Community Consultant
ProjectOutline
Overview:
Derby Diocesan Board of Education owns a vacant Victorian School Building on Mill Street in the centre of an urban estate in Derby City, DE1 1DY. It has a number of small classrooms, a couple of large halls, kitchens, toilets, a climbing wall and limited off road parking. It was returned to us after being rented out to Derby City Council as a Youth Centre.
It is our intention to re-open the building as a community facility and offer space to community groups or to provide access for community health professionals, educational support groups, work seeking groups, early years provision, community education groups and possibly a community café or art space.
In order to develop this community facility we will need to assess the needs of the community in the local vicinity.
Area of Interest.
The above map indicates an approximation of the area we are initially seeking views from.
Work Required:
We are looking for an appropriately qualified consultant with knowledge and experience of community enterprise, community consultation, the voluntary sector and project development to research and write a community profile and seek the views of the local community as to how the building can best be used to meet local needs.
The following areas of work will be expected:
- Community Profile
Write a community profile report on the area surrounding Mill Street highlighting the demographic make-up of the area and identifying some of the needs.
- Community Consultation
Work with the Diocesan Press Office and steering group to publicize the opportunity to reopen this building as a community facility as widely as possible and seek responses as to how this building might be used. The consultant should ensure that responses have been received from local residents. The use of a small number of focus groups should be considered.
The consultant would ensure that they have received responses from a range of ages-groups, ethnic groups and from groups with additional needs. (Funding is available for translators and signers) The consultant would be expected to be pro-active in seeking the views of less visible members of the community, e.g. the housebound, elderly, disabled and those from other faiths.
- Consultation with Stakeholders
Meet with and seek the views ofrepresentative from local businesses, the University the Council, churches, the CVS as to how they might like to make use of or support the use of the building. A previous tenant has indicated his willingness to be consulted about his experience in using the building.
- Initial report with suggestions and exhibition for use at an Open Day
Provide a range of suggestions and an exhibition at Mill Street School to facilitate further discussions at a series of open sessions at the Centre. (Funding is available to publicise and facilitate the exhibition which includes refreshments at these Open days)
- Final report
Provide a report with recommendations on feasible routes forward, including a provisional Action Plan and to identify possible funding streams.
Fee
Remuneration will be paid for between 15 and 25 days’ work with hours varying according to the needs of the role.
Support:
The consultant will be supported by the Diocesan Youth Adviser. A small steering group will also be in place to provide additional support to the role.
Person Specification
- Graduatewith a Degree in Business, Community Development, Social Science or equivalent or3 years relevant experience.
- Good writing skills
- Enthusiasm for the subject matter of the project
- An ability to work under their own initiative and co-operatively as part of a team.
- Excellent organisation, planning and IT skills.
- Experience of promotional or publicity work
- Ability to work to deadlines with minimal supervision
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Excellent communication and negotiation skills with the confidence to work with the general public and official organisations
- Knowledge of the voluntary sector
- Knowledge of funders and funding streams
- Experience of dealing with press & media
- Access to own transport
- Ability to use social media
- Available to work from beginning of December 2015
Relevant Experience
Experience of a minimum of 5 of the areas below
- Community development
- Community profile writing
- Facilitation
- Training & development
- Marketing & PR
- Report writing
- Strategic planning
- Fundraising from grants & foundations
- Research
- Working with / for minority communities
- Social enterprise
- General management
- Business development
- Presentations
- Working with / for public, community & voluntary (‘Third’) sector
- Experience in preparing bids for work through competitive tendering &/or funding applications
- Experience of preparing documents for publication
Timescales
Advertise role-Mid October 2015
Return date for application–by Midnight on 9thNovember 2015
Interview expected –Third week November 2015
Date of informing consultant –Third week of November 2015
Provisional Work Programme:
Initial meeting with Steering Group –December 2015
Draft Feasibility Study submitted – End January 2016
Public meeting to present findings and generate discussion on proposals – February 2016
Final Reportsubmitted – March 2016
Tender Process:
Expressions of interest are invited and shouldinclude a letter setting out how you meet the requirements of the role, a CV and a plan of how you would achieve the work required and in what timescale.We would also require some background information and evidence of recent projects you have worked on which are similar in type and scale to the current proposal.
Expressions of interest should be returned by post or email to the address below by Midnight on 9th November 2015
Further information.
Some photographs of the building and some of its rooms can be found on our website:
Please contact Alistair Langton, Derby Diocesan Youth Adviser, Full Street, Derby, DE1 3DR
Tel 01332 388664 or 07976 212888
This consultation project is funded by the Big Lottery Fund