The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 aims to raise the level of ambition for community planning, setting out a legislative requirement to improve outcomes and ensure that:
- communities are central to the process
- effective collaboration and joint resourcing takes place among partners
- a robust evidence base is used to ensure efforts are targeted on areas of greatest need
- a real and sustainable reduction in inequalities is achieved.
The focus of the Act is not a new approach but a natural progression in the ongoing reform for public services that gained added impetus with the publication of the Christie Commission report in 2011. In particular, Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) are being handed a new set of powers, and increased expectations, designed to raise ambition around reducing inequality and enhancing community participation. There are three core elements to these powers and expectations: Local Outcomes Improvement Plan; participation requests; asset transfer.
Download our briefing note for more information on the short- and medium-term expectations of CPPs.
Our products and services
We provide a number of programmes, products and services for organisations that work with Scottish councils. Our products and services pages detail the products and services available to local government partner organisations in the wider Scottish public and third sectors.
Knowledge Hub groups
Community Planning Network in Scotland
CPPs can use our Partnership Checklist to assess their own performance against these expectations and gain an understanding of the nature and extent of improvement support required to meet them. The IS can support CPPs with the facilitation of the Partnership Checklist.
Download the Partnership Checklist
We also offer a range of support to CPPs. Use the links on the left to explore the support available across a range of themes.
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Community Empowerment Act: summary of short and medium term expectations of CPPs
This briefing note summarises the Improvement Service’s understanding of the key expectations and requirements of community planning partnerships arising from the Community Empowerment Act (2015) and associated statutory guidance.
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Local Outcomes Improvement Plans stock-take: emerging findings
A summary of the emerging themes from a recent stock-take of all available Local Outcomes Improvement Plans (LOIPs).
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Performance Management: Good Practice Principles
Good practice principles for performance management at CPP and community planning partner level, developed by the Community planning Improvement Board