'Life-changing' Council services praised

Published: 4 December 2023

Targeted work with community groups, young people and adult learners in East Renfrewshire has been hailed as "life-changing" by local people accessing these vital Council services.

Inspectors from Education Scotland recently reviewed the work being carried out by East Renfrewshire Council's Community Learning and Development (CLD) teams.

This included reviewing the Council's youth work, adult learning and work carried out to strengthen communities and partnerships across the area.

A key strength identified was the strong links between the Council's CLD teams and other community groups, such as Voluntary Action East Renfrewshire, Linking Communities and Include Me 2 Club, as by working together it helps to deliver targeted support which meets the needs of local residents.

The report stated: "CLD partners work effectively to support learners and community activists to gain skills and knowledge to meet their needs. Almost all learners are supported well to transition between well-developed pathways to access opportunities to best suit their aspirations. A few learners describe these co-designed and person-centred approaches as positive and, at times, life-changing."

A wide range of supports are in place, which are all making a positive impact on East Renfrewshire residents. Young people attending the LGBTI Youth Group in Barrhead are showing increased confidence and breaking down barriers to participation. While ESOL (English for Speakers of other Languages) learners, who are supported by the Adult Learning team, are developing their language skills, which helps to remove practical barriers to their integration into local life in East Renfrewshire.

The report added: "Across East Renfrewshire, the leadership of CLD at all levels is strong. Council CLD staff at all levels are trusted and have autonomy to plan and make decisions about their work. This enables them to be agile and help to secure the best possible outcomes for learners and communities."

Council Leader Owen O'Donnell said: 'We are committed to building stronger communities for all, so I'm delighted that inspectors have recognised the excellent work being carried out every day by teams right across the Council. Our Community Learning and Development work, which supports our ambitions to allow all residents to make a valuable contribution to East Renfrewshire, is clearly having the desired impact and I look forward to seeing this go from strength to strength in the years ahead. Well done to all the staff involved.'