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‘Community empowerment is local government’s core business’ (Sir Simon Milton, Chair of the Local Government Association)
Community empowerment is high on the current policy agenda. The Department for Communities
and Local Government is leading the drive to “enable more people to play an active role in the
decisions that affect their communities”. It produced a Community Empowerment Action Plan in
2007 to outline its own plans, and the new Community Empowerment White Paper will set out
cross-Government commitments.
But what does ‘community empowerment’ really mean? What does it look like? What does it
achieve? How will we know if we’re contributing to it?
Practical mechanisms are being introduced which it is hoped will contribute to community
empowerment, such as citizens’ juries, community kitties and local charters. But we also need a
comprehensive understanding of what community empowerment looks and feels like.
This short guide is designed to help you to get to grips with what is meant by community
empowerment. It takes the sometimes vague concept of ‘community empowerment’ and breaks it
down into five clear interlinked dimensions. It describes the processes and outcomes of each, and
provides examples of how you can use the dimensions to ensure your work is empowering.
This guide argues that an empowered community is one which is:
• confident
• inclusive
• organised
• co-operative
• influential
By asking questions about each of these five dimensions when planning and evaluating work, we can
ensure that we are taking an empowering approach and contributing to community empowerment.
with support from the National Empowerment Partnership
What is community
empowerment?
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Values ...into action
Community Development Values
Real community empowerment is the result of
putting community development values into
action. These are values of:
Learning:
recognising the skills, knowledge and expertise that
people contribute, building on these and what has
gone before
Equality:
challenging discrimination and oppressive practices
within organisations, institutions and communities
Participation:
facilitating democratic involvement by people in the
issues which affect their lives based on full citizenship,
autonomy and shared power, skills, knowledge and
experience
Co-operation:
working together to identify and implement action,
encouraging networking and connections between
communities and organisations
Social justice:
enabling people to claim their human rights, meet
their needs and have greater control over the
decision-making processes which affect their lives
When thinking about community empowerment we
draw on decades of theory and practice concerned
with developing and understanding community
development.
“Community development is about building active
and sustainable communities based on social justice
and mutual respect… it is about changing power
structures to remove the barriers that prevent people
from participating in the issues that affect their lives”
Dimensions of Community
Empowerment
Community empowerment has five dimensions:
Confident
…working in ways which increase people’s skills,
knowledge and confidence, and instill in them a
belief that they can make a difference
Inclusive
…working in ways which recognise that
discrimination exists, promote equality of
opportunity and good relations between groups
and challenge inequality and exclusion
Organised
…working in ways which bring people together
around common issues and concerns in
organisations and groups that are open, democratic
and accountable
Co-operative
…working in ways which build positive relationships
across groups, identify common messages, develop
and maintain links to national bodies and promote
partnership working
Influential
… working in ways which encourage and equip
communities to take part and influence decisions,
services and activities
These five dimensions provide a framework for
planning work which is empowering for communities,
however ‘community’ is identified and whichever area
of work is being planned. They can also be used as a
framework for identifying indicators and evaluating
the work, helping us to make judgements about
whether the processes and outcomes are leading to
community empowerment. They offer a broad and
comprehensive definition of community
empowerment, and can act as a basis for developing
collectively understood indicators.
Example: the community centre needs a new roof
The ‘short-cut’
You contract with a builder, based on lowest cost, and ask them to
carry out the work. As a result:
• a quick job is done within budget
• the community centre has a new roof
• local people do not understand how choices and decisions are
made – they complain about the design of the roof and say the
money could have been spent more wisely
• local people hold the council responsible for the mess left by the builders
• other communities complain that the council has prioritised the people using this community centre but
not theirs
A community empowerment approach
Confident
You involve local people in discussions about the roof, about what the planning, budgeting and work entails,
about how you go about getting building work done. You make sure that the information you provide is
accessible, and you take time to ensure people understand. As a result local people gain skills, knowledge and
confidence, which will help them take part in this and future projects.
Inclusive
You are aware of the make-up of the group you are working with – how reflective are they of the local
population and users of the centre, in terms of age, gender, race etc? You find ways to involve people who
have not used the centre so far, but might have an interest in doing so. You encourage discussion. As a result
you gain a cross-section of views, experience and expertise, people learn more about each other and work
together.
Organised
You encourage people to work as a team and work to each other’s strengths. You support them to develop
processes for discussions and decision-making which are understood by everyone there. As a result, they all
understand how the decisions will be made about which contractors to use, what the design will look like,
what the budget is and why. They have collective responsibility for the project.
Cooperative
You encourage the group to look at projects elsewhere. How have other groups worked with contractors, what
did they learn, who did they use and what happened? As a result the group learn from the experiences of
others, they widen their field of contact and may create some support networks. They find out about different
models of working, which may inform this project and the way the community centre is run in the future.
Influential
You encourage the group to make decisions and they do this within known parameters. They decide on the
design and timescale of the work, based on aesthetics, ecological considerations and the practical and
economic context. As a result, they can see the benefit of their involvement in the change that takes place and
feel collectively responsible for the new roof.
Taking a community empowerment approach, based on the five dimensions, is about making the
most of opportunities. The short-cut may be easier, quicker and financially cheaper, but it misses out
on the long term benefits – for the individuals taking part, for the community working together, for
your organisation and for society more widely.
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Empowered community
Confident … working in ways which increase people’s skills,
knowledge and confidence, and instill in them a belief
that they can make a difference
Inclusive … working in ways which recognise that discrimination
exists, promote equality of opportunity and good
relations between groups and challenge inequality and
exclusion
Organised … working in ways which bring people together
around common issues and concerns, in organisations
and groups that are open, democratic and accountable
Co-operative … working in ways which build positive relationships
across groups, identify common messages, develop
and maintain links to national bodies and promote
partnership working
Influential … working in ways which encourage and equip
communities to take part and influence decisions,
services and activities
Dimensions of Community Our overall aim A community that is: We can contribute by...
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• people don’t contribute in meetings
• people don’t understand your constraints, have
unrealistic expectations
• people don’t believe that change is possible or that
they have a role
• you only hear from the ‘usual suspects’ or the ‘same
voices’
• some groups feel isolated in their neighbourhoods
• people feel that others gain favours at their expense
• you’re not sure that ‘representatives’ are accountable
or speaking on behalf of others
• initiatives or activities are short-term and fizzle out
• ‘communities’ can’t seem to agree on ways forward
• communities compete with each other for your time
and resources
• work happens in silos or is duplicated
• communities feel hard done by compared to others
• communities have consultation fatigue and become
cynical
• you fail to deliver the most appropriate services
• you hit your targets but miss the point!
unity Empowerment
• people are more confident about taking part, they
ask questions and play an active role
• people understand the information being discussed
• people understand the constraints of the work
• people recognise their own and each other’s skills
knowledge and expertise
• there is greater understanding and awareness
between different local communities
• you hear diverse voices
• people are more likely to find common ground
• people understand the rationale for the allocation of
resources
• there are thriving community groups
• people are more likely to work collectively
• people work together and understand each others’
strengths
• people negotiate and identify shared solutions
• there is strong community infrastructure where
groups network and support each other
• people understand the needs of other communities
and the resources allocated to them
• people learn from each other
• people see themselves as part of a bigger picture
• communities are heard and their contribution
makes a difference
• communities take responsibility for the services and
activities provided
• communities receive appropriate services
Dangers of ignoring this dimension include Benefits of addressing this dimension include
Example: commissioning training services
The manager of a community centre is commissioning trainers to
provide a range of classes and activities for older people. The manager
wants to make sure that the centre offers a community development
approach to what they do, to build community empowerment.
To achieve this, the manager draws up a ‘statement of expectation’
based around the five community empowerment dimensions. These
expectations become criteria for commissioning, which are discussed
with potential trainers.
Statement of expectation:
“It is expected that trainers working on these premises will adopt a community development approach to their
work. By this, we mean that you will work in a way which helps build communities which are confident,
inclusive, organised, co-operative and influential.”
We expect trainers to:
Confident
• recognise the existing skill levels of individuals and ensure that everyone knows what is expected of them
• recognise the increase in skills needed to undertake the activity and share your knowledge and experience
with others in a way that helps them understand
• help people feel good about themselves and encourage people to believe that ‘they can do it’
Inclusive
• be aware of who is contributing in sessions, who is not and why
• be aware that running the class or session in particular ways excludes some people from taking part and
you take steps to address this
• deliver your class or sessions in a way which recognises, appreciates and builds on the differences and
similarities of those taking part
• challenge discriminatory language and behaviour
Organised
• encourage people to come together in groups, to share experiences, knowledge and skills
• identify common interests in the group and arrange activities around these
• where appropriate, encourage people to undertake group projects requiring a range of skills, recognising
strengths within the group
Co-operative
• illustrate how the activities you are working with link to others, encouraging groups to work together on
wider projects
• encourage the group to consider how their activity links to wider issues or global concerns
• where possible offer opportunities to visit related classes or activities
Influential
• provide opportunities for the group to contribute to the development of the class or session
• encourage them to suggest ideas and structures for future classes or resources.
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Looking at community empowerment in this way
helps clarify what an organisation or department
needs to have in place to work in an
empowering way and contribute to community
empowerment.
Community empowerment is not just about
communities changing as they ‘become
empowered’. It is also about agencies changing
the way they work, to take more ‘empowering
approaches’.
The five dimensions suggest questions you can
ask about your organisation’s approach to
community empowerment.
For example:
Confident
• do staff have the necessary skills, knowledge
and support to work effectively with
communities?
• do staff understand the principles, processes
and time needed to take community
empowerment approaches to their work?
Inclusive
• are staff aware of power differences
between and within communities?
• do staff recognise that discrimination exists,
promote equality of opportunity and good
relations between groups?
• does the organisation have strategies for
dealing with competing demands and
working constructively with conflict?
Organised
• does the organisation have a shared
understanding of ‘community
empowerment’ and what it expects to
achieve?
• does the organisation monitor and evaluate
community empowerment activity?
• is the organisation creative about the way in
which targets are delivered to maximise
empowerment opportunities?
Cooperative
• is the organisation prepared to broker
relationships between elected members and
communities?
• does the organisation support effective
community networks and infrastructure, to
help community groups work together?
• does the organisation support local and
national networking among staff to
strengthen their community empowerment
skills and knowledge?
Influential
• does the organisation have clear routes for
communities to influence what it does?
• do staff feed back to communities what has
happened as a result of their involvement?
• does the organisation record evidence of
community influence?
• are staff able to challenge targets or
processes which compromise community
empowerment?
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Is your organisation empowering?
Authentic community engagement happens when:
people in communities create structures and processes that are empowering for themselves and others
and
people in public agencies create structures and processes that are empowering for themselves and others.
Who we are
The Community Development Exchange (CDX) is the UK-wide membership
organisation for community development. We work to ensure that community
development is recognised and supported as a powerful way of tackling inequality and achieving
social justice. CDX reflects a diverse range of interests in community development across all sectors
and fields, and has members from across the UK. Find out more at www.cdx.org.uk
changes is an independent consultancy specialising in community engagement,
community development and active citizenship. Based in the West Midlands, we
work across the UK and Europe offering expertise in facilitation, training,
research, evaluation and consultancy. Find out more at www.changesuk.net
The development of this guide has been funded by the National Empowerment
Network.
More opportunities to put the dimensions into
practice
We have provided a few examples of how people have used the five dimensions to ensure their work
contributes to community empowerment. There are many more ways you could use the dimensions:
• to develop locally meaningful indicators, i.e. what would success look like for each of the
dimensions?
• to plan and write funding applications, using the dimensions to provide a clear way of explaining
and planning for community empowerment
• to carry out work reviews and appraisals – in what ways is the staff member addressing each of
the community empowerment dimensions in their work?
• to develop shared understandings of terminology and practice – what do the dimensions mean
to each partner? what would it mean for everyone to try to address all of them?
• to help identify good practice in community empowerment – is your project addressing all five
dimensions? where is it strongest? where is it weakest?
• to help develop strategies and plans, using the dimensions to help with process and structure
• to develop business plans which help you to make a business case for your project or service.
Where did the dimensions come from?
The five community empowerment dimensions illustrated in this booklet are part of a framework
designed for planning and evaluating community development. This framework is called DiCE
(Dimensions of Community Empowerment). It was developed by changes and builds on eight years
of development, application, review and practice. DiCE originates in the ABCD (Achieving Better
Community Development) framework developed by the Scottish Community Development Centre in
2000 (available from www.cdf.org.uk).
Using the whole DiCE framework (from which the five dimensions are drawn) you can plan, monitor
and evaluate community empowerment.
Published April 2008
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