Developing models of community-led service provision in rural areas
The Theme
There has been a well documented decline and centralisation of service provision in rural areas. Improving service accessibility is a positive step towards tackling geographic and social marginalisation. From the perspective of this Action Research Programme there are two necessary actions: the adoption of new and innovative forms of service provision, particularly of community led services; and changing the administrative and public policy culture.
The story so far
On 1st March 2006, Carnegie invited Expressions of Interest for the Rural Services Theme. They held a Workshop in Manchester, which gave an opportunity for potential partners to exchange ideas and to learn more about the RARP. After mid-April, a shortlist from those who had submitted Expressions of Interest were invited to a second Workshop in Birmingham, where we talked through the full costed application in more detail, and created a further opportunity for networking and building of links between potential areas of action and interest. In September 2006, at the RARP Annual Convention, we held a further discussion between the shortlisted partners, where we explored the areas of commonality between the streams of work. We also started to plan the next stages.
As with the other themes of the RARP, our emphasis in selecting proposals was very much upon those who had demonstrated a strong track-record in community-led rural service provision, since this would enable already-existing best practice to be developed further. A second criterion for selection was that the successful partners would be able, and willing, to reflect on their practice, and to “map” those crucial elements and components which had made their work on the ground so effective. The third attribute of successful applicants was their ability to link their work with a reflection on policy, specifically identifying how policies need to change at local, regional and national levels, in order to work with models that are community-led.
In keeping these three elments in mind, a shortlist was recommended to the Trust. We can now officially announce the final list of RARP Rural Services partners, following the Carnegie Trustee's meeting on the 7th/8th November. They are as follows:
Cheshire Disabilities Federation
Community Transport Association/ Social Audit Network
Cybermoor Services Ltd
Oban and Lorn Community Enterprise Ltd
Plunkett Foundation
Pulteneytown People’s Project
Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO)
What happens next?
The partners have already had a chance to meet at three Theme Workshops and the Annual Convention. This has enabled initial links to be made, discussions to be had, and explorations of areas of overlap and synergy to be identified. We are aiming very much for an inclusive, participatory approach to the action research as a whole, and therefore one of our main priorities is to foster and maintain this exchange of knowledge and experience between the partners.
A mid-year workshop was held for the group on the 12th and 13th March and was hosted by Atlantis Leisure in Oban. The focus of this workshop was on: areas of policy change at local, regional and national levels, which partners feel must be addressed in order to work with community-led approaches to service provision. A presentation was also given by guest, Lena Nygren, from the NPP Deserve Project in Ruskdele, Sweden. She presented their ethos of Getting the service to the people instead of the people to the service to the group and their policy of delivering co-ordinated, integarted services.
At the RARP Annual Convention in 2007, the Rural Services Partners will be giving an update on their work. This will directly enable opportunities for exchange with the five other Theme consultants and partners, to explore cross-overs with their action research.
In October 2007, the Service Provision partners took part in a study tour to Mountain Empire Older Citizens (www.meoc.org), an innovative leading example of community-led service provision in remote rural Virginia, USA, established in 1975. The Tour was structured to ensure maximum exchange of ideas, practices and ways of addressing policy challenges. These ideas have been brought back to the UK and Ireland contexts, with a view to applying them where appropriate to the situations we face in rural areas here.
The group held their final gathering in Cumbria in April 2008 in a workshop hosted by Cybermoor Ltd. Cybermoor, who are near completion of their action research work, presented their preliminary findings to the group. This action research has examined the ways in which rural community members and public sector service providers can be encouraged to contribute content to community websites. It has also explored opportunities for public sector agencies to use community websites as a means of engagement and assessment of rural needs and to influence delivery. The final report will be published here in due course. The group were also given the opportunity to visit some of the other Alston Moor social enterprises delivering community led service provision including the Mines Heritage Centre and community shop in Nenthead. The final part of the gathering saw the group work in depth with the Carnegie Commission Petal model and the address the issue of policy influence and shared messages.
The partners are near completion of their action research work and the findings will be posted on this website as they are published.
Consultant
Dr Sarah Skerratt is currently a Senior Researcher with the Scottish Agricultural College. She researches participation and engagement in rural areas, and the differences between policy vision and lived experience on the ground. Her research has frequently been undertaken in a European context.
Have your say
We value your views and experience in relation to this Theme, so please feel free to use the forum to post any comments, questions or suggestions for essential reading. Many thanks!