Document Category: Community Development

This document gives practical insights into cradle-to-career (C2C) models and community-based approaches for improving social mobility. It provides actionable steps, case studies, and 15 innovative practices that can be adopted to support under-resourced children and families. By reading, VCFSEs will gain strategies for partnership, community engagement, and sustainable impact, helping them drive joined-up, relational support and systemic change in their local areas. Holyrood School in Chard is one of the case studies

Countywide strategy focusing on strengthening community resilience, voice and connection; models localised solutions to health, transport, food and housing needs and amplifies community insights into policy.

Sets out Somerset’s programme for preparing local planning documents that govern housing, economy, community facilities and infrastructure – providing the statutory context for community development and place-based investment decisions.

This report explores the role and impact of Locally Trusted Organisations (LTOs) in the Big Local programme, which empowers residents in 150 areas in England to lead community transformation. LTOs manage funding, provide governance, and support resident-led decision-making. The research highlights the dynamic and complex relationships between LTOs, Big Local partnerships, and Local Trust, emphasizing the importance of trust, clear communication, and effective governance. Recommendations include improving induction processes, regular relationship reviews, and sharing transferable learning to support resident-led change beyond Big Local.
The report advocates for sustained policy and infrastructure support for community-led initiatives

The Big Local programme uses key service providers, known as Locally Trusted Organisations. Their main role is to manage Big Local funding on behalf of volunteer-led partnerships. This paper sets out what Local Trust knows about Locally Trusted Organisations in general and in relation to resident-led decision making and control. It identifies gaps in knowledge and questions to explore through research. This is mostly focused on instances where the relationship does not work.

A complete toolkit that explores what co-production is, information on 5 key themes – collaboration, diversity, respect, empowerment and involvement. This document has links to further documents and resources that may be useful for those who are exploring their co-production journey and how to include people from their community within their organisation(s) or service(s).

A learning guide for anyone involved in commissioning or funding decisions who wants to apply a co-governance approach. Includes examples and links to further resources to learn more.

A learning guide for anyone wanting to use a co-production approach within research or evaluation activities. Includes key recommendations, an example and further resources that may be useful

A learning guide for anyone who wants to ensure their co-production work involves a diverse range of voices where everyone can participate

A learning guide for growing sustainable groups, designed for anyone who wants to support a community group to grow and develop in a way that is sustainable and not reliant on external funding

A learning guide to create a co-production culture. If you’re part of an organisation that wants to foster a culture of co-production – where people’s lived experiences are listening to and valued – this is the guide for you. An explanation of what it means to create a co-production culture and examples of how this has been achieved elsewhere

A learning guide exploring the key principles of co-production. For anyone looking to move beyond the definition of co-production and dig deeper into the principles and values that underpin the approach.

A learning guide from Stronger Together about co-production. It provides an overview of co-production and the benefits of using the approach, with resources and examples provided

A co-production toolkit from Ageing Better. This toolkit user guide outlines the different tools available for co-producing work in communities and is designed for those completely new to coproduction or those who wish to gain confidence. With different resources available for different audiences, this document outlines what co-production is, the values and principles, who benefits and what topics are covered by the resource library.

A learning guide for Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), for anyone looking to support others in your community to set up activities using their existing skills, strengths and networks. Especially useful for those working in service delivery or development roles, or those who are part of their local community or have lived experience.
Outlines what ABCD is, examples of how it can be applied, top tips and links to other, relevant learning guides.

Understanding Integration: How to Listen to and Learn From People and Communities is a practical framework that can be used to help support systems listen to and learn from people and communities about their experiences of integrated care. Designed for anyone working within a local health and care system, it is intended to encourage NHS, local authorities and other local partners to work, listen and learn together.

A document from 2021, outlining the 8 principles and implications of place based working, in the context of the emerging Integrated Care Boards (at the time). The document is a practical framework to help partners embed community development with strong links to community cohesion. It emphasises the importance of the lived experiences of people in communities, co-production and place-based delivery. It offers a variety of tools, case studies and prompts that VCFSEs can adapt to improve community outcomes.

The Somerset VRP Annual Report outlines multi‑agency work to prevent and reduce serious violence through early intervention, data‑led action and community partnership. Key activity includes governance for serious youth violence, Safer Somerset Priorities tactical meetings, police Early Intervention Team work, behaviour‑change education for pupils, town‑centre youth safety programmes, online harm reduction, and commissioning of high‑impact interventions such as A&E navigators, sports mentors and school‑based “teachable moments”. The VRP prioritises knife crime, street‑based violence and sexual violence for 2025–26, with a strong focus on safeguarding, prevention and community safety.

The 2024–25 Annual Report outlines progress against the Police and Crime Plan’s five priorities: strengthening neighbourhood policing; reducing violent crime (including male violence against women and girls and serious youth violence); preventing crime through partnerships; supporting victims; and improving policing standards. Key achievements include 10,000+ hotspot foot patrol hours, expanded violence‑reduction programmes, improvements in victim services, and enhanced scrutiny, training and community engagement. The report highlights collaboration with local authorities, VCFSE organisations, and national partners to build safer, more confident communities.

The Somerset Council Plan 2023–2027 sets out the vision for building a fairer, greener, healthier and more resilient Somerset. It focuses on four priority areas: tackling the climate and ecological emergencies; improving health and wellbeing; reducing inequalities; and strengthening Somerset’s economy and communities. The plan emphasises prevention, community involvement, partnership working, improving access to services, supporting education and skills, enabling sustainable growth, protecting vulnerable residents, and promoting cultural, economic and environmental resilience. It also highlights the role of Local Community Networks, sustainable transport, green technologies, inclusive services, decent housing, and supporting local jobs and opportunities.

The Somerset Children and Young People’s Plan (2024–30), shaped by the voices of 6,000 children and young people, sets a shared vision for a safe, child‑friendly Somerset where all young people are happy, healthy and prepared for adulthood. Developed by partners including Education for Life Board, Public Health, Connect Somerset, Safer Somerset Partnership and the ICS Children, Young People & Families Partnership Board, it outlines priorities spanning education, healthy lifestyles, mental health, community safety, relationships and adulthood preparation. For VCFSE groups, it highlights collaboration opportunities, early‑help roles, community‑based support and ways to shape services through youth voice.

Annual review of the 2023-24 year for the Octagon Theatre and Westlands Entertainment Venue. The closure of the Octagon occured during this time and there is detail of the wider community engagement work that occured. Including but not limited to Yeovil Literary Festival, leading the Music Hub and the growth of the Arts Engagement & Outreach programme. Work areas included children and young people, art for health and wellbeing and supporting education with opportunities for pupils and training for teachers.

Details co-created approaches in Taunton, Somerset, showing how arts-led and green-space activities build community capacity and shape inclusive places. It offers practical steps, templates and evidence to support arts, culture & heritage. A partnership between Somerset Art Works and North Taunton One Team.

Round‑up of national and local developments, funding and events for the Armed Forces community, including partnership opportunities for groups.

A comprehensive resource which explores the ‘why, what, who, when & how’ of involving children and young people in consultations for service development. While the intended audience is Local Authorities, there is lots of information, activities, practical guidance and case studies which will be useful to the VCFSE sector.

The toolkit is intended for use with Key Stage 2 aged children, in order to support them to conduct a research and action project in their school to make changes on things within their school or local community which matter to them.

The fundamental concept of the Dementia 100: Pathway Assessment Tool is to provide a mechanism for capturing and understanding the characteristics and specific requirements that are considered key to the development and delivery of service and care needs for people living with dementia and their carers. The Dementia 100 extracts and combines pertinent information from multiple sources into a single, consolidated tool for self-assessment. Completed at Place level, it provides a holistic and integrated view of service provision. At system level it aids strategic planning and sharing best practice.

Supporting South Asian carers of relatives with dementia in Rochdale – an Evaluation Report
An evaluation of the Dementia Dekh Bhaal (meaning ‘to care for dementia’) project, set up by tide (together in dementia everyday). The project was commissioned to address the needs of South Asian carers by developing and delivering a training package for professionals, campaign to increase awareness and use the power of stories to change perceptions. The project used an Asset Based Community Development approach and used ‘Lived Experience’. It was seen as successful and was recommended to be embedded in other community engagement projects

The Labour Party National Youth Strategy, which outlines the actions the government are committing to over the next 10 years to secrure the future that young people have told them that they want

The Power Threat Meaning Framework is an over-arching structure for identifying patterns in emotional distress, unusual experiences and troubling behaviour, as an alternative to psychiatric diagnosis and classification. The project team’s aim was to produce a foundational document which sets out the philosophical, theoretical and empirical basis for such a framework and describes how it can serve as a conceptual alternative to psychiatric classification in relation to emotional distress and troubled or troubling behaviour.

This is an overview. A full 400+ page report is available from the British Psychological Society.

For many of the groups we support, a grant from The Somerset Fund made a huge difference, enabling them to keep going despite these uncertain times.

The 2023/24 fiscal year was a year of transition for CCS with internal reviews, contingency planning, and development of our new Strategy, aligned to our new Vision, Mission and Values.