Unit 17:

Community Development Work

Unit code:

L/601/1631

QCF level:

Credit
value:

15

Aim
The aim of this unit is to enable learners to understand the complex nature of community
development work and the role a community development worker has in facilitating community
initiatives.

Unit abstract
Successful community development work requires skilful facilitation and those involved need a wide
range of knowledge and skills in order to empower communities to engage in development work.
They also need to understand how to encourage communities to identify their needs and initiate
action.
In this unit learners will examine the complex nature of communities and community development
work. First, they will examine diversity within communities and the strengths and potential problems
that can arise in different communities. Second, they will consider the knowledge and skills that
community development workers require in order to successfully engage with communities. They will
explore the processes involved in both initiating and sustaining community development work and the
skills required for project management. Finally, they will look at possible outcomes of development
work within communities, potential barriers and strategies for improvement. Learners will investigate a
range of community development work within a variety of diverse communities. Strategies for
empowering communities will be analysed along with relevant legislation and agreed ways of working.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit a learner will:

1 Understand the complex nature of communities and community development
2 Understand the role and responsibilities of the community development worker in facilitating
community initiatives
3 Understand the impact of community development work on communities.

Unit content
1 Understand the complex nature of communities and community development
Communities: different communities eg children and young people, women, elderly, people with
disabilities, people from ethnic minorities, travellers, prisoners, hospital patients, care residents,
unemployed, homeless, rurally isolated, council estate tenants
Community development: projects and initiatives related to eg health, education, leisure, culture,
crime prevention, care services, health and safety, fundraising, regeneration
Diversity: religion; culture; sexual orientation; gender; age; disability; socio-economicstatus;
demographics; environment; housing; lifestyle
Strengths and support systems: individual, group and organisational; nuclear and extended family
groups; self-help groups and networks; neighbourhood support; voluntary organisations; community
forums; tenants associations
Potential problems: discrimination; marginalisation; social exclusion; alternative values and beliefs;
crime; vandalism; safety; lack of communal facilities for eg sport, leisure, social networking

Understand the role and responsibilities of the community development worker in facilitating
community initiatives
Knowledge and skills: communication; collaboration; negotiation; networking; partnership working;
development of resources; funding strategies; accountability and control of financial resources;
publicity, marketing and media networks; use of ICT; identifying problems; developing creative
solutions; teamwork; political awareness; knowledge of local community support systems; knowledge
of relevant legislation and agreed ways of working
Empowering communities: identification and agreement of community needs; inclusion; participation;
partnership working; interaction with individuals, groups and agencies eg government, voluntary,
charitable, community forums, tenants associations; development of learning opportunities for
individuals and groups; conflict resolution; collective action

Initiating and sustaining community development work: defining project work, establishing aims and
objectives for projects; information gathering and research eg survey, questionnaire, observation,
interview, data collection, sampling, analysis; strategic planning; development and maintenance of
resources: fundraising strategies and methods; planning community action; target setting; project
planning and management; monitoring systems; quality assurance
3 Understand the impact of community development work on communities
Long- and short-term impact: positive impacts eg changing attitudes and perceptions, continuing
motivation, improved relationships, empowerment, improved facilities and life chances; negative
impacts eg marginalisation, dependency, imbalance of power relationships, sustainability problems
Potential barriers: lack of funding; apathy; lack of physical resources; breakdown in communication;
different priorities; opposing factions; demotivation
Reflect on improvements: management and monitoring of community projects; gathering and
assessing feedback; measuring outcomes; democratic accountability; training needs; development of
resources; planning for improvements; sustainability; accessing community networks; stakeholder
analysis; acknowledging and celebrating achievement; marketing and publicity; reflective practice

Learning outcomes and assessment criteria

Learning outcomes

Assessment criteria for pass

On successful completion of

The learner can:

this unit a learner will:

LO1 Understand the complex

1.1analyse definitions of community and community

nature of communities and

development in order to understand their complex

community development

nature
1.2explain the nature of diversity in communities
1.3analyse strengths, support systems and potential
problems in communities

LO2 Understand the role and

responsibilities of the
community development
worker in facilitating

2.1analyse the knowledge and skills necessary to facilitate

community initiatives
2.2analyse the role of the community development worker
in empowering communities to identify their own needs

community initiatives
2.3review processes involved in initiating and sustaining
community development work
LO3 Understand the impact of
community development

3.1analyse the potential short-term and long-term impact

of development within communities

work on communities.

3.2analyse the potential barriers to successful community

development activity
3.3evaluate strategies to improve the impact of
development work in communities.

Guidance

Links
This unit has links with, for example:

Unit 5: Working in Partnership in Health and Social Care

Unit 6: Research Project
Unit 8: The Sociological Context of Health and Social Care
Unit 19: Contemporary Issues in Health and Social Care
Unit 24: Understanding the Learning Process.
Links occur with the following units from the National Occupational Standards in Community
Development:

S6: Get to know a community

S9: Support inclusive and collective working through community development practice
S17: Promote and develop opportunities of learning from community development practice.
This unit also has links with the National Occupational Standards in Health and Social Care.
See Annexe B for mapping.
This unit also has links with the National Occupational Standards in Leadership and Management for
Care Services. See Annexe C for mapping.

Essential requirements
Learners will need access to specialist texts and journals of the community and voluntary sector.
It is essential that learners have the opportunity to have a placement in or a visit to a communitybased agency.

Employer engagement and vocational contexts

It would be helpful to use community development websites, such as:

www.cdx.org.uk

Community Development Exchange

www.comm-dev.org

Community Development Society

Federation for Community Development

www.fcdl.org.uk

Learning