Engagement Approach

 Introduction 

 A Community led council 

•  Defining an engagement approach 
•  Council commitment 
•  Engagement for all 

 Understanding engagement 

•  Inform and engage 
•  Consultation vs engagement 
•  Barriers to effective engagement 

 Evaluating engagement  

•  Where are we now, and where to next? 
•  Upskilling the engagement 
•  Engagement methods 
•  Toolkits 

 Conclusion 

Let’s talk about why it is important for us to engage

Over the past few years you may have heard phrases like “ place making ”, “community planning” and “ community wealth building ” as the national approach to policy moves away from a “top down” method of local government, to one that is co-designed with its people, forming a partnership between Local Authority and locals.

The importance of effective and inclusive engagement cannot be over stated. Without an understanding of the needs of communities, given in their own words as an honest appraisal, we cannot hope to serve the community in the way that it needs and wants. It would be like launching a business without researching the market and we want to be proactive in that process as a Council.

Scottish Borders Council is changing, and embracing a community led approach to the design and delivery of our services.  The early stages of that process are evolving through the  Place Programme , and the incredible effort of our communities to come together to aspire for better things and plan for the future. 

Ambition

As an organisation our ambition is to be bold, and enable our citizens to do more and say more about what is happening across the Scottish Borders.  We want to embrace the opportunity of technology, leverage external funding opportunities to develop our region, and encourage valuable two-way conversation across the Borders to empower our citizens and support the delivery of the Council’s vision as a reflection of the priorities defined by our communities. 

Operating Model

The world has changed.

Set amongst a backdrop of global unrest, climate crisis and political instability, following a global pandemic, pressure on budgets and services continue to grow.  Within that new world there is opportunity to do things differently.

The pandemic accelerated the pace of change and encouraged joined-up, multi-agency ways of working to address immediate need.  In partnership with communities, we worked across agencies and departmental boundaries to respond and react to need, removing barriers and bureaucracy.  We want to build on that way of working and the relationships that were developed.

We are developing an  Operating Model  which puts people at the core of everything we do, and wrapping systems, processes, and investment around the core principle to deliver what our communities need and want – by listening, and acting on, what you tell us. 

This shift is intended to ensure that everything we do as a council reflects the lived experience of our residents, businesses and visitors and makes the most of the resources the Council has at its disposal and positions our communities to attract investment in our region for a better Borders for all. 

SBC is committed to engaging.  This is a continuous process of actively liaising with residents and stakeholders throughout the duration of the project. ​ It’s a never-ending loop of feedback ​to work together to find solutions and work through the challenges and options together, as in partnership.

We propose that over time we will embed community led plans brought forward through community engagement into  Locality Plans  which are embedded as an element of the annual  Council Plan , which can truly be said to speak to our ‘Places’ across the Scottish Borders and reflect the issues of the day for our citizens.   

Through active engagement we can set out the priorities for different communities, whether in Berwickshire, Cheviot, Eildon, Teviot & Liddesdale, or Tweeddale; and support the delivery of a shared ambition for the region. 

Strategies for Strategies…

We recognise that Local Authorities can be seen as overly bureaucratic and produce strategies for all sorts of purposes.  As part of the Operating Model we are examining our approach, and working to create strategic vision for a council built by people, with strategies that inform, and support each other to deliver on the operational and aspirational outcomes for the region.

We laid down this mantel back in 2019 and since then we have been working tirelessly on improving our customer experience with our Digital Customer Access project delivering on a new interface for citizens with My Scot Borders, and more services coming online.

Our plans for supporting engagement fit for the future is anchored in developing a robust Digital Strategy that examines our own “digital front door”, providing more transparency to the inner workings of the council, but looks at the connectivity and access to technology for the whole region – making it easier for people to engage and communicate by ensuring that people can interact in digital ways, as well as in hybrid spaces that support technology and face to face interaction to come together and make engagement accessible to all.  Our digital aspirations also seek to address access to properties to meet in, and look at ways of joining up and connecting information to reduce engagement fatigue which has often plagued communities in the past.

Investing in people

Our plans are people powered, and that means supporting and delivering a  Skills Strategy  which creates a foundation of learning opportunities to empower our citizens with skills that help them in every day life, but beyond that, builds capacity in individuals, groups and communities to build  a better Borders.

Strategic partnerships with  Borders Community Action  and  South of Scotland Enterprise (SoSE)  are designed to support community led planning with training and peer support networks.  This allows Scottish Borders officers to connect communities with opportunities to learn within their community – often from others that have undertaken similar projects – and work collectively, with the agencies becoming more than the sum of their parts by pooling resource and bringing in the most effective officers to nurture that community need. Working collaboratively with these and other partners allows us to learn from their engagement experiences to strengthen our process and support theirs.

Beyond that, the benefits of technology that can be achieved in rural areas is best served by communities who are empowered by technology and understand the possibilities of technical solutions.  Helping to raise awareness and a collective basic skill set in digital will go a long way to help that transition.   The opportunities for “Smart Villages”, “Smart Towns” and rural regions as a whole are  well documented  and through working with partner agencies and academia we can maximise opportunities for our citizens to embrace the ever-changing world of technology, and understand the benefits to individuals and communities in how services are delivered and developed. 

Data based decision making

As an organisation, we understand the power data has to inform and guide, and through engagement in place making activity, we have listened to the community and their desire for information.  Providing appropriate access to our data is critical to helping communities shape their places and for us to work together as community and Council. That’s why we are developing a  Data Strategy  which helps us to understand the information we hold, and how we can wield that power to better effect in delivering services and empower communities to engage with us from an informed position. 

We are working on organising information into a  Data Observatory  that will provide current, relevant information on our services and beyond, with strategic information sharing with partner organisations to make intelligence available to all, in balance with privacy and regulatory requirements.

The refresh of our engagement approach has been informed by conversations with staff, members of the public, community groups and partners.  During these conversations we were told what is working and what we need to do differently.   This forms the basis of a commitment to taking a candid approach to working together with the community and council as partners.

This strategy outlines a commitment to working with our citizens in a clear and consistent way.

• Where community needs are at the heart of all SBC services & policies​
•  Integrated Impact Assessment  are carried out for all policy developments​
• A One Council approach
• Better use of data already available​
• Removing duplication
• Actively liaising with other departments and partners​
• Where all SBC staff realise that engagement is part of their role​
• A continuous loop of engagement throughout all stages​
• A uniform approach to customers and communities 

 Underpinning all of this is a commitment to providing accessible information.

 Available does not mean accessible.

We are investing in our systems and our website to make them more user friendly with better access to content and make more information available, in a much clearer and concise way.  This should remove the need for so many Freedom of Information requests, because the information is available and easy to find. 

We want to make it easier for people to know what we are doing as a Council, and provide more visibility of actions and service delivery plans, as well as improvements and opportunities.

With plans for enhancements to our search function and making more of the tools we have to visualise data sources we plan to use technology to empower our citizens with information.

That mission statement still stands, and whilst we hope we can make our tools easy enough to be used by most, we are committed as a council to provide information in ways that work for individuals.

We recognise that Scottish Borders citizens have a right to accessible information, with transparent decision making that they can influence and inform at every stage of the process.

Inclusive engagement has to be at the forefront of our thinking in our approach. 

This means considering how we engage those that don’t normally engage, and aren’t just being influenced by the “loudest voices”. 

We need to make sure that those who don’t use social media, or aren’t online are also included, and on the other side, how tech natives from younger generations can also get involved.

This means we need to evaluate how we are engaging at the moment, recognise the good things, where we have room for improvement and where we need to completely redesign our approach.

As a result, this is a living strategy which aims to outline what actions we are doing now, and where we want to get to in the future.  Engagement evolves with the changing needs of our people and we need a strategy with the dynamism to reflect that as a bench mark for continual improvement – adapting to the feedback from you, the community.

What engagement means

As a baseline, engagement means having conversations with our communities about the opportunities and the challenges, if we are going to deliver services that are efficient, economical and fit for purpose; never underestimating the importance of the voice of our community in helping us to get it right.

It also means accepting alternative viewpoints and understanding how we use experience and opinion as an evidence base in how we make decisions and help shape the services we deliver.

Local Context

Our  Council Plan  sets out a framework for action over a financial year, based on the workstreams within the organisation, the ambitions of local communities and the priorities of local  Elected Members  as representatives of the community voice.

A large part of our focus in that document is improving the wellbeing of people in the Scottish Borders and making our region a more sustainable and better place to live, work and visit.  By setting out our intentions we aim to be transparent about what we are doing and why, and provide a landscape for our citizens to engage and influence the priorities of that plan as we move forward.

Under the new Operating Model we want to support and empower people to achieve strong, active, resilient and sustainable communities and realise opportunities for improving people’s lives as active partners in our process.

We will review this Plan every year to make sure it covers the biggest issues for the Scottish Borders and shows what it is that we need to prioritise.

National Context

At a national level we are guided by policy which aims to empower citizens to be an active voice in their communities.

The  Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015  came into force in July 2015.  It brings with it rights that enable communities to have more say in things that affect them.

As part of that, participation requests are a way for communities to get involved in improving services provided by public sector organisations.  The Act highlights that communities aren’t just geographical but can be made up of people that have something in common, for example a group of older people, the LGBTQ+ community or a men’s group are all included.

Community bodies such as Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisations (SCIOs), or other formally constituted groups, can take on land or buildings that are owned by public authorities through asset transfer where it can be shown that doing so would benefit the community.  This feeds into opportunities for Place Making and offers opportunities for us to support communities to have conversations amongst themselves on what priorities they see, and create plans which can feed into our thinking and development of policy.

The Scottish Government itself has a set of broad National Outcomes including that we live in communities that are inclusive, empowered resilient and safe. Recent consultation on reviewing Local Governance under the  Democracy Matters  work will further shape the national picture.

The  National Standards for Community Engagement  are a set of principles designed to improve and guide community engagement and offer a framework to build good engagement against.   We will adopt those standards and benchmark against the national picture.

We will evaluate our community engagement against the National Standards using the Framework set out on the  VOiCE  Scotland website.  This Framework can be used for planning, monitoring and evaluating community engagement activity (appendix 1).  We will be transparent and publish the results of our evaluations on our consultation hub.  

Although it is more than 10 years since first published the findings of the  Christie Commission  are as relevant today as they were then.  The report identified that the delivery of public services can be “top down” and unresponsive to the needs of individuals and communities. 

That model is where decisions are made by those in power and has been the traditional approach to public services.  Effective engagement flips that to a grassroots approach, where decision making is community led.

To inform we need to be active communicators. 

Our Communication team lays the foundation for empowered citizens by helping to get information out to people and bridge the gap between the council as an organisation and the people of the Borders.  This applies to:

• Customers
• Communities
• Staff
• Partners
• Businesses
• Visitors
• Government + Government Agencies

Creating a communication platform that actively pushes information out ensures that we are covering the basics, like operational updates but also the good news stories and topical campaigns.

Communication and our ability to “inform” is a foundational part of the  Corporate Social Responsibility  of our organisation.

Delivering a service that benefits the entire society is not an endeavour of the Council alone, and SBC commits to work with other organisations to inform and connects people with information that enriches their lives and experience of the Borders. 

Sharing information onwards through:

• Connecting Communications
  • Signposting to information / other agencies and resources

• Collaborative Communications, to support communications of:
  • Staff
  • Communities
  • Partners
  • Government agencies / initiatives eg. Copper switch off

Information is power, and by defining our communication approach as the counter balance to effective engagement we can make sure that our communities are well informed, and build trust in our organisation, and the transparency in how we operate.

And to engage we need to be active listeners. 

We need to acknowledge the conversations about us and our service provision as it appears in the community and across traditional and social media, and understand how we can use the information in that narrative to respond effectively. 

We also need to ask the right questions, hear what is being said by our communities, accept the answers, and consider how we can respond to that feedback.

Effectively managing that feedback loop is critically important for communities to truly see the benefit of engaging with us, and how that is translated into positive action and response.

To engage effectively we need to recognise the distinction between “engagement” and “consultation”.  Almost all formal processes require the community to be “consulted” but this is merely an exercise in gaining input to a proposal, often as a statutory minimum, and after the fact when a decision is all but made.

For absolute clarity we distinguish clearly between consultation and engagement.

Consultation is:

• A one way process of gaining resident's input to a proposal
• Often only the statutory minimum

Engagement is:

• A continuous process of actively liaising with and listening to residents and other stakeholders throughout the duration of the project. 
• A never ending loop of feedback 

There are reasons why we might consult, such as where there is a requirement to do so for legislation, such as in planning process.  However, in terms of how we operate and develop our objectives and deliver our services we are explicit that citizens should be engaged with, not consulted – working with our citizens as a co-production, not just asking for input after the fact.

And when decisions are made, we will keep you informed on how we came to that conclusion.

Principles of Engagement

Inclusion

• The people and groups who are affected by the focus of the engagement are involved at the earliest opportunity.
• Measures are taken to involve groups with protected characteristics and people who are excluded from participating due to disadvantage relating to social or economic factors. 
• Participants in the community engagement process commit to continued two-way communication with the people they work with or represent. 
• A wide range of opinions, including minority and opposing views, are valued in the engagement process.

Support

• An assessment of support needs is carried out, involving all participants. 
• Action is taken to remove or reduce any practical barriers which make it difficult for people to take part in engagement activities. 
• Access to impartial and independent development support is provided for groups involved in the community engagement process.

Planning

• Partners are involved at the start of the process in identifying and defining the focus that the engagement will explore. 
• A clear and agreed engagement plan is in place. 
• All available information which can affect the engagement process has been shared and used to develop the community engagement plan. 
• Partners agree what the outcomes of the engagement process should be, what indicators will be used to measure success, and what evidence will be gathered. 
• The timescales for the engagement process are realistic.  
• There are sufficient resources to support an effective engagement process 

Working Together

• The roles and responsibilities of everyone involved are clear and understood. 
• Decision-making processes and procedures are agreed and followed. 
• The methods of communication used during the engagement process meet the needs of all participants. 
• Information that is important to the engagement process is accessible and shared in time for all participants to properly read and understand it. 
• Communication between all participants is open, honest and clear. 
• The community engagement process is based on trust and mutual respect. 
• Participants are supported to develop their skills and confidence during the engagement. 

Methods

• The methods used are appropriate for the purpose of the engagement. 
• The methods used are acceptable and accessible to participants  
• A variety of methods are used throughout the engagement to make sure that a wide range of voices is heard. 
• Full use is made of creative methods which encourage maximum participation and effective dialogue.  
• The methods used are evaluated and adapted, if necessary, in response to feedback from participants and partners 

Communication

• Information on the community engagement process, and what has happened as a result, is clear and easy to access and understand. 
• Information is made available in appropriate formats.  
• Without breaking confidentiality, participants have access to all information that is relevant to the engagement. 
• Systems are in place to make sure the views of the wider community continuously help to shape the engagement process. 
• Feedback is a true representation of the range of views expressed during the engagement process.  
• Feedback includes information on: 

1. the engagement process, 
2. the options which have been considered, and 
3. the decisions and actions that have been agreed, and the reasons why 

Impact

• The outcomes the engagement process intended to achieve are met. 
• Decisions which are taken reflect the views of participants in the community engagement process. 
• Local outcomes, or services, are improved as result of the engagement process. 
• Participants have improved skills, confidence and ability to take part in community engagement in the future
• Partners are involved in monitoring and reviewing the quality of the engagement process and what has happened as a result. 
• Feedback is provided to the wider community on how the engagement process has influenced decisions and what has changed as a result. 
• Learning and evaluation helps to shape future community engagement processes. 

How we engage needs to be clear and consistent.  We will use Plain English in our communication and set out clearly what we are asking of you and what you can expect from us in return. 

Equality and diversity

We know that everybody is different and that one size does not fit all.  We need to to find ways to make sure everyone is able to participate and influence our work.  This means we need to do things in different ways and find the most suitable ways we can engage with you.

When we are preparing information we will be mindful that we may need to provide documents in another language or format, e.g. large type, and look at ways to make our content more accessible through dynamic customisations of our digital platforms to allow individuals to digest content in a way that works for them.

When designing services or equipment we will ask people what we need to consider to make things accessible for them to use.  For example, we will think about any adjustments that may need to be made for someone with a sensory impairment, physical disability, a long term health condition or neuro divergence.  We recognise those with  protected characteristics  have the right to engage and will endeavour to make that as easy as possible in how we design engagement.

We will be respectful of the differences between us all at all times and understand that only by enabling all voices can we get a rich tapestry of engagement which truly represents the Borders.

There a number of reasons that engagement fails and understanding where the barriers are helps us to put measures in place to make it as easy as possible now, and look at investment opportunities which will make our engagement more inclusive and allow more of our citizens to get involved.

Internal Barriers

Like many large organisations, Scottish Borders Council employs a large number of people in different departments which have different areas of focus, different work in different areas of the Borders and differing priorities, and we recognise that this can make it difficult to join up our engagement efforts as an organisation and with our communities. We are actively taking steps to improve this. 

 Some of the barriers we have identified:

• Staff being unsure of how to engage - rules/regulations​
• Providing staff with the right tools to communicate i.e phones/iPad’s ​
• Staff not having visibility of all the community activities across the Council
• Staff resource and capacity to engage

External Barriers

• Accessibility for residents – Digital vs Face to Face vs Hybrid ​
• Lack of hybrid meeting space​
• A lack of trust between residents and the Council ​
• Lack of awareness – residents not knowing about community projects​
• Residents being unsure what “taking part” actually means​
• Using tools that are convenient to communities / customers​ and inclusive of all

To truly reflect the needs of our communities, and respond to feedback we receive through engagement we have with them, we need to be constantly evaluating the engagement mechanisms we use to make the process as effective as possible.

This is an interactive, living strategy to allow us to consistently review and improve how we are engaging, and an opportunity for that two way discourse to play out in our active work. We will utilise  VOiCE  to evaluate feedback and provide opportunity for active commentary and  feedback .

We are committed to being responsive to communities needs in the here and now, and applying learning by evaluating what we do as we continue forth as a community led council.

We are already engaging. Taking stock of how that is going is key to understanding where we go next, and improve how well our approach works for our communities.

This strategy was developed following an extensive engagement programme undertaken with citizens, community groups, organisations and partners who were invited to give us an honest appraisal of how we are doing.

One of the biggest take aways from the engagement was the need for a joined up approach – to reduce consultation fatigue, but also to make the most of the information provided and act on what people have told us.

 We have committed to be led by our communities, and our partners across the  Community Planning Partnership  are committed to providing services to citizen by involving them in decision making processes. We need to be better at working together to understand your needs and give space to community led vision. 

Working with SBC staff and colleagues across partner organisations we are trying  to understand community engagement mechanisms across the board, and how they can be better integrated. 

This is going to take time, and requires a culture shift across the public sector.

However we understand that this joined approach is fundamental to the operation agencies if we are to deliver services that responded to the candid feedback from our community.  Only then can we start to consider the areas of improvement and work in partnership with those we serve.

We want to use tools that we already have available to us more effectively, and invest in new and emerging technologies to better join the dots.

Scottish Borders Council instigated a review of our systems and how they operated, and from Autumn 2023 are moving forward with a united Systems Team which will work to improve processes, and make the most of the tools available to make engaging with you easier and more effective.

This is going to take time, but we endeavour to keep you informed of the improvements we are making, and ask for your input as we go along.

To engage at the moment, we use a range of mechanisms including:

•  Place Making  – the main focus for community led development​ whereby communities are coming together to develop plans for their areas
•  Community Conversations  – locality-based discussions led by  Elected Members  and senior officers​ to hear thoughts and opinions
•  Area Partnership  – A forum for community members and organisations chaired by  Elected Members  and supported by officers to develop unique plans for each of the five principal locality areas, driven by what that area requires 
•  Household Survey  – A survey in which Scottish Borders residents can provide their views on service provision and priorities​
•  Community Engagement Officers  – Scottish Borders Council Employees who can advise, help and guide communities with their initiative ​
• The  Council Plan  and Budget Engagement Survey and School Survey – this informs our budget planning and the setting of strategic priorities within our annual Council Plan.
• Ad hoc drop in events 

Clear and consistent communication around these methods and the role of each is key to allowing active engagement by allowing people to understand the best way to say their piece.

Transparency and Information

We have a way to go on improving communication and making sure people have an awareness of how they can engage, but equally, what they can engage with.  Improving that level of transparency is a fundamental improvement point.

We need to be better at empowering people with information, but not overloading them with it.

We are making improvements to our website to reflect the overwhelming feedback that our organisation needs to do better with the way we present information, reducing a reliance on text based content, and using images and bite sized content where we can.  Where we need to use them, making sure that documents are searchable and the interface is easy to navigate.

Technology allows us to present content in a variety of ways and using visual media and social channels make it easier for people to interact in the way that works for them.

Becoming an active informer

The public sector can be bureaucratic, and a large part of effective engagement with our communities is about our role in removing the jargon and sign posting and guiding our communities through that landscape.

This includes defining the roles of statutory organisations, and local democracy structures so people can understand the social landscape they are being asked to participate in. 

•  Area Partnership  - Brings together organisations and interests over a wider area than community groups or electoral wards giving them a louder voice 
•  Community Planning Partnership  - Statutory and non-statutory participants who are stakeholders in the place in which they operate and provide services. They are influential, and responsible for working with and supporting communities. 
•  Community Council  - Bridges the gap between local authorities and communities by helping to make public bodies aware of their communities needs.
•  Community Empowerment  - Promoting positive engagement and participation between public bodies and communities, to help residents to have input into decisions that affect their neighbourhoods and their lives. 

It also means making opportunities for  funding ,  participatory budgeting  and  community benefits  visible, and showcasing, not just telling, how these investments are being realised in communities.

We recognise that this can’t all happen over night, but we are on a path to improvement, and have started to put thought into the action.

Three strand approach

The tools we as a council need to consider and invest in to ensure we are maximising the opportunities for our citizens to engage are different for different stakeholder groups, and recognising this need, we have outlined a three-strand approach.

Toolkit for Customer and Communities + Comms Teams​

Our staff who work directly with communities day in and day out as the connection to the Council. Those who are actively delivering on the  Inform and Engage  model and will have a supporting role in wider staff engagement. We need to ensure that they have:

1. Devices and apps which support remote working and hosting events​
2. Systems strategy that provides structured approach to customer and organisations / groups data management (Customer Relationship Management System (CRM) / mailing list management)​
3. Tools / apps that allow dynamic content to be shared (newsletters / website / social media)​
4. Access to venues that provide hybrid capabilities and connectivity​
5. Comms support for community led activity – SBC as a supportive partner

 Toolkit for Staff + Partners

We need community engagement to be “baked in” to all project proposals and initiatives across the council, and those of our partner organisations.  Community engagement is the remit of all staff, not just those who engage as part of their core role.

We need to do some joining up to support colleagues to ensure they are doing the right things and leveraging the valuable insights of the community.  Some of our teams are already working hard in this space and learning from experience on how to engage with communities. This includes working closely with  Elected Members  in their role as community leaders and supporting  Community Council 's to be effective in their key position as a linkage between the community and the Council.

Tools to help with this work include:

1. Integrated Impact Assessments (IIAs)​
2. Engagement Check List​
3. Resource to reference previous engagement (ideally across CPP) and feedback engagement undertaken as part of projects – shared workspace / data sharing / knowledge management approach​
4. Systems Strategy which allows access to data and allows information to be presented
5. Post project evaluation guidance feeding into process improvement work​
6. Event kit – equipment, assets, support and check list
7. Staff training to embed engagement in project development process and foster culture of accountability 

Toolkit for Communities + Customers

We need to make it easy for you to engage.  This means looking at the barriers and working on ways to over come them.  Some of the work areas for improvement and development include:

1. Access to information to engage from an informed position
2. Providing points of contact so you can be connected with the right people
3. Supporting a community forum for a peer network
4. Two way communications to allow you to interact with us through social media and other channels, including non digital options
5. Accessible survey options which allow you to feedback in a way that allows your views to be expressed and that information captured and utilised

Scottish Borders Council recognises the importance, but more importantly, the opportunity of an engaged, enabled community that feels supported to in community led action and using their voice.

We have committed to embrace a community led council, and embody the objective of community empowerment to actively build with our communities as a partner.

To do this we need to have open and frank conversations about the challenges and work out how to do things differently, so that we can navigate the issues of the day together.

That way we can provide services to our communities in the way they want us to, stop annoying people, and get it right more of the time. 

We need to put infrastructure in place, train our staff and change our culture to reflect a true community led model, and we pose this strategy document as the starting point, and will continue to update you on the progress we are making.  And as ever, welcome you to feed in to that conversation.

Tell us what you think about how we hope to engage with you, and any other ideas you may have about improving our approach to working in partnership with communities

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Defined by  Community Wealth Building  principles, anchor organisations are tied to a community through their physical assets, history and work they carry out, or because they have a large presence within a community, such as a largescale employer.  Examples of anchor organisations are local authorities, NHS, Housing Associations and educational bodies, such as Universities and Colleges.

Established in 2017 in response to the  Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015  Area Partnerships develop and review priorities for their area.

There are five Area Partnerships, one for each of the localities, which are chaired by an  Elected Member  for that area. They are a way in which the Council and other partner organisations, such as NHS Borders and Police Scotland, to engage with communities at a local level and for members of the community to make representation about issues, present plans or seek funding.

The new name of the voluntary sector in Scottish Borders, they are the organisations which provide support and representation for voluntary work within communities, for organisations, community groups, social enterprises and individual volunteers. They facilitate support through dedicated officers, workshops and training initiatives and by making representation of community needs and aspirations to statutory services.

Further reading:  Home - Borders TSI 

Children and Young Peoples Planning Partnership (CYPPP)

The purpose of the CYPPP is to provide a multi-agency strategic forum for the development of all services to children, young people and families in Scottish Borders.

There are three key policy drivers that underpin the development of the new CYPPP:  The Promise  and The Plan 21-24,  The Integrated Children and Young People’s Plan 2023 – 2026 , and The  Scottish Borders Community Plan . The group are also supporting the implementing of the the  United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child  across agencies in the Scottish Borders.

The CYPPP are responsible for progressing inclusive engagement with young people and their work informs the over arching Community Engagement Strategy.

The Climate Change Route Map aims to set the Scottish Borders on a path to Net Zero by 2045, in which the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced do not exceed what is absorbed naturally or through technology. It is a commitment to tackle the climate emergency for the region, that Scottish Borders Council declared in September 2020 with priority actions.

Further reading:  Our commitment | Net Zero and Climate Change | Scottish Borders Council (scotborders.gov.uk) 

Community Benefits are clauses within public sector contracts which require contractors and suppliers to provide a range of benefits in addition to the principal purpose of the contract. 

These can include commitments to training apprentices, local buying, supporting educational opportunities, using supported businesses within their supply chain, creating employment opportunities, providing services to the community.

The idea is to implement social inclusion and economic factors within the public purchasing agenda.

This has been part of procurement policy and practice in Scotland since 2008

Requests for community benefits to support community groups can be made via the Edinburgh South East City Region Deal portal.  Homepage (esescommunities.org) 

Tag lined with the statement "What matters to you, matters to us – we’re here to listen" these are drop in sessions where members of the public are invited to meet with Elected Members to raise concerns and discuss issues that are important to them and their communities. These differ from other forums as the focus on individuals and are open to discuss any and all issues from operational service delivery through to strategic goals and budgeting.

Community councils are the most local level of democracy and are made up of individuals within a community that have stood to be elected by their peers into an official position within the Community Council.

The role of the group is to bridge the gap between local authorities and communities. They are run by volunteers and have a budget to provide funding for their area.

There are 69 Community Council areas in the Scottish Borders.

Further reading:   Community councils | Scottish Borders Council (scotborders.gov.uk) 

This Act focuses on promoting positive engagement and participation between public bodies and communities, to help residents to have input into decisions that affect their neighbourhoods and their lives.

The National Standards for Community Engagement are one of the tools that are in place to help to action the principles of the Act.

Further reading:   Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act: summary - gov.scot 

The idea of community led planning is the foundation of  Place Making  where those that know their place best are the ones making plans for the initiatives and ideas for the development and investment in that area.

It is sometimes referred to as "bottom up", which is in reference to it being a grass roots type of approach which draws on the lived experience of communities as an antidote to the traditional "top down" thinking.

The Community Planning Partnership includes statutory and non-statutory participants who are stakeholders in the place in which they operate, and provide services.  They are influential, and responsible for working with and supporting communities.

In Scottish Borders the statutory partners are:

• Scottish Borders Council
• NHS Borders
• Police Scotland
• Scottish Fire and Rescue

Full details of the structure can be found   online  

All of these services are required to work with the community under the  Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015  to deliver improvements to services.

A people centred approach to local economic development which redirects wealth back in to the local economy.  This encourages wealth to be held locally, and recirculated through communities.

Fundamental to the approach are “anchor institutions” which are commercial, public or third sector organisations which have a significant stake in the place, and can exert influence on adopting CWB strategies.  This method is intended to improve economic, social and environmental priorities for collective Social Value and creating a Wellbeing Economy.

As part of it’s programme for Government 2021/22, the Scottish Government pledged to take forward a Community Wealth Building Bill in this Parliament, helping create and protect jobs and enable greater community and third sector ownership.

The five core principles of CWB are:

• progressive procurement – developing local supply chains of businesses likely to support local employment and keep wealth within communities
• fair employment and just labour markets – Using anchor institutions to improve prospects of local people
• shared ownership of the local economy – supporting and growing business models that are more financially generative for the local economy
• socially just use of land and property – developing the function and ownership of local assets held by anchor organisations, so local communities benefit from financial and social gain
• making financial power work for local places – increase flows of investment within local economies by harnessing and recirculating the wealth that exists

The councils commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is based on the organisations intent to be socially accountable to itself, its stakeholders, and the public. Engaging in responsible way as an organisation means that, in the ordinary course of business, we are operating in ways that enhance society and the environment instead of contributing negatively to them. We are demonstrating this through our  Council Plan , our Climate Change Route Map and commitment to the pillars of  Community Wealth Building .

Scottish Borders Council has a Council Plan which lays out the local authority's approach for the financial year ahead, and the ambitions for how services will be developed and improved.

It focuses on six themes:

• Clean, green future
• Fulfilling our potential
• Strong inclusive economy, transport and infrastructure
• Empowered, vibrant communities
• Good health and wellbeing
• Working together improving lives

Further reading:   Scottish Borders Council Plan 

Sometimes called Data Driven Decision Making, this is when decisions and strategies are based on statistical and other factual information to come to conclusions.

This is useful in Place Making because it allows for analysis of data around perceived issues to reinforce the case for change, provide evidence to support a solution or allow a deeper understanding of the problem and influence the direction of a proposal.

Large amounts of data already exist about Scottish Borders communities and this can be used to identify gaps in knowledge and empower communities to make informed decisions.

Elected Members are local Councillors who have been elected by the public to stand as a representative for their community. They are politically affiliated, and receive a salary for their role within Scottish Borders Council.

Further information:  Find your Councillor | Scottish Borders Council (scotborders.gov.uk) 

Our Engagement Checklist is designed to guide our staff and partners through an approach which ensures inclusive engagement with our communities. It is a 10 stage approach based on:

1. Preparatory Research​
2. Stakeholder Identification ​& Mapping​
3. Develop an Engagement Plan​
4. Communication and Information​ Sharing​
5. Public Meetings & Workshops
6. Surveys & Feedback Collection​
7. Targeted Engagement​
8. Collaborative Decision-Making​
9. Transparent Reporting & Feedback Loop​
10. Evaluation & Lessons Learnt 

Funding refers to the ways in which projects and initiatives can be paid for. This can take a number of different forms and come from different sources in different ways.

Funding streams can come from national government initiatives, local allocations, other agencies and philanthropic organisations as well as fundraised sources and other mechanisms such as  participatory budgeting  and  community benefits . Access to funds and eligibility vary from fund to fund.

Further information on opportunities:  Funding  

The Scottish Household Survey is an annual Scottish Government survey which asks a sample of people questions about their lifestyle and behaviour. Results for the Scottish Borders help us to understand how we are doing in service delivery and how residents feel about the councils performance.

Further reading:  Scottish Household Survey - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) 

IIAs are a tool for removing barriers and discrimination and ensuring equal access and outcomes for all our residents and communities. This includes those with  protected characteristics  but also those that experience disadvantage due to socio economic factors. 

Any time we plan a new service, review an existing one, or develop a policy we think about the range of people who might use that service, or be affected by that policy and what barriers to access we might be creating unintentionally. The IIA process ensures that these factors are considered throughout the process so we are being as inclusive as possible.

Further reading:  Integrated Impact Assessments | Equality and diversity/Fairer Scotland Duty | Scottish Borders Council (scotborders.gov.uk) 

These standards are designed to help organisations to implement the requirements of the  Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 , and can be used to help shape the engagement process of public bodies, and inform how they interact with residents to capture and understand community concerns and interests.

The guidance focuses on seven titled standards to outline the best practice for community engagement;

• Impact
• Communication
• Methods
• Working Together
• Planning, Support
• Inclusion

Further reading:   The National Standards — VOiCE (voicescotland.org.uk)  

A means for citizens to identify, discuss and prioritise public spending projects and input in to the decisions around how money is spent in their community.

It is a democratic process which originated in Brazil as an anti-poverty measure, and is now used internationally as a means to empower neighbourhoods to create a fairer distribution of public resources.

Participatory Budgeting is also known as Community Choices.

Further reading:   What is participatory budgeting? — PB Scotland 

Place making is a process designed to collectively inspire communities to rethink and reinvent public spaces to enhance the public realm in their area. 

This can be buildings or open space and infrastructure, but the main goal is to improve the connections between people and the places they share. 

Place making facilitates urban design, but also contributes to capturing the social and cultural identities of community – informing creative thinking about the changing needs for all stakeholders

Protected characteristics is the term given to a personal trait that cannot be used as a reason to discriminate against someone. The nine protected characteristics in the UK are:

• Age - Older or younger people or a specific age grouping
• Disability - e.g. Effects on people with mental, physical, sensory impairment, learning disability, visible/invisible, progressive or recurring
• Gender reassignment / gender identity - anybody whose gender identity or gender expression is different to the sex assigned to them at birth
• Marriage or Civil Partnership - people who are married or in a civil partnership
• Pregnancy and Maternity - refers to the period after the birth, and is linked to maternity leave in the employment context. In the non-work context, protection against maternity discrimination is for 26 weeks after giving birth
• Race Groups - including colour, nationality, ethnic origins, including minorities (e.g. gypsy travellers, refugees, migrants and asylum seekers)
• Religion or Belief - different beliefs, customs (including atheists and those with no aligned belief)
• Sex - women and men (girls and boys)
• Sexual Orientation - e.g. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Heterosexual

Protected characteristics are defined under the  Equality Act 2010 

SoSE is the economic agency for the South of Scotland, inclusive of Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway.  They were established by Scottish Government in 2020 to recognise the unique challenges and opportunities for economic growth in the region.  They are tasked with driving inclusive growth, increasing competitiveness, attracting business, and tackling inequality in the region's communities, and work with statutory partners, third sector and directly with communities to support the development of the area.

Website:   South of Scotland Enterprise 

This term refers to a traditional approach to service delivery whereby the decisions are made at the "top" and filter down to those on the ground that are affected by those decisions.

This approach is at risk of being disconnected from the actual issues that effect people because it does not engage and relies on assumptions about need, not actual evidence or opinion gathered through engagement.

The UNCRC is a framework set out by the United Nations on the fundamental rights children should expect to be given in society.

Legislation to oversee the implementation of the UNCRC within public bodies in Scotland comes into effect in Summer 2024 under the  UNCRC Incorporation Act .

 Convention on the Rights of the Child | UNICEF 

The UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill was unanimously passed in Scottish Parliament on the 7 ^th  of December 2023. On the 16 ^th  of January 2024, Royal assent was granted for the UNCRC Bill meaning it is now officially an Act. Most of its provisions will come into force by 16 ^th  July 2024.

 Incorporation of the UNCRC - The Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland (cypcs.org.uk) 

A community engagement tool developed by Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC) to help community facilitators to have meaningful conversation.

Based on the principle of three sections - Plan, Do, Review - it guides users through logical steps to improve the quality of engagement sessions.

VOiCE accounts are available free of charge to Scottish community groups (and for a small charge for others).

Website:   Voice — VOiCE (voicescotland.org.uk) 

Wellbeing economy is the term given to the recognition that money is not the defining measure of an economy.  It represents this shift in thinking, and looks at quality of life and collective wellbeing as measure of success.

The movement goes beyond redistributing value, and looks to active participation of communities to create places which ensure dignity and fairness to all of its residents.