Widening the Welcome Supporting Communities through — Action

Widening the Welcome Supporting Communities through - Action Learning

What do we mean by community? ‘community’ is a group of people united by at least one common characteristic, including geography, identity or shared interest.

Community Development • Prioritising the perspectives/actions of communities, in the development of social, economic and environmental policy. • It helps enable empowerment of local communities, geographically, communities of interest or organising on specific themes or policy initiatives. • It strengthens collective capacity of people as citizens through their community organisations and networks • Builds the capacity of institutions/agencies (public, private and non-governmental) to work with citizens to shape and determine change in communities.

Current Scottish Context for Community Development

The Scottish Approach • Prevention in communities before problems arise • Coordination within and between services • Rooted in rights and tacking inequality • Co-production – with communities for better services Partnership with communities – of “place” & of “interest or identity”

Community Empowerment Act? Nation al outcom es t Asse r ansfe tr Support er involvem ent in football clubs Non-domestic rates Commo n good p roperty Co pl m an m ni un ng ity n tio a ip c rti ests Pa qu re Participa tory bud geting s Allo nt tme Com to b munity uy l and rights ry est r f fo ’ n o tio oners a leg issi De m s m Co ction fun

• “ The CPP should build the capacity of communities, particularly those experiencing inequality, to enable those communities, both geographic and of interest, to identify their own needs and opportunities; and support their efforts to participate effectively in community planning, including in the co -production of services. ” • 24 separate mentions of communities of interest − consultation, − reviewing progress and − commenting on reporting − Co-production Important to both refugee and receiving communities

The Role of CD & Refugees • Refugee experience in communities crucial to successful integration • Great, humanitarian responses In communities but – things can go wrong • Conscious CD approaches at various levels can build: − Bonds amongst those with refugee experiences − Bridges between new & existing communities − Links to decision making processes which enhance, inhibit integration

Components of this work • Work to empower refugee communities to input their experience to service developments aimed at them. • Work to support proactive welcoming work by receiving communities. • Work to explore/improve community attitudes and responses - preventative • Work to improve community level co-ordination & access to services. What are we doing now/have planned to deliver these

Widening the Welcome • Reflection on the role CD is playing in local planning for integration. • Assessment of possible learning support needs of those involved. • Exploring experience of local support organisations with a view to further developing the refugee integration networking concept locally. • Contributing to the development of tools and techniques which can be shared.

Project Overview Produce an action plan for CD learning National Seminar Event New Scots Co-inquiry process n four varied locations Online survey Scoping interviews - Key issues for community development with refugees 5. Develop a draft Action plan & CD learning Model for use in support in local refugee settlement and integration processes. 4. Present results of Action Research, explore issues and develop actions which address challenges in creating Bonds, Bridges and links. 3. Select four areas and explore the issues in 2 more detailed day long co-inquiry sessions with follow up local interviews with refugees and host community reps, 2. Develop & pilot a more detailed survey and deliver this with community development practitioners and staff involved n planning for refugee integration on Scotland eg community planners, housing staff, 1. Up To 6 interviews with Key Informant refugees, receiving community reps, community development workers, planners and policy makers to generate insights for further exploration.

Areas for investigation • • • What CD activity are people delivering? What are they trying to achieve? (Bonds, Links and Bridges)? What are the broader community response to refugee settlement & Integration locally? Is it linked to other local community development activity & is it adequately resourced? To what extent is work linked to other work on promoting equalities/hate crime? To what extent is the workforce carrying out this work suitably supported?

We want to talk to • Specialist Third Sector eg SRC, Faith sector, TSIs • Co. SLA - SMP • Local Authority/ third sector CD providers • Local Authority strategic planners for this issue • Receiving community reps - Welcoming groups, generic groups • Refugee reps – More established recipients of CD/Integration services, new Syrian reps • Glasgow and Motherwell stakeholders

Case study site selection • Work with sites that are keen to work with us • Need to demonstrate both past and current integration CD & experience if possible • Explore work at different scales and in different kinds of location eg urban and rural • Real involvement from host communities • Different approaches to planning and coordination • Renfrewshire likely to participate but funded separately