Steve Skinner Associates
8 Hollin Crescent
Leeds LS16 5ND
Tel:  0113 2254671
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Many public and voluntary sector organisations are interested in building stronger communities. Equally at the grass roots, many residents, community representatives and groups want to have a say about local decisions and contribute to the renewal of their neighbourhoods and cities. Stronger Communities is now a key theme for many organisations – and central government has integrated it into the performance framework for Local Area Agreements.

Government guidelines (November 2007) states creating ‘strong, safe and prosperous communities’ needs to include:

‘Involving and empowering communities, acknowledging that services will be improved and communities strengthened only if local people are effectively engaged and empowered as individuals and through the organisations that are representing them.’

We can help you with policy and practice in creating stronger communities in a number of ways: At city or county level – we can work with the local strategic partnership and local authority to develop a strategy on stronger communities.  This could take a broad look at the support available to strengthen communities and consider how capacity can be built both in communities and in support organisations.

·        ‘Strengthening Communities – guidelines on capacity building for communities and the public sector’ was written by Steve Skinner and published by the Community Development Foundation in 2006.  It contains frameworks for planning support for active citizenship and capacity building that, if appropriate, can be the basis of a strategic approach. For more information see www.cdf.org.uk

In neighbourhoods – we can work with local groups, networks and organisations to help assess the level of community strengths and help draw up an action plan.   

·        ‘Assessing Community Strengths’ is a method developed in Bradford and written by Steve Skinner and Mandy Wilson; it is a practical way to establish a baseline of community strengths in an area and gives a framework on how to enhance it. Published by CDF 2002. 

With groups, community workers and leaders – we provide tailor made training and capacity building, based on participant’s needs and covering a wide range of training areas relating to stronger communities, for example, active citizenship and skills for effective representation.

·        ‘The active citizen framework’ is based on development work in Bradford and is published in ‘Strengthening Communities’; it can act as a useful way to plan support for active citizens.

·        ‘Skilling up for LSPs’ provides a framework for skills and abilities in influencing decision-making in LSPs.  Steve helped to write this research report jointly with consultant Linda Mitchell.  For a copy see www.navca.org.uk 

Our approach

We encourage a partnership approach to developing stronger communities – rather than seeing it as only a need for building capacity in communities, we see it as equally important to build capacity in public sector organisations in their ability to engage and work with communities.

We use a community development approach, supporting local people to get involved in ways that values and builds skills and confidence. We encourage working in and with communities, rather than imposing solutions from the outside.

So give us a ring for a chat about what you are interested in.