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Listen
Working and learning together to build stronger communities
FOREWORD
Last June we published our policy statement 'Community Learning and Development: The Way Forward'. As a key part of our strategy for building stronger communities, we announced that we would be issuing new guidance to local authorities and their community-planning partners on community learning and development. We have prepared this working draft guidance following consultation with CoSLA and others and it is now being published for wider consultation. The guidance is intended to support the draft Community Planning Guidance that was issued on 28 October, in preparation for the Local Government in Scotland Act.
The guidance contains a number of important challenges for Community Planning Partnerships and those public and voluntary sector organisations which support community learning and development. A central theme is our concern to see partners targeting their support more upon disadvantaged individuals, groups and communities, and those who are at risk of becoming disadvantaged. To achieve this we have identified four national priorities which we want to see all partners tackling.
We also want to see community learning and development playing a more central role in supporting the involvement of communities, including young people, in the community planning process. In this regard the guidance strengthens the link between community learning and development and community planning at all levels. The guidance provides advice on local strategies and plans for community learning and development and their relationship with other planning processes, and on community involvement, quality and evaluation issues, profile-raising, professional development and management information.
The guidance is a practical working document designed to help Community Planning Partnerships over the next four years. It is intended to give a new focus and priority towards strengthening communities across Scotland, building on the strong foundations of joint working in this area that has been built up since 1999.
Margaret Curran, MSP
Minister for Social Justice
January 2003
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