We work with local authorities, housing associations, partnerships, community groups and voluntary sector organisations on issues such as:
- Effective community engagement
- Neighbourhood development
- Building capacity in communities
So give us a ring for a chat about what you are interested in on 07852 899 869.
Community Engagement
Our work in supporting effective community engagement includes:
Work with practitioners – front line officers, volunteers and professionals who work with, consult and support communities – focussing on practical approaches to engagement.- Work with organisations – to help develop a strategy or action plan on community engagement – focussing on the longer term planning and development issues, and ensuring effective systems for engagement are in place.
- Work with community groups and local leaders – practical support to strengthen skills for getting involved and having a say in local decision-making.
- We also work with businesses on corporate social responsibility.
The range of our support work in community engagement includes:
Training – for example, one or two day workshops on developing skills in community engagement, looking at a range of methods and the key underlying principles. Examples include:
- Through the Local Government Information Unit, we have trained Council Members in approaches to engagement and community leadership.
- We have trained outreach workers in Halifax, Perth and Grimsby in skills for engaging and working with communities.
'The training day was fantastic' - Local government officer, North Lincolnshire Council
Policy work – we can work with you to help develop a strategic approach to community engagement, addressing both community needs and the priorities of the organisation.
- Steve produced a Community Engagement Strategy for Gedling Borough Council, East Midlands
- Steve was formerly a member of a Home Office working group that led to the policy report Firm Foundations.
Facilitation – including away days, reviews and conferences, focusing on community engagement approaches and practice.
- We worked with neighbourhood leaders in inner city Leeds to develop an action plan to support community involvement.
Evaluation and reviews – we can help your team, organisation or partnership to review and evaluate its community engagement activities.
- For example, in Calderdale we helped the Park Community Initiative neighbourhood management partnership to assess the effectiveness of their first year, interviewing local service providers and residents.
Action Learning Sets – can be facilitated with a focus on community engagement, usually involving a minimum of four sessions.
Neighbourhood Development
Steve Skinner Associates can help in building the effective development and management of neighbourhoods in a number of ways. Our range of work includes:
- Mapping resources and needs
- Assessing community strengths
- Assessing impact
- Partnership building
- Developing a strategy
Examples of our neighbourhood work includes:
- In Chapeltown and Hare Hills in inner city Leeds, we worked with local leaders to develop a community engagement plan that was then adopted by the neighbourhood partnership.
- In West Halifax we carried out an evaluation of the Park Community Initiative partnership and facilitated the board’s future planning work. This project involved interviewing 17 local service providers to identify blocks to more effective neighbourhood management.
Building Capacity in Communities
We have extensive experience in the design and delivery of programmes to build on confidence, skills and abilities in communities - including tailor made training programmes, mentoring, arranging visits, organising networking events and facilitating conferences.
We can work with both community groups and public services to look at local needs for 'capacity building' and help draw up an action plan, making use of a nationally tried and tested framework called 'Building Stronger Communities'.
Our work has included writing toolkits and practical guidelines on strengthening communities that have been used widely across the country.
We encourage a partnership approach to building capacity, supporting public services to develop their own staff skills and organisations to engage effectively with communities.
