Evaluation of community learning and development in Scotland: Summary findings
The leadership of CLD in most local authorities is strong and effective. The majority of local authorities have effective governance of CLD. However, the leadership and governance of CLD needs to be strengthened in a number of local authorities. This includes a few local authorities where leadership and governance are now less effective than before the pandemic.
Almost all community planning partnerships have a strategic role in planning CLD, and monitor progress through regular reporting. CLD is increasingly aligned to local outcome improvement plan priorities and locality planning structures. This is raising the awareness and understanding of the impact of CLD across a wider range of partners.
The recognition of CLD as a distinct and important part of Scotland’s education system continues to develop and grow. Senior leaders in local authorities and community planning partnerships increasingly understand how CLD practitioners and partners use CLD methodologies to support children, young people, adults and communities. They are also recognising the value of CLD’s contribution to meeting key national and local priorities.
Local authorities and their CLD partners are not yet sufficiently involving community representatives and learners in the planning and decision-making about CLD at a strategic level. There are a small number of local authorities who are effective in supporting young people, adult learners, or community groups to play a role in CLD strategic planning. However, no local authority is yet involving all three groups as fully active partners. This includes participants’ involvement in the development and review of CLD plans. In particular, adult learners are under-represented in CLD planning at area and strategic level.
The way CLD is resourced and governed varies significantly between local authorities. Where CLD sits in local authorities varies significantly. This can cause challenges in developing a coherent approach to CLD delivery and governance across local authority departments and in CLD leaders being able to benchmark across local authorities. The funding of CLD is also complex. Local authorities use a varying mix of core funding (which is diminishing year on year), short-term grants and, particularly for third sector organisations, local fundraising. This is leading to significant disparity in the support that learners and communities, including those with high levels of need, are offered across Scotland.
In recent years, local authorities have increasingly funded CLD staffing through short-term funding. This creates uncertainty for CLD provision and staff and longer-term sustainability issues within the workforce. It also restricts the ability of local authorities and partners to plan effectively in the medium to long term, which can in turn have an impact on the delivery and quality of provision.
Overall, the capacity of CLD providers to fully understand and report on their collective impact is under-developed. There is no nationally agreed data set or consistently used outcome measures to demonstrate the impact of CLD and its contribution to Scotland’s national priorities. Progress since January 2020, when HM Inspectors last highlighted the lack of capacity of CLD providers to demonstrate and benchmark their impact, has been limited. Increased shared self-evaluation across CLD partners would support them to better understand and report on their collective progress in meeting CLD and community planning priorities.
Participating in CLD activities is life-changing, and in some cases life-saving, for many children, young people and adults. This is an enduring and recurring feature of the significant impact of CLD and reported on consistently by HM Inspectors and others. It results from CLD staff and volunteers delivering learning opportunities that meet the needs of individuals of all ages well.
CLD staff, volunteers and partners are effective in reaching and supporting those who face additional challenges in their lives. Children, young people and adults value highly the support they receive from the CLD workforce. This includes those experiencing poverty, disadvantage, social isolation and those with disabilities and mental health and wellbeing challenges.
There are significant challenges for CLD providers in meeting the needs of learners and communities, particularly in community-based adult learning. Due to a mix of changing resources and increased targeting of provision, the range of community-based adult learning offered by local authority CLD services has narrowed. As a result, the needs of some individuals and communities are not being met. An increase in the number of refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants has significantly increased the demands on English for speakers of other languages provision. Even where CLD resources have been redirected to this work, providers are still not sufficiently resourced to fully meet the demand.
Local authority CLD staff and volunteers are increasingly working alongside partners, including schools, to provide targeted opportunities for those learners who require additional support. This is supporting children, young people and adults to achieve and progress. However, not all children and young people are supported sufficiently to be able to fully recognise, celebrate and build on their skills and achievements.
Community organisations and volunteers are making important and effective contributions to CLD delivery across Scotland. Their work greatly extends the number of people and communities who benefit from community learning and community development. The role of the third sector, and particularly local volunteer-led organisations, in CLD provision and community empowerment is expanding.
