Community development worker jobs

Community development professionals assist local communities in bringing about social change and enhancing the overall quality of life in their respective regions.

As a worker in community development, you will collaborate with people, families, and whole communities to foster the following capacities in those you serve:

Find out what their strengths and weaknesses are, as well as their chances and rights.

plan what it is they want to accomplish and then take the steps necessary to get there.

Create endeavors and offerings that will inspire ambition and self-assurance in others.

To do this, you will function as a connection between communities and a variety of different service providers from the local government and the volunteer sector. Some examples of these providers are the police, social workers, and teachers.

Your job will require confronting inequality on a regular basis, and the areas that are culturally, economically, or geographically disadvantaged will often serve as the setting for the initiatives that you are responsible for.

Responsibilities

You will be required to do the following while working in community development:

work on initiatives that tackle particular concerns (such as mental health, public transportation, and drug usage), with populations such as the homeless, the long-term jobless, families with small children, or ethnic minorities. Examples of these topics include:

proactively include local communities in the process of making sense of the problems that have an impact on their lives.

empower yourself and others to actively participate in solving issues and addressing needs, and create improvement objectives at the same time.

Determine the capabilities, assets, problems, and requirements of the community.

Make sure that the voices of the community are heard.

Create new resources via consultation with the community, and assess the effectiveness of current programs.

Establish connections with several different organizations and groups.

Contribute to increasing public awareness on issues that are important to the community.

Prepare the necessary reports and guidelines.

acquire and manage financial resources

design and execute methods

communicate with people and organizations who are interested in setting up new services.

Serve as a neutral arbiter in contentious situations.

Recruit and instruct both paid and unpaid staff members.

Organize, Participate in, and Coordinate Events and Meetings

monitor the administration of a restricted spending plan

promote participation in activities

Confronting incorrect behavior may be quite rewarding.

take out general administrative activities.

Salary

Beginning salary range anywhere from 16,000 to 26,000 dollars.

The range of salary that may be expected for persons with two or more years of experience is between £21,000 and £36,000.

There are national pay scales that are used for positions in the public sector, and sometimes an allowance is given as compensation for unsocial hours worked.

Pay in the nonprofit sector is quite variable and often relies not just on experience but also on geographic location.

The monetary amounts listed are just meant to serve as a reference point.

Time spent working

The activities that you have planned for that particular week will determine how each working day unfolds for you. You must make yourself available to the members of the communities that you serve. Due to the fact that the job will often take place at unsocial hours, such as nights and weekends, a significant amount of adaptability is necessary.

Work that is temporary or part-time, as well as interruptions in one's career, are both options. Because of the way money is distributed across the industry, short-term contracts are often used.

What may be anticipated

You could have an office base, but the most of your time will be spent moving throughout the neighborhood, engaging with local individuals and organizations, and paying visits to local residents.

Working as a trainer or consultant might sometimes open the door to self-employment or freelance job opportunities.

Large towns and inner-city areas that have been identified as having social deprivation are more likely to receive sustained funding. On the other hand, the recognition of social issues that are prevalent in rural communities has led to an increase in the number of community development workers who specialize in rural areas.

Having to deal with individuals of the community who are socially disadvantaged or alienated may be a difficult experience. Because the results are not instant but rather long term, patience and endurance are very necessary.

There is consistent communication with different people, organizations, and groups located within the community. As a result, travel during regular business hours should be anticipated. It is quite rare but possible that you may be obliged to spend the night away from home. Work opportunities in developing countries could be available if you join a humanitarian organization.

Qualifications

Although this field of employment is available to all graduates and those who have an HND in any topic, having a qualification in a subject related to the social sciences may boost your chances of being hired.

It is feasible to enter the field without a degree or a higher-level diploma, although advancement opportunities will be more limited. When applying for positions at a higher level, having a degree in any topic will be advantageous; nevertheless, experience in the appropriate field is far more significant than the subject area studied.

The United Kingdom (UK) offers a wide range of educational opportunities, including undergraduate and postgraduate university programs, as well as vocational college or work-based training programs.

Employees in England and Wales will be forced to go through a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check before they may work directly with children or vulnerable individuals. This requirement comes into effect on April 1, 2018.

Workers who are engaged in community development in Scotland are required to sign up for the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG). AccessNI will conduct a check on you before allowing you to do anything in Northern Ireland.

If you want to advance to positions of more responsibility, you could discover that you need postgraduate credentials, although this will depend on the job you now have. There is a wide range of study options, including full-time and part-time programs, and some of these programs are accessible to students who have already earned an HND. Typically, one or two years of experience in the appropriate field is necessary.

Conduct some research on postgraduate programs that focus on community development.

Community development is often intertwined with youth service, and the majority of educational programs will include this topic. Work with young people is often focused on a distinct set of goals and requires more specialized training than community development work. Visit the National Youth Agency if you want any additional information about the training programs offered in the field of youth work (NYA).

Contact any of the following organizations for further information about youth work and youth work training in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland:

ETS Wales

The Standards Council for Community Learning and Development in Scotland (often known as the CLD).

YCNI stands for the Youth Council of Northern Ireland (YCNI)

Community education is often referred to as community development in Scottish courses, as well as in a few courses located in other regions.

Skills

You will need to demonstrate that:

abilities in lobbying and forming connections

great abilities in communicating, interacting with others, and developing teams

excellent listening skills

talents in research, report writing, and the capacity to either understand or present data

a familiarity with and an awareness of various community and societal concerns

a non-judgemental and cheerful attitude

the capacity to think creatively as well as solve problems

competencies in politics, society, and negotiations

a comprehension of the operational procedures of organizations within the public sector

compassion as well as the capacity to empathize with the struggles and triumphs of other people

Fundraising - There is a growing requirement at the management level to identify and explore sources of financing.

This work may benefit from your life experiences and language abilities, both of which can assist you in making critical connections with the people you are supporting.

Practice in the workplace

Work experience, either paid or unpaid, gained prior to entrance is essential. It is common for people to work in community development after having previously held positions in education, youth work, the health sector, or several other community-based professions. It's also possible that development work done abroad is relevant.

It is essential to demonstrate a genuine interest in both the local community and larger societal concerns, as well as to have spent at least a year working in a field that is directly related, such as one of the following:

service to the community

pressure groups

women's projects

Work with young people

When you are a student, you should make an effort to participate in volunteer work, whether it be in local community initiatives, youth organizations, renters' associations, or women's groups. Get some experience working on community projects by contacting the volunteer center in your area. Do-it allows you to search for the branch that is closest to you or for the one that is equal to it in your location.

The competition for employment is fierce, particularly for the restricted number of roles held by local authorities, which often have higher job security than other positions. Changes in the political atmosphere may result in shifts in the availability of employment possibilities. Changes in unemployment and immigration rates, for instance, might both go up and down.

Find out more information on the many types of work experience and internships that are currently offered.

Employers

The following are the most prevalent types of companies that hire community development workers:

organizations that focus on community education

associations of housing units

administrations at the community level

NHS trusts

organizations that were founded with the intention of achieving a certain goal, such as assisting people seeking refuge or providing advice on medicines

community councils in remote areas

social services

organizations that operate in the voluntary sector.

Many of these jobs are on contracts with set durations because of the way financing is structured for this industry.

Due to limitations on finance, some responsibilities may be administered by volunteer organizations, however these positions may not be compensated in any way. These are the following:

charity focusing on children

places of worship and other religious organizations

organizations that serve the community

environmental groups

organizations concerned with physical and mental health

projects for the homeless

shelters

women's organizations.

You may also look for chances by perusing the vacancy bulletins provided by the local administration.

Improvement of one's profession

Continuous education is required in the field of community service, and it may either be obtained on the job or via study done on the side in order to get a recognized certification.

Community development professionals are required to continually learn new skills, keep their existing abilities up to date, and gain new areas of expertise due to the wide variety of projects and communities. There are likely to be chances to acquire skills that are relevant to the position, however the training that is provided differs from business to employer.

The non-profit sector offers a plethora of educational options, many of which are engaging and pertinent, and some of which are even recognized and approved by institutions of higher education and other learning centers.

In the field of community development, one has the option of pursuing Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs), as well as Awards and Certificates from the National Open College Network (NOCN).

In-house training programs are often provided by social services and other organizations that employ community development professionals. These programs typically concentrate on topics such as child safety and equal opportunities.

It is also extremely typical for those who work in community development to pursue their own continued professional development (CPD) by enrolling in a master's program or some other kind of postgraduate education. Relevant topics include:

studies in both business and the community

a method of housing practice

legal studies

either the public or the community's health

social services management

research on the non-profit sector

It is standard practice, however, to shift laterally into initiatives that have a different emphasis or to go back and forth between general and particular work.

Studying at the postgraduate level is a possibility, and it will probably be essential, if you want to advance to a position where you are responsible for formulating policies or moving through the ranks to become a director with authority over the implementation of large-scale and complicated projects.

If you have significant knowledge and skill in a certain sector, you may be able to find employment as a trainer, consultant, or advisor working independently. Because community service has such a vast scope, professionals in the area have the opportunity to further their careers by transitioning into other professions such as:

education

environment

the health industry

labor social

Work with young people

There are also opportunities to work in international development; for more information, visit the websites of many international organizations and look at the website of the International Association for Community Development (IACD).