How Communities for Social Change evolved

In 2002, the BCDP commissioned Glasgow Caledonian University to carry out a feasibility study about the capacity of the BCDP to become a national organisation. The consultants concluded that BCDP is a highly-respected and unique organisation in Scotland, and that it has the capability of developing its services to a national level.

In April 2005 the BCDP commissioned Blake Stevenson Consultants Ltd to carry out a further study feasibility study about the current gaps of services in Scotland.

Blake Stevenson concluded that:

The preferred option is for BCDP to carve a niche for itself as a specialist organisation.  We believe that its main emphasis should be on community harmonisation and conflict resolution. This could be done through the roll out of the "BCDP model" suggested by a number of the stakeholders we spoke with.  The broader base of activity being delivered currently by BCDP in the Edinburgh area, where there is a proven demand for it, could continue with the more tightly focused community harmonisation activity being the focus (at least initially) of activity in other regions.

We then established Communities for Social Change to work in the UK and elsewhere. The company is registered with Companies House under the CA 1985, as a Private Company limited by Guarantee.  Our focus, based on the consultants' recommendations, would be to:

• identify potential regions for expansion and seek funding to conduct in-depth feasibility studies in the geographical areas in question;
• further explore the scope for expansion into other regions through speaking to potential purchasers of services/partners such as local authorities, the Police and Community Planning Partnerships;
• identify the likely cost of setting up satellite offices in the selected areas, required level of staffing etc;
• involve other local providers, particularly those serving BME communities in the selected areas, in the plans for expansion to ensure their buy-in at an early stage. A partnership approach to expansion is likely to be the most successful.

Management of the project

The company has five directors on the board and will be seeking more directors from all operational and beneficiary areas of Scotland.

Day to day management of C4SC

Currently Mr Tesfu Gessesse (Director of the BCDP) is seconded from BCDP on a one-day-per-week basis to develop C4SC.

previous | home | next: Tesfu Gessesse