Definitions
Glossary of community engagement terms
Active Citizens
Citizens taking opportunities to become actively involved in defining and tackling the problems of their communities and improving their quality of life. One of the three key elements of civil renewal.
Citizen-focused Policing
A way of working in which an in-depth understanding of the needs and expectations of individuals and local communities is routinely reflected in decision-making, service delivery and practice.
Civil Renewal
The renewal of civil society through the development of strong, active and empowered communities, in which people are able to do things for themselves, define the problems they face, and tackle them in partnership with public bodies. Civil renewal involves three essential elements: active citizenship, strengthened communities and partnership in meeting public needs. Its practical process is community engagement. (See community engagement, active citizens)
Community
Many slightly different definitions exist but, generally, many include the suggestion that a community is a group of people who all hold a something in common. Community has tended to be associated with two key aspects: firstly people who share locality or geographical place; secondly people who are or share communities of interest. Communities of interest are groups of people who share an identity – for example centred around ethnicity or religion; or those who share an experience – such as people with a particular disability. An individual may be a member of multiple communities at any one time, and may also move in and out of one or more communities over the course of time. Some people may be unable – or unwilling - to identify with any community at all.
Community Cohesion
Community Cohesion incorporates and goes beyond the concept of race equality and social inclusion. It describes a situation where:
- there is a common vision and a sense of belonging for all communities
- the diversity of people's different backgrounds and circumstances is appreciated and positively valued
- those from different backgrounds have similar life opportunities
- strong and positive relationships are being developed between people from different backgrounds in the workplace, in schools and within neighbourhoods
(Adapted from LGA Guidance Community Cohesion Unit)
Community Engagement
The process of working collaboratively with and through groups of people affiliated by geographic proximity, special interest, or similar situations to address issues that affect them. Engagement involves a continuous dialogue and a two-way flow of information and views, together with opportunities to get involved.
An engaged community will:
- contain no “hard to hear” groups with whom the police find it impossible to engage;
- be well informed about the issues which drive and affect the delivery of policing services in their area;
- understand how both groups and individuals can easily make their views known to the police, and do so on a regular basis if they want to;
- have confidence that all sections of the community will be listened to, and their priorities and concerns acted upon where possible and appropriate;
- receive regular feedback about how the police have responded to and acted on community concerns;
- have - and avail themselves of – the opportunity to contribute towards the delivery of policing services in their neighbourhood.
Community Mapping / Profiling
A process though which an assessment of the characteristics and make-up of communities is made. Community profiling may help identify appropriate engagement methods.
Community Policing
The ethos of concentrating a policing strategy in a specific area, or community. The term community policing is often used to go beyond merely having officers designated to particular neighbourhoods, to include some sort of community involvement in the setting of priorities for policing, or problem solving in an area.
Confidence
A belief in a future ability to do, or deliver, something or behave in a certain way.
Consultation
An active two-way process informing and involving individuals and groups to encourage the sharing of ideas, views and opinions. Undertaking a process of consultation does not necessarily ensure that consultees will be able to influence decisions nor their views acted upon.
Demonstration Sites / Projects
Three projects being taken forward in Cheshire, Merseyside and Northumbria Police Authorities – which are testing a different approach to engaging communities in their area. The demonstration projects aim to gather learning about effective practice and are part-funded by the Treasury as part of the ISB Community Engagement project.
Effective Community Engagement Practice
A method of practice which has proven to be successful at improving community engagement locally. “Practice” might include fully-evaluated programmes or projects (at one end of the scale), or ground level initiatives, operations, or smaller scale procedural changes in policy or ways of working at the operational level.
Multi / Inter-agency Working
The delivery of a service to the community with - or through - another agency or agencies, for example local authorities or voluntary sector organisations. Inter-agency working indicates a more advanced process, involving some degree of fusion and interdependence between partners.
National Practitioner Panel for Community Engagement in Policing
A panel of policing practitioners, mainly drawn from forces and authorities with relevant skills and experience of community engagement work. Along with acting as a central source of community engagement advice to other practitioners, their role involves sharing effective practice and encouraging its take-up within forces and authorities through the production of its web-based Guide to Community Engagement.
Neighbourhood Policing
An approach to delivering local policing services driven by neighbourhood and community needs and priorities.
Neighbourhood Policing is not just about public reassurance and quality of life issues. It involves harnessing the energies of local communities and partners to exchange information and work together to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour and increase the number of crimes detected.
Effective neighbourhood level policing requires proper integration with other policing functions such as first contact, response, investigation and major crime work. It requires the wholesale commitment of forces to put in place an infrastructure to support it.
Reassurance
The intended outcome(s) of actions taken by the police and other agencies to improve perceived police effectiveness (mainly confidence in, and satisfaction with, the police), and to increase feelings and perceptions of safety (including reducing fear of crime).
Reassurance Policing
Reassurance policing is about using community focused policing to target visible crime and disorder, in order to make neighbourhoods more secure.
Satisfaction
A measure of past experience of a received service.
User satisfaction
A measure of past experience of contact
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