Scope - Therapy, Training, Consultancy - Communication Resource Centre

Community Capacity Building

Community capacity building is a term that is continually referred to in the disability sector. Many questions arise such as "…but what relevance does it have to the Speech Therapy Initiative? "or "…how do we actually do it?"

Community capacity building is an approach that is being applied across a range of Scope services. The remainder of this article highlights how community capacity building is being applied in the Speech Therapy Initiative.

Community Capacity Building and the Speech Therapy Initiative

The participation and inclusion of people with complex communication needs, is the key intent of the speech therapy initiative. Opportunities for participation and inclusion will be led by the aspirations of people with complex communication needs and their communication partners. To achieve this intent a community development focus is supported by two important philosophies - person centred practice and community capacity building.

1) Person centred practice ensures people have a community presence; are respected; have a choice: are seen as competent and have opportunities to participate in the community (O'Brien & Lyle,1987).

2) Community capacity building ensures that the Communication Resource Centre and the network of Regional Communication Services work in collaboration with people with complex communication needs, communication partners, and key partners such as, other speech pathologists, organisations and communities. What is Community Capacity Building?

A large number of definitions and interpretations exist.

Community capacity building is a set of values and principles, it is a way of thinking, a philosophy, a guiding value, an organisational strategy, an approach.

Capacity building is an approach to development that builds independence.
This can include:

Supporting others to take on programs
Improving the capacity of people to work together to solve problems
Routinely incorporating capacity building strategies in everyday practice.

So what does this mean for the speech therapy initiative?

A new or different way to respond to the needs of people with complex communication needs and their communication partners.
A community capacity building approach works to build the skills, knowledge and resources available to individuals and community agencies.

Why implement a community capacity building approach?

To ensure individuals and agencies will be willing to deliver local, quality services that respond to the wishes of people with complex communication needs and their communication partners.

Developing a Community Capacity Building framework

The Communication Resource Centre and the network of Regional Communication Services are working collaboratively to develop a Community Capacity Building framework to guide our approach.
The framework aims to provide a set of key strategies to increase the participation and inclusion of people with a complex communication need, these include:

undertaking community mapping processes to identify local needs, gaps and opportunities;
working with people to build their knowledge, skills and attitudes about the communication needs of people with complex communication
creating partnerships and alliances to provide shared directions and actions, to support the participation and inclusion of people with a complex communication need
building leadership amongst key local community stakeholders in order to provide sustainable and long term change and outcomes for people with complex communication needs
working with organisations and community groups to enhance their capacity to be inclusive and responsive of people with complex communication needs
increasing the resources available to conduct projects, purchase equipment, provide information and advice that will assist local communities to be more inclusive of people with complex communication needs

For more information about the community capacity building framework, please contact Communication Resource Centre on telephone number 9843 2012.

Some useful references

Frank F. and Smith A., 1999, The Community Development Handbook: A tool to build community capacity, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, Canada

New South Wales Health Department, 2001, A framework for building capacity to improve health,

Walsh J., 1997, Stories of Renewal: Community Building and the Future of Urban America, USA

Some Useful websites

www.communitybuilding.vic.gov.au

www.health.nsw.gov.au

http://www.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au/

http://www.communitynet.sa.gov.au/why_is_community.asp

http://www.ctassets.org/library/glossary.cfm