Evaluation of community learning and development in Scotland: Background
Community learning and development (CLD) is a field of professional practice which includes:
- youth work
- community-based adult learning
- family learning
- community development
It enables people to identify their own individual and collective goals, to engage in learning, and to take action to bring about change for themselves and their communities. CLD staff and volunteers support children, young people and adults in communities across Scotland, including those affected by deprivation. CLD activity has a strong focus on early intervention, prevention and tackling inequalities. It plays a significant role in raising attainment for all.
Lifelong learning is the skills development and learning each of us do throughout our lives. It includes many aspects of CLD, including youth work, community-based adult learning, family learning and intergenerational learning. CLD staff and volunteers support people of all ages to engage in learning to support wellbeing, fulfil personal ambitions and enjoy gaining skills and knowledge.
Community development is a process where people come together to take action on what is important to them. It helps communities to identify and organise the issues they want to address or the opportunities they want to explore. This can be done by communities of place or communities of shared identity. Community development is about making a fairer, more just and more inclusive society. It includes building the skills and capacities of community groups and organisations. It is one strand of CLD.
CLD activity has an important role in supporting community empowerment. The Scottish Government defines community empowerment as:
"a process where people work together to make change happen in their communities by having more power and influence over what matters to them".
Communities may be geographically located or they may share common interests, concerns or identities.
Core to CLD methodology is that programmes and activities are developed with communities and participants. CLD professionals are committed to the values of:
- self-determination
- inclusion
- empowerment
- working collaboratively
- promotion of learning as a lifelong activity
CLD methodologies are also used by practitioners in other sectors to engage with communities and learners.
A ‘CLD learner’ is any recipient of the services of a partnership or partner delivering CLD provision. They can be:
- children
- young people
- adults
- families
- volunteers
- community activists
- community members
CLD partners include both organisations and groups that deliver learning and development in the community and other services and organisations that contribute to CLD partnerships. This may include, but is not limited to:
- CLD services and organisations
- early learning centres and schools
- culture and sport groups and organisations
- NHS
- colleges
- emergency services
- third sector local and national organisations
- community groups
- libraries
- employers
Between 2016 and 2019, inspections identified several recurring themes, including that CLD is contributing strongly to local communities and that staff and volunteers are improving the life chances of participants across Scotland. HM Inspectors also identified areas requiring further development, such as improving the measurement of performance against aims, strengthening the community-based adult learning offer and making progression routes for learners clearer.
Improving life chances and empowering communities (PDF) highlights strengths and aspects for improvement in the leadership and delivery of CLD provision. As we resumed inspections in 2023/24, following the pandemic, we wanted to assess whether local authorities had made progress in addressing these key areas of improvement, especially given the challenges posed by COVID-19.
CLD adapted and worked flexibly to help meet the needs of communities during the pandemic. CLD practitioners worked in a range of venues, including learning hubs, and quickly adapted how they delivered learning. They supported volunteers and communities to meet local needs. In September 2022, HM Inspectors published Responsive, supportive and resilient communities. This report highlights features of effective community development practice in response to COVID-19.
As CLD continues to evolve post-pandemic, the sector faces several ongoing challenges and opportunities that affect its ability to deliver positive outcomes. These include variability in the governance of CLD and how well available resources are matched to current and emerging needs. However, there are also significant strengths in the sector, such the commitment of staff and volunteers at all levels to supporting participants and communities to make positive changes.
This report seeks to explore these critical areas by evaluating how effectively local authorities and their partners are leading and governing CLD provision, as well as the extent to which their work is delivering measurable impact. By understanding both the successes and challenges, we aim to provide insights that will inform the future development and sustainability of CLD across Scotland.
