Community Engagement Strategy for www.partnersinsalford.org

Partners IN Salford Salford Marketing Contents Group

Introduction...... 1

Primary Care Trust Why is community . engagement essential?...... 2

Our aim...... 2 Salford’s thematic How we will deliver . partnerships good community engagement...... 3

Planning good community engagement.....3

Different types of engagement...... 4

Community engagement wheel...... 4

Information giving...... 5 Binoh

Community consultation...... 5

Community involvement...... 6 Salford’s 8 community Devolved responsibility...... 7 committees

Support available for the delivery . of the Engagement Strategy...... 8 Partners IN Salford Our partners...... 12

How will we know if we . have got it right?...... 12

MANCHESTER, SALFORD & TRAFFORD

Government Salford Office for the North West

Salford’s Bolton, Salford and Trafford communities Mental Health NHS Trust of identity and equality 1

Introduction Partners IN Salford Partners IN Salford is the Local Strategic This document outlines how Partnership (LSP) for Salford - a group of organisations who work together to improve community engagement will our city. Our members are taken from be delivered by Partners organisations such as , Salford Primary Care Trust (who provide and IN Salford. It has been commission health services) and Police. We work together with developed in consultation businesses and voluntary, community and faith with local community organisations to improve Salford. activists, councillors, and Community Plan – staff of Partners IN Salford Making the Vision Real organisations. This document In 2005 Partners IN Salford produced a ten year plan for the development of the city. This should be read in conjunction plan is about everybody - organisations and communities - working together to make with the implementation plan Salford a better place to live. The vision for the detailing the actions that city is: will be taken to deliver this “In 2016, Salford will be a beautiful and welcoming city, driven by energetic and strategy and the toolkit which engaged communities of highly skilled, healthy and motivated citizens, who have details the best practice in built a diverse and prosperous culture and engagement methods. economy which encourages and recognises the contribution of everyone, for everyone.”

Partners IN Salford recognises that the best way forward for the city is in partnership with the citizens, people and communities who live and/or work here.

Action needs to be taken to ensure that citizens and communities are partners in making decisions about service delivery and in making the vision a reality.

To do this we have produced a Community Engagement Strategy to help encourage discussion, new ideas and a sense of partnership between the agencies, organisations and the people and communities of Salford.

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Why is community engagement essential?

Community engagement is essential for all partner organisations and the community in order to contribute to:

1. Empowering local citizens to have control over their lives

2. Reducing inequalities and closing the gap between the most and least deprived areas of the city

3. Ensuring that services genuinely meet the needs of service users and that available resources are used both efficiently and along agreed priorities

4. Fulfilling our commitment to local.. . democracy

5. Meeting statutory duties including those laid down by central Government such as the community cohesion agenda Our aim By improving the quality of community engagement we will support the key priorities taken from the Salford Community Plan:

• To bring about rapid change for the better in the most deprived neighbourhoods and communities in the city

• To enable and support all individuals to play a full role in their community

• To build cohesion by enabling communities, especially excluded communities, to influence decision-making in the city

• To ensure that all children and young people have the opportunity to take part in and influence decision-making 3

How we will deliver good Planning good community community engagement engagement What we understand to Before any community engagement activity is be a “community” undertaken within the city all those responsible for conducting the engagement must plan their A community is a group of people who share activities. This is to reduce the amount of over- something in common. They can be: consultation and engagement fatigue that has occurred in certain areas of the city and with • People living or working within a defined some groups. geographical area (for example a ward, neighbourhood or housing estate) The minimum level of research that should be undertaken covers: and/or 1. Has this activity been undertaken before? • People who share a particular identity or Who with? What was the purpose of.. . interest (for example people of a similar age, the original activity? Are the results of who have a disability, practice the same faith the activity available? Are the results of the or are students) or are linked by a common original activity still relevant and recent? Can issue (for example housing demands) these results be used rather than repeating the engagement exercise? We recognise the term ‘decision-making’ to include personal actions (for example choosing 2. If a new engagement exercise is needed which activity would best help yourself) and then who should be included? Have all the community actions (for example deciding how potential communities affected by the a service can be improved to best meet the service or decision been considered? Have needs of a community). your materials been assessed for readability levels to ensure all the community can access them?

3. Have all the types of engagement described in the next pages been fully considered and a full range of engagement tools explored to maximise inclusion?

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Different types of Community engagement engagement is both the process and the result of working In order to improve the quality of community together to ensure the whole population engagement within Salford we recognise influences the decision-making processes that different ways by which people can influence affect their lives. Community engagement is decision making. These make up the the development and sustaining of working Community Engagement Wheel. relationships between public bodies and community groups and citizens to assist all of them to understand and address the needs and issues experienced by particular communities. Y ENG UNIT AGEM MM EN There are a number of ways in which we can CO T achieve good community engagement. These are represented within the diagram as four types of activity. Devolved Information responsibility giving The type and amount of activity carried out with a community depends on a number of factors. For example:

Community Community • how much the community wants to.. . involvement consultation contribute in terms of time or energy

• how important an issue is to the community

• limits on time, resources and background research on suitable activities

All types of engagement should be viewed together; each has its own vital role and supports and complements the others. . For example, a comprehensive consultation exercise may provide an opportunity for all the community to be involved rather than just including the views from two or three representatives on a steering group that meets infrequently.

The types of community engagement activity are ordered in this strategy by the amount of input, both time and resources, required of the community to be involved. 5

Information giving Community consultation is where residents and communities is a process of dialogue that leads to a decision. are provided with information on public Consultation should be related to a decision services, including how to access them, their that an agency intends to take, but where performance, future changes, and progress the views of a community must be taken into on issues affecting them, but don’t have the account. The process should be fully inclusive, opportunity to provide direct comment. and provide feedback on any decision made.

This includes items such as posters, leaflets This includes activities such as surveys, and newspaper articles. Input from the focus groups and workshops. Input from the community only occurs if an individual chooses community is greater than for information to contact the organisation. giving in that they provide information or attend an event to express their views. Example: Your Guide to Local Health Services Example: Ordsall Development Framework Your Guide to Local Health Services is an annual publication produced by Salford A consultation regarding site use for services Primary Care Trust (PCT). It is delivered to and shops was carried out to inform the every household in Salford. The purpose of development framework for Ordsall. In order to the guide is to provide accountability and reach a wider audience street theatre was used transparency about decision-making and to complement the wider public consultation. spending and to inform people of decisions and future plans. Actors dressed as builders attracted crowds of passers-by with cheeky comments and The guide includes a section called ‘how succeeded in introducing the work and a your money is spent’ and information about questionnaire. Very few people decided not to how people’s views have made a difference complete one and 161 were submitted. to services. As a result, there has been an increase in the number of people signed up to The evaluation showed that this method the PCT Patient Panel and an increase in the was useful in increasing interaction, number of people accessing the Patient Advice communication, and receiving information, and Liaison Service (PALS). but is best used alongside other consultation methods and should be integrated into the full consultation process.

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Community involvement is when people are involved in the design, Young people had already identified the need development and direction of community for a BMX skate park and were supported activities and services in cooperation with to form the BMX Bandits with their own public agencies and organisations. This results constitution. in the people who use services having a say in decisions about how and by whom services are They joined the Prince’s Park steering group purchased, provided and controlled. and were trained with adult members in consultation methods. The Bandits took an This requires more input from the community active role in consulting their peers, distributed as people will need to play an active role within flyers, ran focus groups and helped to evaluate the decision-making process for example by the consultation findings; influencing the being a member of a steering group or board design of the new BMX skate park and raising that meets fairly frequently. over £20k towards the project. Example: Throughout the eight week construction period Prince’s Park BMX Skate Park in Irlam young people continued to take great interest in their new park, occasionally ‘riding the The local community in Irlam identified the ramps’ getting a sense of ownership. The BMX improvement of Prince’s Park as a priority. The skate park is now the main meeting point for community committee set up a parks and open young people. spaces sub group and developed a coordinated approach to improve parks in the area. 7

Devolved responsibility builds upon the community involvement method but also includes a responsibility for the community to deliver the activities, actions and services agreed by the decision-making body.

This method therefore requires the greatest amount of input by the community and is sometimes known as community management or ownership. Example: Alley-gating

Seedley & Langworthy Trust (SALT) work in partnership with the community and statutory agencies to deliver an alley-gating programme in the area. Alley-gating has enabled local residents to take ownership and responsibility for a communal space that was previously neglected, unused or caused them nuisance. SALT work intensively with residents before the alley- gates are installed. This ensures that there is a sustainable residents group willing to take responsibility for the gated area. Residents are able to delegate responsibility for tasks such as sweeping and weeding, manage the use of city council funding and raise further funds, select their own committee members, and devise and review key holding agreements. This programme has really contributed to a sense of community pride in the local environment.

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Support available for the delivery of the Engagement Strategy

Support for the third sector. Much community engagement activity is delivered by the third sector, often on behalf of the council or other statutory sector partners. Capacity building of voluntary and community organisations is promoted within the Voluntary Sector Compact Agreement.

Training . Training for officers and workers on the strategy, the implementation plan and toolkit will be made available through the Partners IN Salford team.

Standards that underpin our work. • Check if anyone else has done consultation This strategy promotes the use of ALL the work with results that you can share methods of engaging with communities demonstrated in this document. In order to • Ensure that consultation can affect . ensure we’re working towards the best quality change. It should be a dialogue that leads . community engagement possible, standards of to decisions, so consult before decisions . practice have also been developed that support are made the strategy. • Make sure you allow adequate time for your These are: consultation project. You need to consider time for planning, conducting, collecting and Access Checklist: responding to your activities This forms part of the Voluntary Sector Compact Agreement and highlights good • Use methods of consultation that will be . practice in producing accessible materials the best use of your resources and give you and information and ensures venues and the best results from your target audience the delivery of community activities are fully inclusive. • Make your consultation as inclusive as possible but be aware of over-consulting Gold Standards in certain groups Community Consultation: . • Always give feedback to those who have These MUST be used by all partners as a participated in your consultation exercises planning tool before community consultation happens, as a checklist during activities and . • Turn your consultation into action. Don’t as an evaluation tool after consultation has leave consultation work “on the shelf” taken place. • Share the results of your work with others 9

Gold Standards in Community Involvement: These provide a goal for partners to aim towards, particularly where there is activity or proposed change within the city that will have a significant impact upon local communities. These apply to all community involvement activities.

• Value the skills, knowledge and.. . commitment of local people

• Develop working relationships.. . with communities and.. . . community organisations

• Support staff and local.. . people to work with and . learn from each other (as a whole community)

• Plan for change and.. . take collective action with the community

• Work with people in . the community to develop and use frameworks.. . for evaluation

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Principles in Good Governance: . Performing effectively within clearly defined These build on both the Gold Standards functions and roles in Community Involvement and the Gold This means: Standards in Community Consultation. The principles provide the basis for good working • Being clear about the functions of the practices within and between individual Local governing body Strategic Partnership member organisations • Being clear about the responsibilities of and the community and support Partners IN non-executives and the executive, and Salford to become a model for partnership making sure that those responsibilities are working. carried out

Collective understanding of the purpose of the • Being clear about relationships between organisation or partnership governors and the public This means: • Being clear about the organisation’s purpose Establishing and promoting the values of and its intended outcomes for service the organisation or partnership in order to achieve governance • Making sure that users receive a high . quality service This means: • Making sure that taxpayers receive value . • Putting organisational values into practice for money • Individual governors behaving in ways that uphold and exemplify effective governance

Taking informed, transparent decisions and managing risk This means: • Being rigorous and transparent about how decisions are taken • Having and using good quality information, advice and support • Making sure that an effective risk.. . management system is in operation 11

Developing the skills, knowledge and experience of governance in order to govern effectively This means: • Making sure that appointed and.. . elected governors have the skills, knowledge and experience they need to perform well • Developing the capability of people with governance responsibilities and.. . evaluating their.. . . performance, as . individuals and as a group • Striking a balance, in.. . the membership of the.. . governing body,. .. . between continuity . and renewal

Engaging all partners equally and making accountability real This means: • Understanding formal.. . and informal accountability.. . relationships • Taking an active and planned.. . approach to dialogue with and.. . accountability to the public • Taking an active and planned approach to responsibility to staff • Engaging effectively with institutional stakeholders

Adapted from the Independent Commission for Good Governance in Public Service. The Principles in Good Governance and the Gold Standards in Community Involvement and Community Consultation have been endorsed by Partners IN Salford. All partners are signed up to delivering governance and community involvement in this way. Community Engagement Strategy 12

Our Partners For good community engagement to result from our hard work and for Salford to become the excellent city that we are all working towards then we must recognise the partners involved. These are:

• Citizens, people and communities – All the residents,.. . service users and workers of Salford.

• Councillors - The people elected by the communities across Salford to represent them. There are three councillors within each ward.

• Community committees – Committees of local people and councillors who meet to identify the priorities that affect.. . their area and ensure these are addressed. Each of Salford’s eight neighbourhoods (each comprising two or three wards) has a community committee. These hold regular meetings that are open so any member of the local community can.. . attend and influence local issues.

• Third Sector – Those voluntary and community organisations and social enterprises that work with and support the.. . various communities of identity or equality across the city.

• Partners IN Salford – Including representatives from the.. . public, private, voluntary, community and faith sectors from across the city.

How will we know if we have got it right? This strategy will underpin all our community engagement activities. Monitoring the delivery of this strategy will be the responsibility of Partners IN Salford. All organisations signing up to the partnership will be required to adopt this strategy and to use the different types of engagement activities to ensure the best possible opportunity for citizens, people and communities to influence their decision-making processes.

An implementation plan for this strategy is available detailing timeframes, milestones, actions and indicators for success. Progress on the strategy will be monitored and reviewed annually.

Further Information If you would like further information about community engagement in the city, more details on the Gold Standards and Principles, or for information about . how to get involved yourself, contact: Partners IN Salford Team tel: 0161 603 6800 . email: [email protected] . web:www.partnersinsalford.org This document can be provided in large print, audio, electronic and Braille formats.