Community Learning and Development Strategic Leadership Group communique: January 2025

Attendees and apologies

• Graeme Dey MSP, Minister for Higher and Further Education; and Veterans (Chair)
• Cllr Maureen Chalmers, COSLA Spokesperson for Community Wellbeing
• Cllr Tony Buchanan, COSLA Spokesperson for Children and Young People
• Kate Still, Community Learning and Development Independent Reviewer
• Sheena Devlin, General Secretary of Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES)
• Dr Marion Allison, Director of the CLD Standards Council
• Gillian Hamilton, Chief Executive of Education Scotland
• Robbie Pearson, Chief Executive of Healthcare Improvement Scotland
• Janie McManus, Chief Inspector of HMIE
• Ishabel Bremner, Chair of the Scottish Local Authorities' Economic Development (SLAED)
• James Russell, Interim Senior Director of Transformation, Skills Development Scotland
• Seamus Spencer, Assistant Director of Skills and Coherent Provision, Scottish Funding Council
• Naureen Ahmad, Deputy Director, Lifelong Learning & Skills, Scottish Government
• Andrew Mott, Head of Legislation and Community Learning and Development Unit, Scottish Government
• Will Quinn, CLD Team Leader, Scottish Government
• Matthew Sweeney, COSLA Policy manager
• Katelin O’Neill, COSLA Policy officer

Apologies

• Des Murray, Chair, Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE)

 

Items and actions

The Chair welcomed attendees to the first meeting of the CLD Strategic Leadership Group. The meetings would be alternately chaired by the Scottish Government Minister and COSLA elected representatives.

The theme of the meeting was consideration of the group’s membership and Terms of Reference, building on recommendation 1.1 from the review report.

Kate Still, Independent Reviewer

The Chair introduced Kate Still, who welcomed the establishment of the group and was delighted to see her first recommendation taken forward. This was the opportunity for a collaborative and representative group to build on and improve the existing CLD offer. Learners and their voices should be at the heart of everything the SLG did. The sector and Minister were eager for action, the focus of the group should be on what could be done together and what was possible.

Kate was invited to the next meeting to provide reviewer insight to the individual recommendations.

Membership

The group reviewed its membership considering factors including: the need to keep meetings manageable; potential gaps in strategic outlook; and appropriate representation for a potential delivery group reporting to this group. Discussion covered:

• community development representation;
• Public Health Scotland;
• youth sector and third sector representation.

It was agreed that Public Health Scotland would be invited to replace Health Improvement Scotland (HIS), as suggested by HIS.

It was agreed the group should have additional specific third sector representation, recognising its breadth and diversity. The Chair called for the group members to suggest potential members after the meeting. Officials would work on options for consideration.

Terms of Reference

On the Terms of Reference, the following points were noted.

• As a membership organisation, COSLA noted they would approach the recommendations from the perspective of sharing best practice with members, rather than being directive.
• It was agreed that members could send substitutes to group meetings, provided the substitute was empowered to act for the member.
• It was agreed that the detail of discussion at meetings would be confidential and that decisions of the group would be collective, i.e. supported publicly by all members.
• It was agreed that a brief communiqué will be agreed by members and published shortly after each meeting to keep stakeholders updated.
• A range of offers had come forward to support the work of the group. It was suggested that some organisations might form part of a delivery group. Representation on any delivery group should include practitioner expertise and should reach across the geography of Scotland.
• The group would be action-focussed and members would need to be willing to play their part. The work of the group would be cognisant of central and local government budgetary parameters, as well as work already ongoing through, for example, community planning partnerships.

The Chair thanked everyone for attending and providing valuable input. The second meeting of the group would be chaired by COSLA in late February or early March 2025; thereafter meetings would move to a quarterly cycle.

Actions

• Members – to suggest potential third sector representation for the group.
• Members – to suggest organisations that might form part of a delivery group.
• Members – to consider each recommendation before the next meeting, to inform the discussion.
• Officials – to arrange next meeting between 24 February and 14 March 2025.
• Officials – to update the draft terms of reference.
• Officials – to advise the co-chairs on third sector representation.
• Officials – to invite PHS to the meeting as a group member.