Consultation process
Review of Scheme for Establishment of Community CouncilsTraining for Community Councillors
We are in the process of developing an online training platform to support Community Councils. This could be completed independently or as part of a group workshop if no online access is available.
Do you think this training relating to Scheme & Guidance should be mandatory for members to complete within an agreed timescale?
Please comment if you have any other training suggestions that you feel would support your personal development and role within the Community Council.
(see Scheme page 25)
We already have someone doing that supported by the Scottish Government called Improvement Services. Anyone interested enough can find everything they need online at present in order to be a good Community Councillor.
Additionally, there should be a mandatory module for all members around making CCs an inclusive environment and what CCs can do to help young people who want to get involved. People might complain but we need to face that if you look at the average age of a CC member and the number of CCs that are folding it could all be rectified by ensuring that CCs work to become environments where you actively encourage young people to get involved. Because actually a CC is one of the best environments for a young person under ideal conditions because it is a place that such a diverse range of work is carried out that it gives them the opportunity to develop their own skills that they can later take on to life and the workplace.
It also shouldn't be something that a member completes when they are elected and never looks at again but rather something that new information can be added to and they can go back to. I'm not suggesting everyone has to do refresher training every year but there may be opportunities for optional topical training that crop up that allow CC members to continue their professional development.
Yes, especially office bearers. The reason that CC meetings become a hostile environment is because we elect office bearers to control a meeting who have no training in how to. I'm not suggesting that we train the chair to sit on a throne with a gavel but the amount of arguments that would never happen if an office bearer had training on how to control a room. Additionally there should be optional modules on things like minute taking for secretaries, basic accounts for treasurers, potentially a first-aid one for those wishing to run events and on new law surrounding events involving children and the PVG process.
The availability of training for CCs is essential but cannot be made mandatory. More importantly, there should be targeted training available. eg Basic member training, Chair & Depute Chair training, Secretary training, etc. The most important thing though, is support. Elected members have the support of Catriona Caves and her team of lawyers, CC members have nothing.
It will further put off volunteers. Plenty of information is available online or in books, and most bring professional experience. It is not a job
Perhaps for new members and refresher for existing
There should be definite training particularly for new members
It is really important that Community Councillors have basic training and awareness as soon as they join. Simply handing out handbooks does not really suffice. Discussion of scenarios would be really beneficial.