In order to develop the work of the Partnership, further work is underway to shape activity with local people. Some introductory work was done with our partners, Dundee and Angus College around service design showing strengths and weaknesses within the current structure which will be embedded into the improvement plan. Below highlights some of these captured at the recent Introduction to Service Design workshop held with Community Planning Partners.
Strong:
- willingness to deliver on challenges
- better awareness
- responsiveness to need - quick at thinking outside the box
- local knowledge - sense of attachment
- communication
- people care - this is ore than a job
- community-minded. - a lot of us are part of the community we are trying to support
- good local network
- structures
- local need has been so diverse during COVID-19 - increased awareness of services
- good at redirecting resources
- flexible skills set and ability to adapt
Wrong
- communication
- bureaucracy - too much paperwork and red tape
- structures
- opening lines of communication
- context of terms are incorrect ie control, power
- we need to accept some things might fail and then we can learn from it
- encouraging environment - fear culture
- honest and open discussions need to take place - do we need more networking?
- loss of relationships moving to localities
- awareness of what other partners can deliver/do
- knowing who to contact
- single point of failure
- bridging the gap between national and local services and priorities
The Community Planning continuous improvement plan was developed through a self-assessment exercise.
The responses are put into themes which include Communication, Leadership, Partnership, Cohesive Delivery, Culture, Performance and Locality Groups. This will be refreshed alongside the review of the Community Plan in 2022.
Since the last performance report a lot of work has been done to align strategic plans to assist us through the COVID-19 recovery phase. The following Strategies and Frameworks have now been approved to support the ongoing engagement with local people and are now being implemented with the exception of the Angus Ant-Social Behaviour Strategy likely to be approved in November.
- Angus Food Growing Strategy
- Angus Cultural Strategy
- Angus Sport Framework
- Angus Community Learning and Development Plan
- Angus Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy
- Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families
- Community Justice Partnership Framework
- The Angus CPP provide governance of these strategies and updates will feature in future performance reports.
The Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families was developed through the Tayside Regional Improvement Collaborative and focuses on reducing inequalities and improving outcomes for all of Tayside’s children. It sets out the joint vision and priorities of three local unitary authorities, NHS Tayside and other local and national partners and is informed by the views and responses from children and families.
The 2020-2023 plan was recently approved in September 2021.
In order to set the scene for the upcoming review of the Community Plan the following summary pages highlight the strategies developed over this reporting period which link into the delivery of the Community Planning Priorities.
Food growing strategy
The Angus Food Growing Strategy is a five-year plan designed to encourage and deliver local community food growing. The food growing Strategy and action plan have their roots firmly embedded in the Angus Community Planning Partnership. The community has been crucial to its development over the past year, with local growers and residents to the fore when it came to developing the Strategy. Due to COVID-19 restrictions public meetings couldn’t take place therefore the Social Pinpoint community engagement platform was used to reach the community and find out about the variety of projects and activities underway.
This approach was captured perfectly by a member of the public who commented “I love the ideas of community growing and local produce, people need to feel connected to their food supply. I think if people become involved with growing their own, they will recognise the true worth of good food. We can reduce our carbon footprints, reduce the environmental impact by having local supplies and reducing waste and enhance community.”
Angus food and drink has a global reputation that is rightly celebrated and promoted worldwide. Delivering on the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, the Strategy has a purpose to increase local food growing, tackle food poverty in Angus and to support local growers, across its three main themes of Food Poverty, Food Growing and Food Insecurity.
Working together in accordance with the Angus Food Growing Strategy, the Council and its community partners will –
- identify land locally that can be used as allotment sites.
- identify other land that can be used for the community to cultivate vegetables, herbs, fruit and flowers.
- describe how we plan to increase allotment provision.
- explore how we intend to make more land available in areas of socio-economic disadvantage.
The Strategy reflects local conditions and priorities. Improving health and wellbeing and addressing food poverty are established Partnership priorities and this Strategy provides fertile ground to work across the council and with communities to support community growing.
We are committed to support our citizens to develop projects that will bring wider health and wellbeing benefits to them, such as opportunities for outdoor learning.
Producing more food locally will play an important role in supporting our effort to reduce our carbon footprint of our food system, while providing fresh and nutritious produce for the citizens of Angus. The Food Growing Strategy, as part of our wider Community Planning Partnership work will establish a way to encourage and deliver local community food growing. It will provide the support needed to encourage people to increase or start their own projects, creating more locally grown, fresh produce, encouraging social interaction and support networks leading to a healthier population.
Cultural Strategy
The cultural offering in Angus has always been and continues to be a big asset to the area. To increase coordination and development a strategy was developed with and for local communities. The vision is –
‘Everyone in Angus has pride in, values and shares our rich heritage and our contemporary cultural offer’
The Strategy aims to maximise the potential of the culture, heritage and natural assets in an area which include
- 2,181 sq. km. of scenic landscape and 109km of North Sea coastline.
- Internationally renowned locations including Arbroath Abbey and Glamis Castle.
- World-famous figures including Peter Pan creator Sir J M Barrie, sculptor William Lamb, artist James Morrison and ACDC front man Bon Scott.
- 25 public and independent museums and art galleries.
- 20 performance venues and spaces.
- 75+ community groups including crafts, heritage, fine arts, writing and photography.
- 22 festivals and public events such as the Angus Accordion and Fiddle Festival, Bonfest, Auchmithie HAAR and Kirrie Festival.
- 71 organisations offering creative skills across a range of art forms.
Due to the pandemic local people expressed an increased importance of our local cultural offerings and the impact it makes on the tourism economy. This will be increased through the delivery of the Cultural Strategy which will be monitored through the Community Planning Partnership. The key aims within the Strategy are
- Culture is transforming Angus
- Culture is empowering Angus communities
- Culture is adding value to the Angus economy
To deliver this are some guiding principles the partners have signed up to including to work collectively, championing our strengths, being bold, embracing digital and following best practice.
These themes were developed in partnership with our community. In total 92 individuals and 77 organisations attended across three workshops. This shows strong commitment from a core group of individuals in the process and the outcomes of the Strategy, and some potential ambassadors to support implementation.
The attendees included cultural workers and practitioners representing a wide variety of art forms and job roles, as well as funders, decision-makers, local and national government and people with interests across the sector.
Angus Sport Framework
In Angus we aspire to have a Sport and Physical Activity Framework which brings together partners with the shared vision of creating, promoting, and enhancing opportunities for sport and physical activity to build a healthier, resilient, and more prosperous community. The vision for the Framework is that ‘Angus is a place where an active life is accessible for all’. This Framework will support local stakeholders in the planning and delivery of sport and physical activity investment, services, and opportunities through a clearly defined set of strategic outcomes, objectives, and measurable action plans.
The Framework has been developed by a range of Community Planning Partners and key stakeholders from voluntary and statutory sectors. The framework is based on the Scottish Government’s Active Scotland outcomes:
- we encourage and enable the inactive to become more active
- we improve our active infrastructure - people and places
- we encourage and enable the active to stay active throughout life
- we support wellbeing and resilience in communities through physical activity and sport
- we develop physical confidence and competence from the earliest age
- we improve opportunities to participate, progress and achieve in sport
All partners have agreed that the overarching aim of this work is to reduce inequalities and maximise shared resources using a targeted approach where appropriate. Physical inactivity contributes to nearly 2,500 deaths in Scotland each year and costs the economy approximately £91 million per year. It is widely recognised that there are a range of ever-changing factors that impact on a person’s ability to lead an active lifestyle, and further investigation is required locally through a partnership approach to understand these factors in Angus. In order to deliver the Strategy, there are a series of working groups with the aim to:-
- Develop a skilled network of people to deliver sport in Angus
- Ensuring sport and physical activity is accessible and inclusive for everyone in Angus
- Ensuring pathways between schools, clubs and community facilities are seamless and in place for people of Angus to access the opportunities right for them
- Communities are empowered and at the centre of identifying need, planning and delivery of sport and physical activity provision
To enable effective monitoring of the framework indicators and feedback will be used to review the impact and shape future improvement
Angus Community Learning and Development Plan
The key purpose of Community Learning & Development (CLD) is to empower people, individually and collectively, to make positive changes in their lives and in their communities, through learning.
Community Learning and Development plays a central part in ensuring individuals, families and communities across Scotland reach their potential through lifelong learning, mutual self-help, community organisation and community action.
The first CLD plan for Angus was published in September 2015.
The commitment and contribution of all partners in delivering Community Learning and Development in Angus can be seen in the on-going delivery of frontline services. This Plan for 2018-21 outlines the key priorities. This Plan details what the Community Learning and Development contributions are to the Community Planning priorities, and the wider ambitions for Angus.
Youth work
- Young people are confident, resilient, and optimistic for the future.
- Young people manage personal, social, and formal relationships
- Young people create, describe, and apply their learning and skills.
- Young people participate safely and effectively in groups.
- Young people consider risk, make reasoned decisions, and take control.
- Young people express their voice and demonstrate social commitment.
- Young people’s perspectives are broadened through new experiences and thinking.
Adult learning
- Adult learners are confident, resilient, and optimistic for the future
- Adult learners develop positive networks and social connections
- Adult learners apply their skills, knowledge and understanding across the four areas of life.
- Adult learners participate equally, inclusively, and effectively.
- Adult learners are equipped to meet key challenges and transitions in their lives.
- Adult learners express their voices, co-design their learning and influence local and national policy.
- Adult learners critically reflect on their experiences and make positive changes for themselves and their communities.
Community development
- Communities are confident, resilient, and optimistic for the future.
- Communities manage links within communities and other communities and networks.
- Community members identify their capacities, learning and skills, enhance them and apply them to their own issues.
- Community members form and take part equally, inclusively, and effectively in accountable groups.
- Communities consider risk, make reasoned decisions, and take control of agendas.
- Communities express their voice and demonstrate commitment to social justice and action to achieve it.
- Community members’ perspectives are broadened through new and diverse experiences and connections.
Through partnership working, the aim is that communities will be stronger and have robust community organisations, that local people are empowered to make positive, informed choices and contributions to civic society. This will ensure the planning and delivery of Community Learning and Development in Angus is effective and maximises the impact of available resources. Partnership working is already significantly embedded in Angus, but we need it to be deepened, widened and more closely focused on outcomes.
Alongside the Community Plan the Community Learning and Development Plan is also under review and will be co-produced with partners and our communities.
Angus Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy
Angus Council, Police Scotland and other partner agencies, continue to take a proactive approach to antisocial behaviour based on support and early intervention.
The Community Planning Partnership has overall responsibility for considering the issues relating to Anti-Social Behaviour in Angus and the impact they are having on our communities. The Angus Community Plan 2017-30 includes the local outcome to ensure ‘safe, vibrant and sustainable communities’ and aims for Angus to be within the top five Scottish local authority areas for adults stating their neighbourhood is a good place to live. The proposed structure for delivery and monitoring of the Angus Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy is shown below:-
The Community Planning Partnership
Receives annual or exception reports from ASB Strategic Groups CounciI.
ASB Strategic group
- Membership includes all delivery partners
- rotating chair
- meet quarterly to review performance against monitoring framework
- report annually or by exception to community planning partnership
- receive quarterly reports from delivery partners and local delivery groups
Local delivery groups/ delivery partners
- delivery partners include Angus Council, Police Scotland, and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
- local delivery groups to be established during year 1
- report quarterly to ASB strategic group
This new governance structure will help to improve the coordination of local activities to deter antisocial behaviour and make our communities safer.
Next: 2030 ambitions update