ABSTRACT
The way community development is practised in any given community is the product of a process involving, amongst other things, culture, politics and social policy. This chapter discusses the evolution of community development practice in the UK. In doing so we illustrate the various factors that have taken us to where we are today. Other countries will have their own experience. We consider how:
Community development in the UK has evolved from its nineteenth-century charitable origins
The evolution of community development has largely been driven by government social policy, created in response to poverty issues
The mainstream of community development practice focuses on amelioration of social issues within small geographical areas
Current practice is heavily influenced by government and is largely driven by the consensual partnership model
Good community development practice will reflect and be sensitive to issues and ideas emanating from local communities, including perspective on gender and ethnicity
To be more effective; we may need to develop more creative and innovative forms of practice that are less reliant on state funding
It is important to know why current practice is what it is, and to question whether this is the best we can do, and to ask ourselves would a modified (or radically changed) model of practice deliver better outcomes for our communities?
