About Community Engagement

CDF aims to enhance the quality and impact of community involvement in developing visions for community improvement. Our role is to develop systems and supports, and to advise on their use. Work on this theme also relates to communities having greater ownership of assets, and enhanced management and delivery of services.

 

We want our work to help us find out how involvement contributes toeffective community development, and how involvement is in the interest of good governance. CDF builds infrastructure for community development by running programmes that help equip practitioners with up-to-date knowledge, to connect people to each other, and to support mutual learning. By doing this we contribute to a stronger infrastructure for the field and help build a stronger identity for community development.

 

Our three main areas of work are:

• Analysing and understanding engagement, building the case for its adoption in policy.
• Developing practice tools and frameworks.
• Building an infrastructure for community development.
  

 

 

To read CDF's policy statement on community engagement, click here.

 

 

To read CDF's policy statement on neighbourhoods, click here.

 

 

Empowerment

 

We have also published a policy paper on the importance of community development in empowerment, and a policy response to Communities in Control, the government's white paper.

 

 

 

Highlights of our recent work on Engaged Communities

In 2006-2007, much of the work on Engaged Communities relates to policy influence under our Strengthening Communities aim. This policy focused work has contributed to the development of The National Empowerment Partnership.

 

Neighbourhood Support Fund (NSF)

In December 2006, CDF published Re-engaging Young People, the evaluation of the successful project the Neighbourhood Support Fund (NSF). Through 6 years of research,including surveys, focus groups and case studies, the evaluation of the programme showed that community organisations can successfully work with ‘hard-to-reach’ and disengaged young people.

 

 

The National Strategic Framework for Community Development in Wales

CDF Wales works closely in partnership with a number of organisations including Community Development Cymru (CDC). CDF Wales contributed to and informed the development of the framework through representation on the steering group. The framework was launched in Cardiff in January 2007. For more information, visit the Community Development Cymru website or contact Liz Court, CDF's Manager, Wales.

 

 

Informing National Institute for Clinical Excellence Guidance on Good Engagement Methods

CDF contributed to the Department of Health and National Institute for Clinical Excellence (DoH/NICE) Programme Development Group on community development approaches to health. For more information, contact Alice Wilcock, Director, Policy and Research.

 

 

 

Contact

Stuart Hashagen, Director Scotland

Alice Wilcock, Director, Policy and Research