CLD Standards Council Scotland Annual Report2023 - 2024 cldstandardscouncil.org.uk CHAIR’S STATEMENT As always it has been another challenging but rewarding period for all involved in the CLD Sector. The Scottish Government has produced a number of papers which set out the actions they propose to take following the major consultation exercises held mainly in previous years. These proposals will have a direct impact upon the work of CLD Standards Council members and will require careful reflection on what, if any, changes may be required in practice in order that we continue to support the individuals and communities we serve. The Standards Council welcomed the announcement of the Independent Review of CLD by the Minister for Higher Education, Further Education and Veterans. The Council had lobbied for such a review for a number of years and considered that it was particularly important when reforms were being proposed across Scottish Education. At the time of writing, the outcome of the Independent Review had not been published however, it is anticipated that its recommendations will shape the work of the CLD Sector going forward. The work of the Executive and Standing Committees is essential in ensuring that the CLD Standards Council continues to deliver for its members and the Sector more widely. I would like to thank the members of the Committees for their contributions during 2023/24 and to highlight that their work has led to the expansion of access to professional CLD qualifications in areas of Scotland where none existed previously, further development of the professional induction programme for new members and the work on revising the registration process. There is, of course, much more activity being undertaken but space prevents setting that out. A particular highlight for this year was the success of the conference hosted jointly with CLD Managers Scotland. It was so good to see so many practitioners from across the three elements of the CLD family in the same room engaging in considered professional dialogue and reflection on the key topics facing the Sector. Finally, I would like to pay tribute to the CLD Standards Council staff team whose contribution underpins all our work. Their efforts ensure that the voice of the Sector is represented effectively in a range of forums both within and out with Scotland. Alan Sherry, O.B.E Chair, CLD Standards Council DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT Welcome to our Annual report for 2023-2024. This year has brought out the best in our Team, Committees, Members and the wider CLD sector despite the changing landscapes across all areas of practice. The dedication to our adult learners, communities and young people is as inspiring as it is impactful, and as you read this report you will see that this year has been one of progress. As a member-led organisation, being a voice for the Sector is central to the CLD Standards Council’s mission. Throughout 2023-24 this role was visible and contributed to the Scottish Government’s continued programme of wider Education Reform. Thanks to partners in Local Authorities replying to our request for annual CLD budget information, we now have a national overview of the CLD financial landscape. This data combined with our review of the CLD labour market allowed us to compile credible, national CLD workforce reports that informed the CLD Standards Council’s response to the call from the Minister for FE, HE and Veterans for an Independent Review of CLD in Scotland. More broadly, our Members’ response to the Independent Review that was undertaken in the last quarter of the year was both informative and inspiring. Almost one third of our membership engaged in Members’ Meet-Ups, Focus Groups, online questionnaires and partnership events and we look forward to reporting on the outcomes later next year. In addition to the review work, it was very much business as usual. Hundreds of Members attended our conference event and lecture the Gathering in November. The workshops on registration, career pathways and CLD researchers sharing their findings were so full it was standing room only. Even the First Minister dropped by our promotion stand to say hello! CLD partnerships and consortia continued to provide local professional learning events alongside our regional drop in meetings, have your say sessions and consultation events. Engaging directly with Members was key to enhancing our governance arrangements, committee recruitment and has definitely been a factor in the steady growth in membership applications. In 2023-2024 we started approvals reviews and a digital change project that will deliver improvements for Members and the wider CLD workforce and stakeholders in the years ahead. We look forward to the next year, the findings of the Independent Review of CLD in Scotland and working with our Members to take the CLD Standards Council towards a brighter future. For now, thank you for raising your voices and taking part. Dr Marion Allison Director Our Work - Vision & Mission “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.” “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.” Snapshot in numbers 3143 Members, up 179 from lastyear 64 Events Held 1486 Participants at Events: up 745 from last year 3 New Temporary Team Members 11 Policy Submissions, up 3 from last year, PLUS 14 separate focused submissions to the Independent Review of CLD 10 New Committee Members Our Work - Local Authority Budget report CLD Standards Council obtained information on the financial resources which each Local Authority has allocated to support the implementation of statutory Community Learning and Development (CLD) Strategic Plans. The information gathered was key to informing and raising awareness of the CLD workforce and the fiscal landscape with colleagues from COSLA, CLD Managers Scotland, ADES, Scottish Government and informed the Independent Review of CLD in Scotland. It has also been of use to colleagues in preparing their CLD Plans from 2024-2027. The Findings - The total allocation for thirty-one Local Authorities for financial year 2023/24 is £98,072,058. - 31 out of 32 Local Authorities responded, - A review of the actual figures available indicates a net loss of £973,996 between 2022/2023 – 2023/24. - The data suggests that the funding landscape CLD is complex, insecure and unstable. - There are a total number of 1057.5 FTE CLD posts across Scotland’s Local Authorities. Our Work - Workforce Between April 2023 and September 2023, the CLD Standards Council Scotland conducted a sample review of CLD job vacancies. Information was gathered on 304 posts advertised by 169 organisations in the CLD sector. There were 173 different job titles advertised across the whole range of vacancies. Fewer than one quarter of the posts advertised (22%) offered permanent contracts. The majority (58%) were fixed term contracts. From the analysis, it is clear that the work being undertaken by CLD Standards Council on broadening career pathways and strengthening CLD identity is critical to the future of the Sector. Our Work - Independent Review of CLD In order to represent the views of Members, the CLD Standards Council’s objective throughout the review period was to raise awareness and facilitate a programme of member focus groups, stakeholder meetings, questionnaires, and online member engagement activity. The CLD Standards Council offered: Thirty engagement opportunities for members, stakeholders, and partner agencies. Fifteen online discussion groups. Six in person discussion groups. Seven one to one meetings. Two online questionnaires to capture the views of qualified practitioners who no longer work in a CLD role, and to gather current demographic data on our membership. Total Mamber engagements : 940 In-person discussion sessions took place with current CLD students across three Scottish Universities, and with partners from the Further and Higher Education CLD sector. Our staff team and committee members also engaged and participated in external consultation events hosted by partners such as Volunteer Scotland, Education Scotland and YouthLink Scotland. Access all 14 CLD Standards Council submissions, as well the emerging findings, on our dedicated i-develop space. Further information can be found on the Scottish Government’s Independent Review of Community Learning and Development page Membership Activities SCVO Gathering 2023 The Gathering took place over 7 and 8 November 2023 atthe EICC, Edinburgh and we partnered with our friends atSCVO to provide a CLD Standards Council Conferencewith a difference. “I found the lecture was pitched just right to support the CLD sector to recognise and value what we do and to be optimistic about working towards a better future. There were some really good reminders about the roots of our practice and what it is important to focus on. I felt inspired!” 146 people registered for our workshops 157 people registered for our lecture MEMBERSHIP ACTIVITIES In the autumn of 2023, we trialled a new approach to member engagement by holding 2 hour, drop-in sessions in CLD venues across Tayside, Fife and the Western Isles. The sessions were designed to give members an update on the work of the committees and staff team, hear more about the workforce support needs in each area and discuss how the CLD Standards Council can build its member support offer. We have been encouraged by the response to the sessions held and by the level of engagement, and intend repeating the sessions across Tayside & Fife and introduce a mixture of in-person and online sessions into the Learn North authorities throughout the year ahead. Member Meet Ups - 7 sessions with 254 attendees Supports members of CLD Standards Council to organise informal monthly online meet-ups to discuss topics of interest, and share knowledge and experience. Have Your Say – 8 sessions with 161 attendees Enables members nation-wide to discuss and provide views on sectoral topics. These sessions also provide feedback on strategy developments and implementation of consultations, shape change and inform practice and policy. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Forum – 9 sessions with 209 attendees This members-led forum provides a safe space for practitioners to engage and discuss areas of practice and policy, and to enable sectoral changes related to equality, diversity and inclusion. Professional Learning - Leading CLD Leading CLD is a programme delivered by CLD Standards Council in collaboration with the Education Scotland Professional Learning and Leadership Directorate. The programme was delivered between January - May 2023. Outcomes include: - Providing colleagues a clear understanding and knowledge of current CLD research, policy and practice; - Enhanced personal understanding of effective leadership skills and attributes in a CLD context; and - Engagement with critical reflection about individual leadership within CLD practice "I enjoyed the sessions around coaching and speaking to colleagues in other areas" 86% said the programme was‘Good’ or ‘Very Good’ Networking Events CLD Standards Council Annual Lecture Our Annual Lecture was delivered by Dr Annette Coburn, Senior Lecturer at University of the West of Scotland. Annette is also chair of the CLD Standards Council Professional Learning Committee. ADES conference November 2023 - Reform and Improvement Chair Alan Sherry and Director Marion Allison attended the Association of Directors of Education Scotland annual conference which focused on the Reform and Improvement of the Scottish education system. They shared and discussed salient points from the CLD local authority budget paper. Professor Louise Hayward presented the findings and recommendations from her independent review of qualifications and assessments. It was positive to see a clear role for CLD. COSLA conference September 2023 - Is Scotland Living Well Locally? Elected representatives and leaders considered what more Scottish Local Government and its partners can do to achieve better outcomes for communities. We distributed the CLD local authority budget paper and represented the CLD Standards Council in key discussions about leadership in times of change, constrained resources and connections with people and communities. The highlight was applauding Members of the CLD Standards Council from Dundee City, Fife and Clackmannanshire Councils for winning the Excellent People, Excellent Outcomes Award for their innovative Building Skills Together Refugee Integration Project. Community Development Alliance Scotland Conference This year the event focused on "WHY Community Development?" Exploring how community development (CD) happens & the impact it has on communities. As well as hosting a stand, we worked in partnership with Anna Clarke (IACD) to deliver workshops on CD Policy and Practice: National and International Standards in Community Development. MEMBERS VOICE & INFLUENCE “Have Your Say” Sessions This member benefit supports our members nation-wide to: discuss and provide views on sectoral topics, feedback on strategy developments and implementations of consultations, shape change and inform practice and policy. This year we submitted 11 responses to consultations that impact CLD. For full information and to access all reports click here. PCN (Policy Champion Network hosted by Volunteer Scotland) CLD Standards Council is an active core member of the Policy Champions Network, which was established in 2023 to increase the visibility and presence of volunteering in local and national policy across all relevant sectors. To date we have collaborated and supported all 5 PCN consultation events and contributed to responses on community wealth building, human rights, local democracy and the independent review of CLD. We also supported the development of our briefing to accompany the Programme for Government. Executive Committee Business Meetings During 2023/24 the executive committee met twice online, twice in person in Glasgow and once in-person in Dundee. They have undertaken work on refreshing the Standing Orders in order to strengthen the governance arrangements and place responsibility on all committee members for the continued success of the organisation. They have commissioned a communications project to develop case studies highlighting the work of our members and an in-depth review of our web estate which will report in April 2024. Standing Orders Changes to the Standing Orders, which will be fully implemented as of 1 April 2025 include: - Introduction of a Vice-Chair role.. - Confirmation of the length of term that committee members can serve.. - Confirmation of quorums in order to make informed business decisions.. - Commitment to increase the number of committee places available.. - Confirmation of the process of appointment and re-appointment of the Chair role. Website Review The review of our website, to be concluded in April 2024, will provide a detailed overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the current web estate. The final report will be discussed with the Education Scotland leadership team and Scottish Government to identify resource to support any recommended improvements. Executive Committee - Case Studies In October 2023 the Executive Committee commissioned Word-Up Communications to undertake a project to develop case studies highlighting the work of our membership and promoting the benefits of CLD Standards Council membership. Thirteen case studies were produced. Members from across Scotland, representing all 3 areas of professional practice, volunteered to take part. All 13 case studies will be available on our website from August 2024. "The more I learnt about community development, the more I was obsessed with it! I’ve never felt as alive in my life as much as when I’m learning." Tom Delaney, 3rd year CLD student. "I think that CLD is the glue that brings communities together, and it helps to generate capacity and ability within communities. It’s brilliant to watch people and communities flourish and grow and be the best they can be, it’s amazing." Sarah Latto, Volunteer Scotland "We want to make sure that CLD practitioners keep learning and growing, are ahead of the curve to see what’s coming up and how you can best support communities." Paul Humphreys, FARE Scotland "You’re part of an organisation that is working hard to raise the profile and standard of the profession, which helps us as practitioners to create a stronger voice for CLD." George Murray, Fife Council Looking Ahead - 2024/2025 Continue to engage with Scottish Government and CoSLA on how we collectively seek to address the recommendations from the Independent Review of CLD. Undertake a committee recruitment campaign and implement the revised Standing Orders. Continue to work with Scottish Government, CoSLA and ADES to mitigate the impacts on professional practice and workforce development as a result of ongoing resource reduction in the CLD sector. Work with our colleagues across FE and HE Institutions to improve our data collection and reporting on CLD programmes and student demographics. Establish a calendar of approval visits and panels to revalidate existing CLD programmes. Work with CLD Managers Scotland to continue to build awareness of CLD as a valued career choice. OUR TEAM MEMBERS Alan Sherry, OBE - Chair of CLD Standards Council Marion Allison - Director Ross Martin - Assistant Director Steven Maclennan - Development Officer Workforce Development Kirsty Gemmell - Development Officer Practice Standards and Development Vikki Carpenter - Development Officer Policy and Practice Lorna Renton - Development Officer Grant Garrett - Corporate Performance Officer (Seconded to an external post June 23 - June 24) Susie Bisset - Development Officer Approvals ChrisGore - Corporate Performance Officer Temporary (Oct 23 to May 24) Norma Devlin - Development Officer Temporary (April - Sept 24) Rebecca Lazenby - Business Support Assistant - Temporary Thank You to Our Membership, Our Partners and Stakeholders and Our Committee Members contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk Follow us: @CLDStandards CLD Standards Council The Optima 58 Robertson Street Glasgow G2 8DU