James Henderson, Research Associate with What Works Scotland, considers the final reflective learning report from the Aberdeenshire case site – At the frontier of collaborative and participatory governance – which offers eight discussions that could be used to inform ongoing dialogue with a public service partnership.

Guest blogger Ian Cooke, Director of the Development Trust Association Scotland analyses the current context for community place-making and calls for a commitment to investing in the significant contribution anchors can make to building community infrastructure. 

James Henderson, Research Associate with What Works Scotland, reflects on the potential for further shared inquiry work on the community sector role in public service reform and social change.

Webinar looking at the role of community anchors in public service reform, drawing on our research report on community-led, holistic community organisations.

James Henderson reflects on his think piece from November 2015 which considers the potential for community anchors and the community sector to be central to local democratic and inequalities-focused approaches to public service reform in Scotland.

The community sector, including community anchors, can have a key role to play in the development of public service reform in Scotland – partnering, leading and challenging. Here we outline why we think the community sector has that potential and prompt further reflections from others as to what that means in actual practice.

Policy and practice briefing outlines the key learning from a What Works Scotland report about community anchors and their role in engaging with, leading and challenging public service reform.

Case study that examines how the approach and learning from a successful violence and anti-social behaviour intervention has spread to two other communities. The report shows how the distinct characteristics of the Operation Modulus approach support the principles and practice of public service reform, more widely and in relation to other issues.

Report, summary and policy briefing which explores the developing role of key independent community sector organisations known as community anchors. Using six exemplars, it identifies characteristics of a community anchor organisations and their roles in engaging with, leading and challenging public service reform, local democracy, community resilience and social change.

This research report is focused on Centrestage’s distinct food provision programme in some of the most deprived areas of North and East Ayrshire; Written by Briege Nugent and Oliver Escobar it describes how Centrestage achieves impact, empowers individuals and communities, and draws lessons to inform policy and practice.