Community Cohesion

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Community Cohesion

• Kirsty McNally
• Strategic Advisor Community Cohesion

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Background to Community Cohesion

• Riots in 2001 instigated Government focus on
  partnership working
• Initially a reaction to racial tensions
• More recent definitions are wider than race they
  focus on
• Shared futures and common vision
• Sense of belonging
• People from different backgrounds having similar
  life opportunities
• Diversity of backgrounds being appreciated and
  positively valued
• Strong and positive relationships between people
  from different backgrounds

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Local Context to Community Cohesion

• Community Cohesion is a main focus in the main
  overarching strategies for Sunderland Council and
  its partners
• The Sunderland Partnership make sure services are
  pushing forward with community cohesion
• Community Cohesion Strategy and action plan are
  being developed
• Community Cohesion actions must focus on local
  priorities

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Fits in with the aims of the South Forum

• Working on residents shared visions for an area
• Looking at what encourages people to be involved
  in their community
• Encouraging different people to celebrate their
  similarities and differences
• Reducing inequalities and isolation

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What the Council are already doing

• Work in the East area to
• Support a strategic group to put actions in place
  for their area and drive these forward
• Support a practitioner network people doing the
  practical day to day work such as police and
  youth workers to identify solutions and carry
  out preventative work
• Work to start the roll out of a similar model in
  the North then to other areas
• Community Cohesion Action plan being formed
• Prevent Action plan in place
• Project work

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Questions

• What developments would you like to see from this
  work in your area?
• How can we work with the South Forum to help
  develop community cohesion?
• Any other issues / comments?