Developing your strategy
External review: partner agencies
Mapping relationships and processes
Communities often complain of being over-consulted, and of different agencies coming to them at different times asking similar types of question. Make sure you know how different organisations you work with, or that exist in your local area, engage with their stakeholders. Map all types of relationship your organisation has with external agencies:- statutory (local authority (education, social services, community safety, leisure), health, probation etc)
- voluntary (support groups, umbrella organisations)
- community (local residents associations, amenities groups, Neighbourhood Watch)
- business (associations and individual businesses if large or significant in terms of community safety e.g. a large out of town leisure complex)
Identifying opportunities
When you have completed this mapping activity, you can think about the level of influence on and commitment that your partners have to your organisation's aims in terms of community engagement. This will give you a sense of who it might be productive to work in partnership with. You might also want to think about where to engage in relationship-building to increase the level of commitment and influence. You may find it helpful to use a grid like the one here.
Also think about the following questions:
- What relationships exist?
- Which are good and can be capitalised upon?
- Which are less so and need to be repaired/brought back from the brink?
- What relationships need to be created?
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