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11 RENFREWSHIRE, EAST RENFRESHIRE & INVERCLYDE

Project Background and Rationale

11.1 Bring Your Baby ( BYB) was a cross-council Pathfinder delivered by Renfrewshire Council (Arts and Museums, Libraries), East Renfrewshire Council (Arts, Libraries) and Inverclyde Council (Arts, Libraries, Children's Integrated Services).

11.2 The Pathfinder was designed as an early intervention tool, working with pre-school children and their families/carers in areas of multiple deprivation and geographic isolation that were experiencing social and/or other difficulties.

11.3 During arts' sessions, families were given opportunities to work and learn together, promoting family communication and confidence. Based in community libraries, the activities encouraged literacy as well as promoting positive family communication through play.

Aims and Objectives

11.4 The project, delivered through local libraries, had the dual objectives of:

• using culture as a tool to achieve a range of social aims; and
• engaging disenfranchised individuals back into the community, subsequently allowing them to input into planning for culture.

11.5 Ultimately the Pathfinder sought to engage such individuals in community life and ensure they felt better equipped to take advantage of services, cultural or otherwise.

11.6 The specific aims detailed in the Evaluation Plan were to:

• promote learning and life skills (e.g. via the theme of healthy lifestyles);
• facilitate engagement between individuals and public agencies;
• promote parenting skills and family communication (e.g. bedtime stories with children);
• encourage users to take a key role in shaping project content;
• explore and develop a model to inform planning for culture;
• explore and develop a framework for delivering meaningful cultural entitlements (as was the policy at the time of establishment); and
• feed results of project into the local Community Plan.

Funding

11.7 The total cost of the project was £47,232. The Cultural Pathfinder Programme provided £36,900, with the remaining £10,332 sourced from the three local authorities. Each contributed cash of £1,500, with Renfrewshire Council also contributing £5,832 in-kind support.

Strategic Fit

11.8 One of the two key policy aims of the previous national cultural policy ( Scotland's Culture) was to encourage more people to enjoy cultural activities by requesting that local authorities to develop cultural 'entitlements' for their area, in consultation with local people and for local authorities to undertake cultural planning, feeding into Community Planning.

11.9 The BYB Pathfinder was originally developed to test the model as a means of delivering cultural 'entitlements'. The partner local authorities wished to test whether the project and activities had made a meaningful difference compared with previous delivery models. The rationale was to engage more with marginalised groups and work with them in order that a significant difference was made and any resulting lessons could be applied to future support.

11.10 Although the shift in policy was away from 'local cultural entitlements' to widening access to cultural provision, the Pathfinder remained strongly aligned with certain key policy drivers of Scottish Government, as the focus was on creating access to cultural activities for those that do not traditionally participate.

11.11 Both past and current policy guidance called for greater planning for culture and for this to be embedded in Community Planning. Despite this, there was little engagement with CPPs.

11.12 Within each of the CPPs of the three local authorities - Renfrewshire Community Planning Partnership, Inverclyde Alliance and East Renfrewshire Community Planning Partnership - there is no representation from the cultural sectors on the partnership. Similarly, the previous community plans (to 2007) under which the Pathfinder was established, made no reference to cultural activity.

11.13 However, within the new SOAs (2008-11) in both Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire, the role of culture is explicitly mentioned (note: this is not a direct result of the Pathfinder); in Inverclyde there is no explicit mention.

11.14 Overall, the Pathfinder was closely aligned to objectives of the Cultural Pathfinder Programme, in that it:

• targeted under-represented groups (those in areas identified as in need of socio-economic renewal);
• embraced a mix of minority ethnic communities and a 'settled' community;
• was delivered cross-authority thus extending the Pathfinder experience more widely;
• worked with other services (largely Social Work and Community Learning and Development);
• there was genuine involvement from the community; and
• there was a commitment to evaluation.

Activities and Processes

11.15 The Pathfinder was managed by Renfrewshire Council's Arts and Museums Department and was delivered by a combination of departments within the three local authorities (Renfrewshire: Art and Museums and Libraries; East Renfrewshire: Arts and Libraries; and Inverclyde: Arts, Libraries and Children's Integrated Services). A range of individuals were employed to help deliver the project including:

• arts workers;
• an Adult Literacy Worker; and
• a Development Officer from "Buddies for Learning".

11.16 At the outset the project undertook an initial consultation process (using a range of models, including Open Art Days, Travel and Taste sessions, etc) in order to inform the programme of arts activities targeted at families of young children. The activities were essentially art sessions based in local libraries across six key areas of deprivation (Renfrewshire - Ferguslie Park, Linwood; East Renfrewshire - Levern Valley, Neilston; and Inverclyde - Port Glasgow and Gourock). The sessions spanned across art forms, and in addition to library based activities, away days and outdoor activities were also encouraged.

Achievements and Impacts

11.17 The account of the achievements and impacts of the Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Pathfinder is based mainly on the evidence provided in the Final and Interim Reports of the project, supported by feedback from consultations undertaken for the Programme evaluation.

11.18 In line with the structure provided by the Evaluation Toolkit, the Evaluation Plan for the Pathfinder identified indicators in relation to Activities, Participation, Satisfaction, Impacts and Value for Money.

Activities

11.19 In relation to activities, the project delivered most of the activity outputs identified in the Evaluation Plan, including:

• the appointment of a steering group, with representatives from each local authority (arts department), library staff and a representative from the social work department from Inverclyde;
• the production of a range of promotional materials;
• the production of the workshop and event programme which involved story-telling, arts activities, singing and dance, drama and writing of a book as a group and activity days;
• the appointment of an external evaluator - a child psychologist was appointed; and
• the identification of participants, arts and outreach workers and other relevant agencies.

Participation

11.20 The Pathfinder originally targeted 186 'participant sessions' ¹⁷ with an average of eight participants per session. It exceeded its overall target for total participation with a total of 270 participant sessions over 43 weeks (with breaks during the summer months), and around 18 participants per session in each area. Some individuals remained with the programme throughout the period, with others leaving and new participants coming in. It is not clear how many unique individuals (parents/carers and children) attended overall. It is worth noting that in some areas the intake at nurseries twice a year had an adverse impact on attendance.

11.21 In addition to the weekly sessions, there were a total of 10 cultural away days (to Paisley Arts Centre, Paisley Town Hall, Eastwood Park Theatre, cultural festivals etc) and two book launches. The away days fell short of the target of 15 (it was the intention to deliver three summer away days (one in each local authority area) and 12 cultural away days (four in each area).

11.22 Each council area adopted a localised approach as it was reported that it was very difficult to undertake any standard promotion across the three local authorities (which could have resulted in efficiency gains) due to the different rules, regulations and cultures across the three organisations.

11.23 In attempts to engage the most disenfranchised groups, connections were made with cross-council departments such as Health and Social Work and Community Learning. Although a generally successful approach (greater inclination to participate when encouraged by those which potential participants have a relationship of trust), it was felt such links could have been improved and the numbers referred via such mechanisms could have been greater.

11.24 In particular, a large proportion that became involved were either regular library users or those who had learned about BYB via leaflets in the library. Others became aware of the Pathfinder through more informal methods - word of mouth, mother and toddler groups and through the outreach of the project workers. This was considered a valuable lesson in recruiting those who typically do not engage in cultural activity. It was also noted that word of mouth was very important in building participation, which requires time and patience.

11.25 Overall, the evidence does suggest that the project was successful in engaging people who live in areas of multiple deprivation (i.e. the target group), but was perhaps less successful in securing participation of those within the area who normally do not participate in cultural activity (which was also a key aim of the Pathfinder).

Satisfaction

11.26 The general impression is that levels of satisfaction among the participants (both parents/carers and children) have been high. As reported in the Interim and Final Report, reasons for high levels of satisfaction included impacts of both parents/carers and children.

11.27 Impacts on the parents/carers, included:

• improved communication between themselves and their child/children;
• increased confidence in interacting with children in cultural activities;
• increased social interaction with peers (other parents/carers);
• reduction in the feeling of isolation and increased feeling of being part of a community (especially important for migrants to the community and to the country);
• the development of new friendships and support networks, which have been maintained;
• education of different cultures (Polish and Russian participants) which made others more accepting of them;
• breaking down barriers between the settled and immigrant population (particularly in Ferguslie Park);
• the promotion of places that parents/carers could go with their children and meet their peers;
• individuals becoming more aware of public resources available in the area (not exclusive to arts and culture); and
• increased membership of local library.

11.28 Impacts on the children included:

• improved social interaction of the child/children (particularly useful in making transition from home to nursery);
• improved appetite for healthy snacks among the children, through conducting 'healthy eating' themed activities providing sample healthy snacks; and
• increased enthusiasm for the sessions and activities among the children.

11.29 In addition to reported satisfaction among participants, the Interim and Final Reports also noted satisfaction amongst partner local authorities. The reasons for satisfaction revolved around direct benefits to the partners, as well as benefits to participants (as reported by the partners).

11.30 Direct partner benefits included:

• sharing of learning pan-authority, and the development of professional relationships. This learning referred to elements of direct delivery, project management and co-ordination, project planning and engaging with other services;
• focus of bringing different departments together (in East Renfrewshire) including Arts Services, Libraries, Health Connect, Health Visitors, Children First and Social Services;
• increased library membership and borrowing of parenting books; and
• development of new skills and increased confidence in working with young children among the library staff.

11.31 Benefits reported by the partners on participants (additional to those reported above) included:

• the development of new skills; and
• a greater understanding and acceptance of, different cultures.

11.32 Despite overall levels of satisfaction with the Pathfinder among partners, there were a few issues raised by some of the partners. East Renfrewshire reported that the initial planning stages were unduly rushed resulting in poor uptake at the outset and Inverclyde Council believed that it was working under time constraints throughout the process.

Impacts

11.33 The impacts identified in the BYB Pathfinder Evaluation Plan focus on the impact on individual participants. There was no reported impact regarding increased dialogue between cultural and Community Planning professionals, nor the use of the Pathfinder to impact upon the Community Plan. This is not necessarily a criticism of the Project, rather a reflection of the difficulties inherent in engaging with CPPs, particularly on the subject of culture.

11.34 Feedback suggests that many of the participants were already library users and although they may live in areas of multiple deprivation, they already engage in cultural activity. This was not helped by the fact that a significant proportion of the wider marketing material was distributed in libraries rather than greater focus given to distributing within venues that particular hard-to-reach groups would frequent.

11.35 Nonetheless, as noted above, it was reported that the project was successful in encouraging participation in cultural activity, particularly amongst 'hard to reach' groups. Also, the Pathfinder reached those perhaps not initially expected, particularly migrants.

11.36 As a result there were a number of reported benefits, as reported earlier.

11.37 At an organisation level, the project impacted on the process under which arts workers are recruited to Renfrewshire Council. The expected role extends beyond the simple delivery of arts activities. For instance, a requirement will now include the candidates' ability to develop capacity building including engaging cross-council departments and individuals (libraries, social workers etc) and embedding culture into strategic decisions.

11.38 Furthermore, the Pathfinder has led to reassessing the evaluation of arts activities across the local authorities, with a movement towards more rigorous, formal evaluation. It has also led to learning regarding local authorities working in partnership with to deliver joint projects. It was reported that the most appropriate partners are not necessarily those closest geographically, but those who face similar issues or have similar demographics.

11.39 It was felt that the overall impacts on participants were adversely affected by time pressures, worsened by issues of child protection requirements, risk assessment, enhanced disclosures etc. Also, additional resources were required to liaise across three local authorities, yet this was not accounted for at the outset.

11.40 Also with regards to CPPs, it was reported that although the CPPs are aware of the arts and culture, local authority departments delivering arts and culture are not yet fully engaged in the Community Planning process. As stated earlier, there is no mention of culture within any of the three areas' Community Plans.

11.41 Overall, the general consensus was that the project had delivered impacts - both softer impacts such as confidence building to harder impacts such as improved literacy. However, with regards to the latter, it is difficult to provide anything other than anecdotal evidence (increased borrowing of books) and it was reported that the time period of the Project was too short to have significant impacts on literacy (of parents/carers). In addition, in order to accurately measure impacts, it was recognised by the project management that a baseline was needed, but due to timing issues at the start of BYB, producing this was not possible.

Value for Money

11.42 The project cost £47,232, of which £36,900 was provided by the Cultural Pathfinder Programme, £4,500 was provided by the three local authorities and £5,832 was in-kind staff costs provided by Renfrewshire Council.

11.43 There was no reporting of value for money in the Final Report, and therefore establishing an accurate value for money assessment of the Pathfinder is problematic. Anecdotally, it was reported that the Pathfinder did offer value for money but that it could have been better. It was envisaged that cross-council working would reduce duplication and result in smarter planning. However, as reported above, the differences between the three areas meant that this was not always achieved, thus impacting on the value for money delivered by the project.

11.44 It is also worth noting that the cost per participant is not possible to report because it is not clear how many unique individuals participated in the Pathfinder.

Contribution to Strategic Objectives

11.45 A number of key strategic objectives to which each of the Pathfinder projects would be expected to contribute have been identified. Here we provide an assessment of the extent to which the Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Pathfinder project has successfully:

• engaged under-represented groups in arts/cultural activities;
• encouraged collaborative working within and/or across authorities;
• engaged CPPs and other partners/stakeholders;
• delivered effective consultation with communities;
• delivered something that is truly new and additional; and
• considered and ensured the sustainability of its impacts.

Engaging Under-Represented Groups

11.46 The project engaged at the very least 113 unique individuals ¹⁸, although with attendee turnover, it is likely that this number is significantly higher. The evidence shows that BYB followed the Pathfinder Programme level guidance and recognised that some sections of the population are less likely to participate in cultural activities than others, and therefore it targeted individuals within areas of social deprivation.

11.47 In addition, despite not specifically targeting minority ethnic communities, they also engaged with the project. Given that the Government's intention was to find means of mainstreaming access to cultural activities, this work across different groups (i.e. immigrants and those established in the community) was a positive aspect of BYB.

11.48 Participants were engaged in a wide range of artistic and cultural activities with a core focus on storytelling. For the majority, this was a new experience, and one that delivered benefits for both parents/carers and children. In particular, parents notably flourished through their children, whilst the children gained and developed social skills.

11.49 To achieve this, it was vital to ensure the environment was informal and friendly, to build up trust and "ease people in". It was noted that the creation of a book as a key task for the groups deterred people from attending (especially in groups with smaller numbers) or caused anxiety. Therefore a notable lesson was not to put participants in an environment which pushed them too far too soon or made them uncomfortable. That is not to say that the sessions did not have significant impacts, but rather, in the timescale, it was important to be realistic as to what achievements were possible.

11.50 Although the project distributed leaflets of the Pathfinder, promotion was more effective (in terms of reaching those who do not traditionally participate) when using other council services, local partners and local groups to identify participants and to encourage ongoing participation. Engagement and participation was also easier for those libraries co-located with other key services such as the health centre.

11.51 Also the art workers played a critical role in engaging the participants, noting in particular the outreach work and the creation of a relaxed, non-threatening and informal atmosphere, who were employed because they could not only deliver the necessary artistic activities, but could also engage and empathise with the target groups.

Collaborative Working

11.52 A key objective of the Programme was to extend the Pathfinder experience as widely as possible, achieved by the BYB project simply by working across authorities, but also through engaging different agencies and council services.

11.53 However, as noted, the sharing of good practice across the three local authorities was less than expected due to organisational and cultural differences. Also a major challenge for the project was the overall co-ordination and management across three local authorities. This was largely due to differing workloads and commitments and despite commitment to the project, it was not always possible for key representatives to attend meetings. It was questioned whether the cross-authority working had actually resulted in efficiency gains as expected and it was also suggested that cross-authority working of this kind requires a dedicated project co-ordinator.

11.54 There was evidence of cross-service working across the project and this was most notable in Inverclyde. Inverclyde Council engaged the Social Work Department and Inverclyde Children's Integrated Services in order to secure participation. It delivered promotional material to pre-five establishments, to every health visitor in Inverclyde, local social services, parenting groups and The Special Needs Pregnancy Service. Significantly, a Social Work representative from Inverclyde was on the Steering Group.

11.55 At the same time as BYB, the national programme Bookstart, run by the Scottish Book Trust, was being rolled out. Bookstart encourages parents to share reading with their children from an early age. It was felt that some elements of BYB activities were the same as the rhymetime strand of Bookstart. Although Bookstart was not rolled out across all the three local authorities at the time of the Pathfinder, stronger involvement may have accelerated the implementation of the initiative, thereby freeing some resources of BYB and increasing overall cultural provision in the area.

11.56 Despite praise from Bookstart for the BYB project, there were concerns about the lack of co-ordinated working, possible duplication and confusion. The Scottish Book Trust was informed of BYB towards the end of the project lifetime rather than at the outset. Yet, useful learning from the Bookstart representatives could have proved beneficial to the BYB project, and as mentioned, increased overall the level of activities.

Engaging Community Planning and other Partners

11.57 The Pathfinder Programme sought not only to ensure wider access to cultural provision, but also to bring culture's benefits to bear upon the range of local authority services and to inform the strategic work of the CPPs. It was clear at the outset of the Programme that success was not judged on cultural activities alone, rather on developing information about culture's impact when used to address a range of social issues. It was in this respect that the projects were intended to be valuable in relation to planning for culture and Community Planning.

11.58 There was conflicting evidence across the three local authorities regarding BYB's ability to develop "buy-in" to the idea that culture can be used to deliver other benefits.

11.59 On the one hand, it achieved some success in extending its reach to other departments of the local authorities - Health Services, Social Work, Community Learning and Development, Children's Integrated Services - and other organisations including NCH Scotland and Children with Disabilities to access the most vulnerable individuals. Such departments and organisations encouraged referrals to the project, and were also guests at some of the sessions, supporting agendas around literacy, healthy lifestyles and ICT. The project worked particularly well with healthcare professionals (assisted by the fact that one of the libraries was based in a health centre) and it sought to use cultural activities to promote health and wellbeing in line with positive mental health programmes. There was anecdotal evidence to suggest that the involvement of other agencies not only promoted referrals to BYB but in a two way process, participation in BYB provided individuals with access to other sectors' services, and boosted their communication skills and self confidence when dealing with public agencies.

11.60 On the other hand, there was a realisation that there was some way still to go in this area (and this was recognised by the project managers). The Pathfinder intended to encourage statutory services and CPPs to experience the important role that cultural participation can play in addressing social issues, however, this was only achieved to a limited extent. In Renfrewshire in particular, there was a reported attitude that culture is perceived simply as comprising visits to museums and theatres and is not incorporated into the wider aspects of life. Thus, without a change in attitude with regards to what culture is, then it is difficult to change behaviour.

11.61 In Inverclyde, key lessons have been learned through the Pathfinder and other arts and cultural activities about how best to engage with specific groups and establish a relationship. However, there has been little dissemination of that learning to the cross council services and CPPs, and relationships have been slow to develop.

11.62 Although efforts to engage the CPPs could have been better across the project, it is also important to recognise well-established barriers in doing so, not least the lack of interest in and understanding of culture among key partners.

11.63 In terms of engagement with the wider cultural sector, this too was limited. The Pathfinder recognised that the community arts and voluntary sector would be strategically important in ensuring the sustainability of BYB. However, in BYB, the engagement of the cultural sector extended only to the recruitment of four project workers. However, there was learning among library staff on how best to work with children.

11.64 Overall, the Pathfinder developed a useful model to demonstrate how cultural instruments can be used as a tool to achieve objectives in other areas such as health. However, thus far the dissemination of this learning has been limited.

Effective Consultation with Communities

11.65 By following an action research approach, the Pathfinder attempted to build a model of engagement that ensured wider access to cultural and other public services. Through BYB and its associated activities there is clear evidence that it achieved the former, but there is less evidence regarding the latter.

11.66 The project was based on a small-scale pilot undertaken by Renfrewshire Council in which different cultural and arts activities were tested, and this informed the content of BYB. Furthermore, the detail of the project content remained flexible and was influenced by the participants. The project at the outset recognised that the consultation process itself was critical to the take-up of the arts activities (both of the Pathfinder and other activity), with the recognition that to maximise local impact, cultural provision needed to be relevant not only to the participants but also to partner organisations.

11.67 Although the Pathfinder fully understood the importance of giving users a primary role in shaping the content of the activities, it also reported that participation in cultural activities among the targeted groups was restricted due to fear of the unknown. Therefore, in order to ensure potential participants were not dissuaded from taking part, a "menu" approach was adopted. Parents/carers were given a set of possible programme activities and they were able to select those most appropriate and most relevant and interesting to them. This created balance between allowing the participants to shape the activities, whilst not putting them under undue pressure.

11.68 Also, Renfrewshire Council's Educational Psychology Service, in undertaking an external evaluation of the impact of the project on participants, added to the consultation process with parents/carers and with project workers in order to gain their views on the success or otherwise of BYB and improvements for similar projects in the future.

11.69 With regards to effective consultation that ensured wider access to other public services, the evidence was less clear. BYB recognised at the outset that those in an area of multiple deprivation typically find it difficult to establish meaningful and open communication with public sector agencies and it was envisaged that the project would address this. This was achieved to some extent in that representatives from other services were invited along to sessions and the topics of the sessions revolved around specific issues (e.g. health and healthy eating). However, beyond this, there was not strong evidence to support any claim that this led to greater access to these services by the participants. Furthermore, as noted above, those considered most disenfranchised (and thus the furthest removed from Community Planning process) were in the minority in the sessions.

Additionality

11.70 One of the key factors for which the projects were originally assessed was their ability to develop impact and success that would not otherwise have happened. It was very unlikely that the majority of activities undertaken by the BYB would have gone ahead without the funding from the Scottish Government.

11.71 However, in determining additionality, it is important to reflect any areas of overlap and duplication. By working closer together with the national Bookstart Programme it was possible that a greater number of activities could have pursued as Bookstart could cover the storytelling element of the BYB.

11.72 Although BYB was based on a small-scale pilot, and could arguably be said not to be new, the project intended to move beyond the pilot in two important ways: first to engage on a more strategic level with CPPs and secondly, to secure participation of those with particularly low representation and visibility in both cultural activities and the Community Planning processes. In both areas, the level of success was limited, and consequently, so too were the intended new elements of the project.

Sustainability and Legacies

11.73 Although the project did not continue in full beyond the term of the Pathfinder due to lack of ongoing funding, there was evidence of the continuation of some of its activities. For instance, in Renfrewshire, a BME group was established in the library by those who attended BYB and another group in Renfrewshire have decided to continue with some of the activities on a voluntary basis. This has been helped by the project developing the skills and expertise of library staff in working with children and by the physical legacies left in the form of materials and the "activity boxes". In addition, many of the activities (especially rhyme and storytelling) will now be covered by the national Bookstart Programme, although this would have happened anyway.

11.74 There was also evidence of audience development with project participants commenting that they would be much more likely to visit libraries, museums, theatres and festivals as a result of BYB introducing them to such services through the day trips.

11.75 It was not necessarily an intention of the Programme that supported projects would continue beyond the life of the Pathfinder. However, it was intended that some form of strategic sustainability and legacy would be achieved. The active engagement of cross-council services and other partners was seen as critical in not only maximising benefits, but also in helping partners in Community Planning to recognise the value of placing arts and culture at the heart of social policy.

11.76 There were some pockets of evidence of this being achieved, with Inverclyde reporting that the project has led to more involvement with adult literacy services in other ongoing activities of the arts service, and ongoing work was also evident with the social work department. However, this was not widespread across the three local authorities.

11.77 It was noted that the involvement of elected members would be critical to such strategic sustainability, as would the creation of a "Cultural Champion" in each local authority. In an attempt to achieve this, local MSPs/ MPs were invited to be part of the steering group, but it seemed that this invitation was not accepted, nor did the cultural champion idea take off.

11.78 Therefore, despite clear recognition from the project partners of what needed to be done to ensure strategic sustainability, the willingness of other partners to engage remained a barrier.

11.79 Another legacy of this project was the use of the Evaluation Toolkit. This proved useful and elements of it would be used again in evaluation of such projects. In addition, the Learning Collaborative was felt to be extremely useful for disseminating learning, sharing of experiences and being exposed to examples of best practice.

Overall Assessment and Key Lessons

11.80 The BYB Pathfinder can be considered as a successful project with regards to delivering valuable activity to an under-represented group. However, although clearly focussed on community consultation, this has had limited strategic impact with regards to disseminating the learning and using it as a tool for further engagement with CPPs. The project seemed to lose any strategic focus and momentum as time went on, specifically when there was a shift in government policy. Also, although a good project, the Pathfinder, it is difficult to suggest that it was truly new.

11.81 The key lessons learned (but not necessarily disseminated) that would influence the planning of cultural provision in future were:

• time is required to develop relationships with communities, especially vulnerable communities;
• undertaking cross-council projects can be problematic given different structures, budgets and organisational cultures. Therefore, it was difficult to attempt to have one size fits all, and there was a requirement for local variation;
• the best way to consult with individuals in order that they can influence planning for culture and Community Planning is on an informal basis, as this well supports inclusivity;
• creation of an informal environment with the addition of free time at the beginning of activities, allowing children to play and adults to settle in and develop personal relationships;
• successful partnership is extremely important to the overall delivery of the project on two levels; across the three local authorities and cross-council within each local authority;
• it is not always possible to undertake one generic publicity campaign as there are specific local authority guidelines to be observed; and
• an external co-ordinator rather than a staff member would be more effective in managing cross-council projects.

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