About us :
Working groups within FCDL

During 2006, our Directors approved an expanded set of working groups to support and develop our work.

Two new working groups were established. One covers Policy - responding to and influencing other organisations' policies, including government! The second works on improving quality within community development learning and qualifications.

Both groups are actively seeking members from outside the management group, from our membership and interested and supportive individuals and organisations.

The groups work primarily through email, telephone conferences and by meeting at our general and annual meetings; additional meetings, workshops and conferences can be organised where required.

Details of the work of these groups is given below and we welcome other ideas. If you would like to be involved in either or both of these working groups, please contact Val Harris: email valharris@phonecoop.coop or tel: 01274 582191.

The Policy group

We need to ensure that we keep up to date with policies so that we can react to them and respond to consultations effectively. We also need to be able to translate them for our members, and to feedback the impact of polices to relevant bodies.

The Improving Quality group

The Improving Quality in CD learning and qualifications group focusses on promoting and ensuring the quality of CDL and advises FCDL and providers on quality issues of CDL and the use of the National Occupational Standards in Community Development Work.

The Improving Quality group and the England Standards Board

Following changes to the structure of the England Standards Board, the Improving Quality group aims to ensure that there is an endorsement panel selected each year who would oversee the work on endorsement. It would not be actively involved in the day to day work of the ESB once the panel was selected.

The endorsement panel will be made up of employers, unions, training providers and other national community development bodies with an interest in quality community development learning. Once selected, the panel would organise the endorsement teams in response to endorsement submissions and make the decision about endorsement in line with the current set of options.

The endorsement panel would ensure that the requirements for endorsement are kept up to date and respond to changes in the wider learning world. It would write the necessary guidance notes to support the endorsement requirements, and would ensure an adequate supply of readers and reporters and organise their annual training.

The panel would liaise with FCDL to access staff time as required. It is proposed that the panel meets twice a year to discuss issues that have been raised by the endorsing of programmes.