Democracy Matters phase 2: analysis of responses

7. Support to develop skills and knowledge

As well as the consultation paper asking participants what support communities might need, those attending facilitated conversations were also asked what skills and knowledge for local democracy could be developed and shared. This chapter presents a range of approaches which were considered beneficial in supporting community decision-making.

Question 14a: What types of support might communities need?

Training and capacity building

The importance of training and capacity building was commonly raised across responses. For instance, this issue was the most prevalent theme raised in Question 14a. In addition, a sense of being underqualified was also felt to hinder people from participating in community led initiatives. Training and knowledge were felt to have the potential to improve confidence and enhance work-related skills and experiences.

Suggested types of training or mentoring that community representatives would benefit from according to participants included management and leadership, conflict resolution, fundraising, legal, anti-racism and equality, safe-guarding, communication, and critical thinking. As an example of work in this area, Aberdeen Community Planning Partnership highlighted they were delivering training to community members on how to use the Plan, Do, Study, Act project management approach to build the capacity of groups to test their ideas.

Members in the conversation hosted by BEMIS noted that investment in capacity-building initiatives, with cascaded learning, could assist community groups in understanding not only the impacts of decisions but also challenging and taking steps to mitigate adverse impacts.

"Resourcing is not only in relation to finance but also relevant training and capacity building to understand local issues, demographic set up, digital support, partnership and collaboration arrangements with relevant community groups, faith institutions, training providers where relevant: e.g. equality training, community learning and development, policy areas. Conflict resolutions, etc. "– Conversation hosted by BEMIS

"Specific training and support would ensure that decision-making bodies treat everyone with dignity. This may include anti-racism training, trauma-informed training, disability rights training, children's rights training, and 'disagreeing well' training." – Corra Foundation

Some suggested that adjusting decision-making to focus on community needs, building capacity, and developing ongoing communication takes time and resources. Those participating in the Mental Health Foundation's conversation felt better decisions were made when people were more equipped and had gained experience.

"Even if a body has an initial mandate from one section of the community it still must persuade the whole community to buy into its plans. The mandate must be reinforced, and this process may take years in some cases. That needs staff time and resources." Conversation hosted by Dumfries & Galloway Cycling (or Bike Users)

Participants commonly highlighted the need for greater resources and capacity building to ensure new powers could be used effectively. For example, the North Ayrshire Community Planning Partnership expressed a view that additional resources were needed to understand the legalities of devolved powers and highlighted that the strengths and limitations of community members' capacity should be considered to ensure tangible and realistic actions are set. The Community Learning Development (CLD) Standards Council cautioned against volunteers taking on roles previously carried out by paid staff if new responsibilities were devolved to communities, as this may create legal challenges. Others highlighted that if communities had more responsibility, they would need to consider and mitigate potential risks. For instance, making sure community groups had liability insurance would be one way to offset risks.

"A general power of competence for communities could be effective, if appropriately defined. A power to take over responsibility for some public services could potentially allow greater local control. However, if this is done, these services must be properly funded." – Aberdeen Community Planning Partnership

Some attendees at various facilitated conversations noted that representatives or volunteers may not have enough training or financial expertise to control budgets locally. They felt that a lack of support infrastructure could make maintaining and managing funding challenging. Participants gave examples of situations where services or responsibilities had been handed over to communities without sufficient budgets or training, for example, making them too complex for a group of volunteers to manage.

Overlapping with the calls for better engagement with young people, participants at most facilitated conversations also noted the need to train young people to enable them to participate effectively. They felt that engaging people at a young age would help to build a culture of participation, support the future stability of local organisations, allow young people to become familiar with processes, and get to know the best forums and people to share their voices and concerns with. Suggestions included:

• Including democracy, local democracy, how government functions and decision-making in the curriculum.
• Incorporating civic and work experience placements in the curriculum.
• Increasing confidence and empowerment by ensuring young people know they have the power to affect change and have an influential voice on the issues where they want more impact, such as the environment.
• Giving young people school credit for getting involved in the community.

A few participants noted the varying levels of capacity for community development across

Scotland, with calls for a greater focus on areas of multiple deprivation which were seen as being at a particular disadvantage. Participants expressed a concern that the proposals could exacerbate economic inequality unless mitigating actions were taken. Suggestions included additional support and efforts being made, for instance, to ensure access to paid job opportunities and build capacity.

"Exacerbating inequality was raised in SURF's consultation event as an unintended consequence of enhanced local democracy, as affluent communities 'ready' to handle greater responsibilities will benefit, while deprived areas lacking in community group and volunteering activity will not. As the 2023 Scottish Household Survey notes, people in high-income households are more likely to volunteer than those in low-income households. This trend is also clear from areas ranked among the 20% most deprived in the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, where 37% of survey respondents had volunteered in the past 12 months, compared to 51% in the 20% least deprived areas. SURF's primary concern is that an organic shift in powers to the community level, without any associated capacity building support in deprived areas, will lead to a situation in which communities in more affluent places can lever this shift to make positive change, but communities in more deprived places cannot. The overall outcome could be a bigger inequalities gap between places, contrary to national aspirations. An investment in community development capacity building targeted at deprived places, involving the training and resourcing of effective local practitioners, could help to deliver ambitions for local democracy, without causing unintended consequences around place inequalities." -

SURF

Employing paid staff

As noted in Chapter 2, participants often described the need for bodies to employ staff. Two commonly mentioned areas included secretariat-type roles to cover organisational administration and financial management, or roles that enabled community development, such as community, research, youth or development workers. These roles were seen as helpful to establish and coordinate community decision-making activity, apply for and maximise funding opportunities, or provide support, advice, guidance, and expertise around issues such as legal matters, IT, accounting, finance, strategic planning, and human resources. Other suggestions included employing those directly involved in service provision, such as contractors, maintenance and technical staff or wardens.

It was noted that employing staff could be demanding, and communities may need support with this, for instance, with recruitment processes, HR advice, or managing payroll. Some felt community members should be employed, thereby contributing to local employment and enhancing accountability. A specific point raised by The Electoral Reform Society was that paying a representative body of volunteers could be one way to ensure access to excluded groups.

"Each community that we work alongside in the Place programme has a Community Coordinator who supports the community. Often, communities participate in the recruitment for this post, and in helping direct the resource need – for example, whether a part-time or full-time position might be needed. Communities tell us that they value this approach." – Corra Foundation

Another suggested way to enhance participation was to use paid staff members with expertise in local democracy such as community development workers. SCDC felt that due to a reduction in the community development workforce over the past decade, efforts should focus on building capacity in disadvantaged and marginalised communities to promote equitable support.

Those who commented on employing people with expertise suggested that staff could serve as bridges between communities and others, in roles such as Champions, researchers or mediators. Members of the conversation hosted by One Page Miracle/ Community Conversation by Bullying Recovery and Awareness CIC suggested these could serve as community connectors raising awareness of participation opportunities, whilst those in the Language Hub's conversation felt there should be more people in communities who understand young people's way of thinking and act as a mediator between them and adults.

"There will always be inter-competition between active community groups and activists in a local place, as well as complex relationships between the grassroots and local authorities, and dominant personalities wielding outsize influence in their places. A skilled and trusted community development practitioner can help to mediate between community parties, encourage wider participation from the community, and support collaboration towards community aspirations." - SURF

Access to expertise

Access to expertise such as HR, legal, accounting, finance, marketing, strategic planning and IT were also suggested resources that community groups would benefit from. Specific professionals who were mentioned as being able to support groups included Gaelic officers in rural and remote areas, councillors and MSPs to assist with interpreting policy documents, and active travel personnel or police who could support projects or advise on potential difficulties arising from proposals. However, issues and concerns around a lack of support were also highlighted. For instance, Volunteer Scotland felt the fragmentation of Community Learning Development personnel into either working with adults or children meant fewer were available for developing community groups. Voluntary Groups Sutherland felt banks could no longer provide adequate support to grassroots organisations.

Knowledge and skills exchange

Sharing skills and knowledge was seen by participants as beneficial to community decision-making bodies. Suggestions included sharing document templates, attending each other's meetings, peer-to-peer learning, learning exchanges and data sharing. Learning from other agencies and professionals, particularly about best practices and strategies for leading change, was also considered helpful. Aberdeen Community Planning Partnership described its community planning website, which gives communities access to a wide range of data and case studies. DTAS suggested leveraging anchor organisations to support communities with knowledge exchange and the need to enable staff and elected members to network across Scotland and beyond.

"Communities benefit significantly from peer support from other communities, and which of course often happens organically. However structured opportunities for learning/exchange visits are highly valued and practice for this is already established within Scotland's vibrant communities sector. We sometimes run 'Inform and Inspire' sessions that enable communities with experience of community benefit to share practice and learning and which are highly valued." – Foundation Scotland

Support from public bodies

Public bodies could play a valuable role in supporting community groups according to participants, and there was a sense that this is often missing at present. Comments included the need for public bodies to develop a culture of listening, be more responsive and involve communities in decision-making. This is covered in more detail in Chapter 8. Suggested types of input, expertise and support that public bodies could provide included knowledge of democracy and community engagement methods, technology use, local community profiles and strategic priorities.

Practical support

Some felt that providing access to practical support was helpful, with IT equipment and support being most suggested, e.g. web design and training. Providing access to buildings or premises would also be beneficial. Other types of support mentioned included translation, printing, transport, and administration support. To illustrate, Eat Sleep, Ride CIC highlighted providing free transport would remove a significant barrier to participation.