There are a range of approaches or models of community development practice. While being susceptible to changing political and economic contexts, they are by no means mutually exclusive and all have featured at least for a time in UK practice, as well as being applied in different circumstances internationally.

Common processes, different strands

As much as laying out a set of methods, community development has consistently emphasised its values and principles. Practitioner-led organisations have argued that these commitments are vital aspects of shared definitions and expected standards. In recent years, though, programmes have tended to specify outputs and broader outcomes, only some of which (such as increased confidence and community capacity) might suggest the adoption of community development processes.

The models described in the previous chapter incorporate various processes, skills and outcomes that are involved in community development. In order to distinguish this from community activism or voluntary work, it is useful to think about the role that the paid community worker plays in:

• enabling people to become involved by removing practical and political barriers to their participation;

• encouraging individuals to contribute to activities and decision making, and to keep going when things get difficult;

• empowering others by increasing their confidence and ability to influence decisions and take responsibility for their own actions;

• engaging with groups and organisations to increase community involvement in partnerships and other forms of public decision making;

• equalising situations so that people have the same access to opportunities, resources and facilities within communities and mainstream services;

• educating people by helping them to reflect on their own experience, to learn from others and through discussion; and

• evaluating the impact of these interventions.

These seven Es of community development make it clear that the community worker is not concerned with their own interests and needs, but instead supports others (mainly community members and activists) to organise activities, learn together, take up issues and challenge unjust discrimination. The principles of community development have been applied in many ways, but there are some core common functions and parameters that are considered below.