Tackling multiple deprivation in communities: considering the evidence

Ensuring meaningful community empowerment

June 2nd 2009

Community engagement or empowerment?

Engagement involves two-way communication between communities and public agencies, using practical techniques to provide information and generate responses. Often used interchangeably with consultation, participation and involvement

Empowerment is the giving of confidence, skills and power to individuals and communities, enabling them to exert greater influence and control over what matters to them

My evidence base

‘In our own words’ - Community empowerment case study research for Scottish Government April 2009

Scoping the region – Community engagement and empowerment research for the N.E England Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership May 2009

Successful Neighbourhoods – UK research and publication for Chartered Institute of Housing and Communities and Local Government October 2007

Community empowerment – why do it?

Builds sustainable communities and successful localities

Adds real value to regeneration investment

Improves public service standards and local delivery

Helps ‘glue’ communities together

Gives deprived communities a stronger voice

Strengthens local democracy

Community empowerment: an overview

Recognising the community empowerment spectrum

‘Locking in’ to particular forms of empowerment

The politics of empowerment

Resource limitations and vulnerability

The pace of cultural change

‘Bottom up’: the key to sustainability

Overcoming apathy, suspicion and a dependency culture

Embedding community leadership

Recognising and supporting volunteering

Commitment and ‘light touch’ support from external advisors

Genuine and practical partnerships

The importance of community development and capacity building

The ‘never stop learning’ culture

Working at the community’s pace

Involving the many, not just the few

Networking and learning lessons from others

Training for service providers, councillors and officers

Changing organisational cultures

Consistent, concerted and committed leadership

Co-ordinating approaches across delivery agencies

Seeing things from a community perspective

Focusing at locality level, without micro-management

Stripping out professional jargon

Taking risks, sharing power

Changing organisational cultures

Community empowerment – what works?

Getting people involved from the start

Using informal and participative techniques

Identifying and targeting rarely heard groups

Developing leadership skills

Promoting and sustaining participatory democracy

Local councillors as community champions

Action plans which outline resident’s agendas for change

Community empowerment – what works?

Quick wins around community priorities

Community development and independent advice/support

Greater community access to resources

Balancing grant income with self-sufficiency

Partnerships based on equality, trust, and accountability

On-going training and support

Jargon-free information and regular feedback

Community asset transfers

What more do we need to know?

How do we recognise an empowered community?

How should we map community empowerment activity across local authorities and other public service providers?

What should a model community empowerment plan look like?

How should we measure cultural change in the public sector, in relation to community empowerment? What are the triggers, drivers, and barriers?