registration Renewal

Registration renewal is being rolled out to members who registered over 3 years ago. To renew you need to-

  • Reconfirm your commitment to the Values and Ethics
  • Confirm that you have undertaken an appropriate amount of relevant professional learning
  • Also, if you are no longer in active contact with your previous referee then you must provide a new referee.

If you are unable to complete your renewal at this time you can request a deferral. We are issuing individual email requests to renew in small batches, so if you have not received your request yet please don’t worry. However we are finding a few members have not kept us up to date with their email address. Unfortunately if we are unable to complete a renewal that membership will be suspended and eventually removed from the register. So please remind colleagues to make sure we have up to date contact details so we can contact them to renew.

Full details of requirements for renewal including advice on professional learning are available on the website.

And Finally …

Congratulations to Dr Stuart Moir, Moray House School of Education and Sport, The University of Edinburgh

Congratulations to our Approvals Committee member Dr Stuart Moir who successful defended his thesis “How Did Young Left Wing Political Activists Learn To Become Active And Critical Citizens?”