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Independent Expert Panel on Community Development
Tuesday 1st June 2010, 10:06
Hi. I’m Lorna Prescott, Chair of CDX.
In this role I’ve just been invited to take part in a high level, independent, expert panel organised by the Community Development Foundation (CDF). The panel will consider the context, future role and the development and support needs of communities and community development (CD) in the light of new and emerging policy agendas. The findings will be published and put to key influencers in central and local government.
The panel Chair, John Benington of Warwick Business School, formerly worked in Coventry as part of the original Community Development Projects of the late 1960s. The Chairs of CDF and FCDL are also invited to the panel. A separate panel of community development workers is being set up to feed information in to the expert panel. The expert panel will meet three times to consider different themes – see the information below.
As your chair I would like to do everything I can to reflect your experiences, opinions and concerns, so I will keep you updated before and after the panel meetings and encourage you to send me anything you would like me to read or look at in advance of panel meetings. You can contact me at lorna@dosti.org.uk, and please cc messages to emma@cdx.org.uk so that I can work with CDX staff to develop key messages.
1. The context of community development - early July
This session will cover the role of the occupation, current issues facing CD and recent policy developments. It will aim to look at all those working with communities and identifying the context that CD finds itself now that there is such a focus on civil society.
2. The future role of community development - mid Sept
This session will consider drivers for change including the current economic situation, the priorities of the new government, current trends in the delivery of CD and the challenges, opportunities and potential growth areas for the occupation.
3. Future support for community development - late Oct
This session will consider how CD needs to be developed and supported to meet the new demands placed upon it whilst continuing to support people to work together to identify their own needs and aspirations, take action to influence the decisions that affect them and improve the quality of their lives.
Lorna Prescott, Chair of CDX