Developing CLD Competences: Line Managers Report

University of Aberdeen: School of Education

Programme: PG Diploma Community Learning & Development
Student:
Elisha Fisher
Line Manager:
Abigail Kinsella
Date: 17-4-15

This report should be completed on the basis of a dialogue between the student
and their line manager/senior colleague, drawing on evidence of practice over
the last 12 month period. Evidence of all competences demonstrated through
ongoing work in this period should be noted. For each competence achieved,
please provide a brief bullet list of what was discussed as evidence. For
example
1
1a

Know and understand the community in which

we work
conduct an external community/ environment
assessment, considering the political, economic
and social context of the community

Competence
Demonstrated

Creative community profile work

P7s / parents engaged for above
Research ability data highlighting local picture

Signatures:
Student:

Date:

Line Manager:

Date:

Competence 1: Know and understand the community in which we work

Purpose: so that practitioners can work with individuals and communities to
identify and plan action based on knowledge of some of the internal and external
influences at work.
Context: understanding the context within which our work takes place will be
based
upon our knowledge of social, political and wider environmental influences on
communities. Competent CLD practitioners are aware of the relevant global and
local factors that impact on the community with which they work.
As a competent practitioner with an understanding of the community/
environment in
which you work, you will be able to demonstrate that you can...

Know and understand the community in which we work

1a

conduct an external community/ environment assessment,

considering the political, economic and social context of the
community

Review of project work and observed assessments

Professional discussion regarding G15 project
Reflection of data from CPP national SLDR reports and
local authority reports
1b

critically analyse internal and external factors impacting on

individuals and communities

1-1 discussions
Participation in team and topic based meetings
Review of project work and observed assessments
1d

investigate internal views and information relating to the area

within which you work

Review of website/ portfolio of evidence presented

Relevant feedback gathered from colleagues in different
teams and departments of Glasgow City Council
especially relevant to the development of a Health and
Safety Code of Practice
1c

Competence
Demonstrate
d

identify needs, assets and opportunities using relevant

information and evidence

Review of website/ portfolio of evidence presented

expert gathering of information from young people,
trainee co- workers, colleagues and partners
Creation of Health and Safety Code of Practice for
Employment and Skills Partnership Team within education

services
1e

involve other stakeholders in identifying and agreeing needs

and local priorities

Review of evidence within website/ portfolio

Email evidence of relevant stakeholder distribution
groups relating to intergenerational project/ work
experience placement providers/ Duke of Edinburgh
delivery and development partners
1f

evidence an awareness of challenges relating to barriers to

participation within the local community/environment

Observation of delivery of class group and witnessed

effective strategies to maximise participation of young
people.
Negotiation with employers to provide suitable work
placements for young people, mitigating against barriers
of time, personnel and practical constraints.
1g

ascertain conflicting needs and demands

Reprioritisation of own work load and time commitments

across a variety of projects
1-1 discussions and personal reflections.
Review of evidence within website/portfolio
Creation of Health and Safety Code of Practice for
Employment and Skills Partnership Team within education
services addressing conflicting needs and demands of
pupils, schools, parents/ carers ESP team and health and
safety regulations.

Competence 2: Build and maintain relationships with individuals and

groups
Purpose: so that peoples ability and opportunities to work together are
enhanced.
Context: CLD is built upon the interactions between people, be these
community
members, activists or those working with organisations offering support. These
relationships provide the basis to support learning and engage people in action
to
support change within their communities.
As a competent practitioner able to build and maintain relationships with
individuals and groups you will be able to demonstrate that you can...

Build and maintain relationships with individuals and groups

2a

seek out and engage with individuals, groups and

communities

Competence
Demonstrate
d

Effective involvement of individual young people,

teachers, colleagues and other partners in DoE
development, work experience placement provision and
other project led activity, as evidenced within personal
website/ portfolio.
Participation in team meetings and focused topic
discussion groups- observed and recorded through notes
and minutes.
2b

practise in different roles, such as facilitating, supporting,

leading, advocating, that are appropriate to the work in which
you are involved

Observation of different roles through facilitation of

sessions for learners, participation in team meetings,
topic focused discussion groups, and 1-1 sessions with
colleagues, trainee Modern Apprentices and partners.
Witness to advocacy and support of learners and co
workers through day to day duties and reprioritisation of
tasks based on client centred needs and project
timelines.
Leading others through presentation of ideas and
documents at team meetings, day to day activities
Copied
into
emails
with
colleagues,
partners
stakeholders of different groups relating to D of E, health
and safety, work placements.
2c

use informal dialogue in individual relationships and within

groups

1-1 discussions
Reflective practice case studies
evidence of quotes from cited sources within website/
portfolio
2d

handle challenges and opportunities constructively

very proactive and mature attitude to coping with

challenges such as profiling of work tasks to better meet
the needs of priority projects and working with different
colleagues with competing priorities.
Email evidence of raising concerns to tighten up
procedures re confidentiality and data protection issues.
Developed suitable opportunities to expand projects to
meet organisational needs with reference to document

storage and management, for example.

2e

understand and deal with the underlying dynamics at work

within relationships and groups

discussions in 1-1s relating to interplay between

different departments within education and other
sections of Glasgow City Council and Duke of Edinburgh
charitable organisation.
Effective response to working with colleagues in colleges
and with host employers providing work placements
2f

work towards the resolution of conflict

Work with Health and Safety Working Group to support

revision of policies and procedures which better reflect
the modernisation of working practices, ensuring
effective use of resources
2g

recognise the power dynamic and action needed to equalise

power relationships in decision making

1-1 discussions reflecting on team structures and

actions to inform colleagues and department heads, to
enable decision making regarding the development and
implementation of revised policies and procedures
reacting to document storage and health and safety
issues.
evidence of email communications and regular updates
to senior managers and teachers, including tailored
leaflets and communications to co- workers and
learners/ service users.
2h

facilitate endings for individual and group relationships where

appropriate

observed final session of PX2 group within St Mungos

Secondary School.
Evidenced of good practice through Dof E case studies
and 1-1 discussions.

Competence 3 : Provide learning and development opportunities in a

range of contexts
Purpose: so that people can identify and achieve their individual and collective
goals.
Context: CLD is based on providing learning and development opportunities
that are
accessible and responsive to individual and community priorities. These
opportunities create personal and community benefits such as improving selfconfidence and skills and enhancing employment opportunities, as well as
supporting health and well-being, community regeneration and individual and
community activity.
As a competent practitioner able to provide learning and development
opportunities in a range of contexts you will be able to demonstrate that you can
3

Provide learning and development opportunities in a range of

contexts

3a

provide education and development opportunities that are

developed in dialogue with individuals and communities

evidence of tailored provision of PX2 materials for St

Mungos group- observed through assessment and
reviewed through personal portfolio
review of photographs and case studies within personal
portfolio/ website
3b

3d

tackle barriers to participation

observed group delivery in St Mungos

Dof E stakeholders presentation
1-1 discussions
awareness of protected groups of individuals and the
characteristics which identify individuals as such
discussed in 1-1s

develop, design and deliver learner-centred programmes

observed group delivery within St Mungos

review of learning materials used and created
3e

generate learning opportunities that will stimulate personal

and community change

observed group delivery within St Mungos

Review of evidence within personal portfolio/ website
creation of revised health and safety code of practice
and associated learning sessions to develop process
maps for different team sections.
3c

Competence
Demonstrate
d

take advantage of learning and development opportunities in

everyday situations

observed examples in everyday work place interaction

with colleagues and trainee employees- Modern
Apprentices.
3f

use appropriate methods and techniques

variety of techniques used including verbal, written, web

enabled and visual media to engage colleagues,
partners and learners
3g

support progression and transition

Good understanding of Employability Skills Pipeline as

evidenced in 1-1 discussions and selection of
appropriate statistics from SLDR.
Involvement in the development of Secure your Future
learning programmes for young people attaining SCQF
level 4 qualifications.
review of case studies within evidence portfolio/ website
3h

use appropriately targeted methods to promote learning and

development opportunities

development of marketing materials for DofE and joining

instructions for targeted school leaver learning
programmes.
examples of tailored learning materials for PX2 groups

Competence 4: Facilitate and promote community empowerment

Purpose: so that people can take individual and collective action to bring about
change.
Context: CLD practice is built on critical analysis of internal and external factors
that
influence individual and community priorities and has a distinctive role in
working with people to take action to identify and influence decisions that impact
on the quality of individual and community life.
As a competent practitioner able to facilitate and promote community
empowerment you will be able to demonstrate that you can support individuals,
groups and communities to:

Facilitate and promote community empowerment

4a

analyse and understand power dynamics and decision-making

processes;

review of personal portfolio of evidence- understanding

and analysing management committee structures and
reporting lines, including the role of elected members
within community settings

Competence
Demonstrate
d

1-1 discussions
reflective practice and continued review of effective
sharing of information with identified individuals who
each represent relevant organisations
4b

use community action as a means to achieve change

4c

review of assessment of Mediation Session

CLD support and Youth Council
youth council session plan
G15 Project website
1-1 discussion

interact within and across communities

4e

be inclusive and involve the wider community

between

4d

review of assessment of Mediation Session

between CLD support and Youth Council

G15 project website

review of evidence within portfolio/
website

participate in decision-making structures and processes

involvement in team meetings

 evidence from G15 project reflective practice discussions

and website
4f

campaign for change

Involvement with volunteer centre

CLD support and Youth Council interactions
Proactive production of evidence to support changing
working practices and systems of operational delivery
within ESP team with reference to health and safety and
electronic document storage
4g

identify and manage community assets

Mediation Session between CLD support

and Youth Council

Competence 5: Organise and manage resources

Purpose: so that individuals, communities and organisations can achieve
effective
management of community assets and resources, services and organisations.
Context: CLD practitioners need to understand the culture of organisations, the
responsibilities of those involved and how organisation and management styles,
practices and governance relate to sustainable organisations.
As a competent practitioner with an understanding of planning, organising and
managing resources you will be able to demonstrate that you can:

Organise and manage resources

5a

develop and plan programmes and project activities;

Competence
Demonstrate
d

1-1 discussions and reflective practice sessions on

delivery to school pupils and school leavers, including
PX2, national 4 leavers
Manage own diary and support others to work in
teams.
Review of personal portfolio / website
5b

manage and monitor programmes and project activities

Provision of constant updates to line manager and weekly

updates as necessary
Summary reports complied at regular intervals and ad hoc as
required.
Reference to project outlines/ schedules as necessary
Reflections at 1-1s and team meetings
5c promote and manage a culture based on equality

Review of personal portfolio/ website

Appropriate reference made to underrepresented groups
and individuals with protected characteristics
5d

organise, deploy and monitor resources effectively

Effective use of own time to meet project objectives

Work collaboratively with colleagues to distribute tasks
according to strengths of team members.
Thorough knowledge and awareness of Glasgow City
Council management circulars including policy and
practice documents
Support efficient training plans for Modern Apprentices
within our ESP team.

10

5e

recruit, manage and support people (staff, volunteers);

Support volunteer recruitment and implementation

process within DofE
Works effectively within ESP team to ensure all team
members support each other to meet project objectives.
5f

identify and access funding/ resources

St Lucys Church funding proposals identified and

supported.
Dof E stakeholder meeting explored different funding
mechanisms
5g

understand and manage risk

Thorough understanding of risk assessments with regard

to planning, development, delivery and evaluation of
actions to support ESP team and individual staff
members activity.
Review of evidence portfolio/ website
1-1 discussions
5h

interpret and apply relevant legislation (e.g. equalities, Child

Protection, Health and Safety).
case studies within evidence portfolio/ website
contribution within team meetings and project discussions

11

Competence 6 : Develop and support collaborative working

Purpose: so that people can enhance decision making and collaborative
activities that impact on the quality of life of individuals and communities.
Context: CLD practitioners need to understand, recognise and value the
benefits of
collaboration and build appropriate and effective alliances, networks and other
forms of working together.
As a competent practitioner able to develop and support collaborative working
you will be able to demonstrate that you can

Develop and support collaborative working

6a

develop and support collaborative working within your own

organisation;

Very proactive and thorough examples of support to

individual team members and project groups.

Competence
Demonstrate
d

Review of portfolio/ website of evidence

6b

initiate collaborative working with relevant organisations

Engaged with relevant organisations such as Education

Gateway Services, employers and business partners,
Health and Safety Executive.
review of portfolio/ website of evidence
6c

participate in partnership and collaborative working

Effective involvement with partners including schools, third

sector organisations, college, employers, colleagues and
other departments within Glasgow City Council.
review of portfolio/ website of evidence
1-1 discussions
6d support community participation in partnership and
collaborative working

6e

St Lucys church involvement.

Dof E development
CLD Youth Council examples
Review of portfolio/ website of evidence

clarify and articulate the role of your own organisation and

that of others

Participation and contribution in team meetings and

inter-agency Youth Gateway forums with other
departments of GCC and partners such as Skills
Development Scotland

12

 Review of portfolio/ website of evidence

6f

6g

negotiate and agree roles in collaborative and joint work,

taking a leadership role where appropriate
Active participation in collaborative projects with Strathclyde
University, Clyde and City of Glasgow College.
Review of evidence within portfolio/ website
identify, put in place or provide appropriate training and
development opportunities for collaborative working

Inclusion of relevant materials on evidence

portfolio, including videos, prezzi presentations
and inspirational quotes.
Creation of powerpoints and leaflets to support
understanding of policies and procedures

6h

challenge and be challenged on issues undermining effective

partnership working being aware of tensions and conflicts

1-1 discussions regarding improvements to work experience

systems and health and safety checking mechanisms
feedback given from other partners within GCC re up to date
and relevant information flow, especially with Glasgow Life
and other CLD voluntary organisations
Ongoing communications with Strathclyde University re joint
project work
manage the ending of collaborative and joint relationships

6i

Observation of final session with PX2 Group in St Mungos

Support to team members who are moving on to different job

roles or leaving the team for other employment opportunities.

Review of evidence in portfolio/ website

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Competence 7 : Evaluate and inform practice

Purpose: so that robust evidence can sustain, inform, influence and change
policy and practice.
Context: Competent CLD practitioners require to build evidence-based practice
based on an appreciation of the value of research and evaluation. They need a
knowledge of the methods and techniques commonly used and an
understanding of the current issues and challenges in evaluation, quality
assurance and performance measurement in CLD.
As a competent practitioner with an ability to evaluate and inform practice you
will be
able to demonstrate that you can:

Evaluate and inform practice

7a

understand the differences between research, evaluation and

associated concepts

Competence
Demonstrate
d

Professional conversation to take place reviewing

written essay work
7b

7c

employ appropriate tools, frameworks and methodologies in

the evaluation of practice
1-1 discussion on appropriate methods such as assessment
tools, surveys, 1-1 and group feedback, questioning
techniques and reporting of evidence.
Establishment of Evolve website
Review of evidence in portfolio/ website
draw on evaluation findings to inform your own practice

Establishment of Evolve website

Review of evidence in portfolio/ website
essay review
7d

promote and support community led research and evaluation

Reviewed G15 website and plotted progress and

changes based on community involvement
Review of evidence in portfolio/website
7f

use participative evaluative processes

Gathered feedback from individual learners in St

Mungos group and discussed this in reflective practice
1-1 session
St Lucys volunteering feedback used to develop new
ways of working
7e

analyse policy, research and evaluation evidence

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 Creation of emaze presentation

review of essays completed
1-1 discussions
participation in team meetings
7g

learn from other perspectives and challenge your own

assumptions

1-1 discussions
Reflective practice discussions
professional conversations with colleagues/ other
students
consideration of feedback from colleagues in health and
safety team, employers, Dof E
7h

interpret and use evidence related to outcomes and impact

Review of evidence in portfolio/ website

reference to CPP reports and SLDR national statistics in
1-1 discussions
review of essay work
Creation of EMAZE presentation
7i

present evidence to a range of audiences using appropriate

tools and technologies
Review of evidence in portfolio/ website
observation of school sessions
observation of work based team meetings and interagency
sessions

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Narrative Report
Please comment on the range of practice the student has been involved in
during the past twelve months, noting any particular achievements and impacts.

Elisha has impressed me with the range of activity that she has become
involved with and her ability to link different operational projects to
strategic objectives.
Through her studies, Elisha has become much more of a reflective
practioner, who is constantly evaluating her own working practices and
supporting colleagues to collaborate in an effective manner.
Elisha has helped to take the Employment and Skills Partnership team into
a new direction, but reviewing the way in which the whole team use a
shared depositary for electronic documents and by leading the review of a
Health and Safety Code of Practice. Both these pieces of work have
benefitted from Elishas understanding of the legislative frameworks,
which underpin effective policies and procedures as well as day to day
implementation.
Elisha has also been able to work particularly well with learners of
different age groups, using a range of differentiated techniques to engage
the participants and to continue to monitor their progress. Elisha has a
very professional manner when working with other partners and
stakeholders and always responds promptly to any requests for
information or clarification of more complex points.
All of Elishas work is underpinned by a genuine belief in delivering
customer centred services and this is evident in all her actions. This is
very well evidenced in her leadership when introducing new ways of
working, including the use of new technologies such as video and
interactive websites.
Elisha has also brought examples of good practice from community
learning and development situations into a new setting, within
mainstream education services, so that a wider range of individuals can
be supported and encouraged to continue to learn.
Evaluation
Please provide an evaluation of the students practice in relation to the following
questions:
What is the profile of strengths and challenges in relation to the
competences?

Elishas strengths are definitely in the competences relating to

community, relationships, the range of provision and collaboration.
The areas where there has been the most development are in the
managing of resources and in evaluating and informing practice. These
areas will be developed further as Elishas job role further expands to
allow her to manage the resources of more colleagues and partners.
How has the students practice developed in relation to the

16

competences and towards their identified development goals?

Elisha has coped exceptionally well with competing demands of study and
work. This has been achieved in the context of a changing departmental
structure and a widening number of key partners and increased number of
employers engaging with education.
Elisha has been an asset to our team and has been a significant
contributor to the effective operational practice of many of our project
areas, including the expansion of our Duke of Edinburgh Award
programme, the support of our Modern Apprentices, and the
implementation of consistent standards of health and safety policies and
procedures.
Elisha has also used her studies to help her to negotiate a suitable job
role, which uses her strengths well. This is relevant to her own career aims
and short term goals within partnership activity with Strathclyde
University and Health and Safety developments.
Which competences, if any, require further development and how might
they be developed?

The competencies which require further development are those which

relate to further analysis of individual essays and the overall learning on
how the common themes from all the competency areas support each
other.
Elishas academic skills of reflection, research and evaluation and the
associated different techniques within these areas have been introduced
well during Elishas studies and her working practices have improved as a
result of this work.
There will be scope for continued development of these skills during the
final stages of the qualification and this will be set in motion once the final
assessments are completed. Elisha is keen to use her analytical skills to
improve her own working practices and she has enthusiastically
participated in all opportunities for professional dialogue and will extend
this approach with more colleagues across different disciplines and
partner agencies.

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