A-C

A

A training and evaluation programme devised by CDF in England and SCDC in Scotland. It provides a framework for understanding community development, and a model for planning and evaluating CD activity.
www.cdf.org.uk
www.scdc.org.uk

ABCD - Asset-Based Community Development
Capacity-focused development - concentrating on what communities have (e.g. local skills, talents and resources) rather than what they need. Initially an idea from the United States, it is being applied in the UK by the Scarman Trust and has been the subject of a document by the Building and Social Housing Foundation (BSHF).
www.thescarmantrust.org

ABI - Area Based Initiative
Government initiative targeted on areas of social or economic disadvantage, which aims to improve the quality of life of residents.
www.rcu.gov.uk/abi

AGM - Annual General Meeting

ALMO - Arms Legth Management Organisation
A board of tenants, leaseholders, councillors and independent experts which manage and repair the council housing stock on the local authority’s behalf.

AM - Assembly Member

ASPB - Assembly Sponsored Public Body
The equivalent of an Non Departmental Public Body (NDPB) in Wales.

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B

BCD - Black and Culturally Diverse

BID - Business Improvement District
Part of an urban area which has a partnership agreement between a local authority and local businesses in order to improve services such as street cleaning, landscaping or crime reduction. 

BME - Black and Minority Ethnic

BSA - Basic Skills Agency
National agency for basic skills in England and Wales, supported and funded by the government.
www.basic-skills.co.uk

BSL - British Sign Language

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C

CAB - Citizens Advice Bureau
Local service which offers free, confidential, impartial and independent advice, including debt and consumer issues, benefits, housing, legal matters, employment, and immigration.
www.citizensadvice.org.uk

CBI - Confederation of British Industry
UK business' lobbying, advice and networking organisation.
www.cbi.org.uk

CBO - Community Based Organisation
This acronym tends to appear in international contexts.

CCR - Cross Cutting Review
Government initiative/strategy which is not the responsibility of one department but can cut across a wide range of departments and agencies, such as 'The Role of the Voluntary and Community Sector in Service Delivery'.

CCP - Community Care Plan
Local authority strategy for meeting the care needs of people who have physical or mental disabilities as a result of ageing, illness, or injury.

CD - Community Development

CDL - Community Development Learning

CDW - Community Development Worker

CED - Community Economic Development

CEO - Chief Executive Officer

CFO - Co-Financing Organisation
An intermediary public body which tops up grants from the European Social Fund (ESF) to give 100% awards.

CO - Chief Officer

COI - Central Office of Information
The government's communication expert, offering consultancy, procurement and project management across a wide range of communication and publicity services for public sector clients.
www.coi.gov.uk

COSLA - Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
The representative voice of Scottish local government. Also acts as the employers’ association on behalf of all Scottish councils, negotiating salaries, wages and conditions of service for local government employees with the relevant trade unions.
www.cosla.gov.uk

CP - Community Participation

CPPIH - Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health
Non-departmental public body (NDPB), sponsored by the Department of Health (DoH) to ensure that the public is involved in decision making about health and health services.
www.cppih.org 

CRB - Criminal Records Bureau
Executive agency of the Home Office, set up to help organisations make safer recruitment decisions by providing wider access to criminal record information.
www.crb.gov.uk

CSA - Child Support Agency
Executive agency of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), responsible for child maintenance and ensuring that parents who live apart meet their financial responsibilities to their children.

CVS - Council for Voluntary Service
A voluntary organisation set up, owned and run by local groups to support, promote and develop local voluntary and community action. CVS support their members by providing them with a range of services and by acting as a voice for the local voluntary and community sector. May also be referred to as Voluntary Action, a Voluntary Sector Council (VSC), or a Local Infrastructure Organisation (LIO). Their national body is NAVCA.