good life, good death, good grief

Scottish Compassionate Communities Toolkit

Guiding Coalition

An effective Board provides enabling support, guidance, and visible collective leadership.

"The task was finding people who could work together; people who care, who represent a wide range of community interests, who had the capability and authority to act, who would be not only willing but eager to help. The Board was established to encourage all members to get involved in different and very action-centred ways, rather than pre-determining contributions based on organisational role and position alone. Indeed, the engagement of the Board and its representation from the community and across the diversity of third sector, independent sector, education, commercial and statutory bodies has influenced the shape, focus and impact of Compassionate Inverclyde on the local community."

Compassionate Inverclyde VOICES: The narrative from a local perspective.

An evaluation of Compassionate Inverclyde Board's ways of working suggested the following set of principles for others interested in taking forward a compassionate community initiative.

Ways of working and skills and qualities of members

  • Working with a clear, focused agenda which grows organically as the Programme develops.
  • Approach fosters flexibility, idea generation and tangible outcomes for the community.
  • Strong, decisive chairmanship which enables healthy debate and shared decision-making, achieving agreement without undue deliberation or procrastination.
  • Eased by a purposeful lack of formality and the development of trust built up over time.
  • Diverse range of board members from the community who offer a blend of skills and experience, who have a common interest and drive to progress agreed actions.
  • Decision making power/influence in members’ respective organisations helps with achieving agreement/consensus.
  • Volunteer representation is key.
  • Establishment of sub groups within the Board, trusted to take forward key decisions.
  • Having processes in the background, adhered to, but not used as performance management.
  • Walking the talk at Board level, in terms of compassionate, collaborative leadership.
  • No egos, siloed thinking or power plays in evidence.
  • Conscious resistance not to overly bureaucratise the process is a refreshingly enlightened means of achieving results for the community.
  • It also engenders a motivation to attend Board meetings where all contributions are actively sought and freedom extended to share responsibility for progressing compassionate actions.

Chair

The Compassionate Inverclyde Board has an independent chair, who was chosen to meet the following person specification:
  • motivated to support and contribute to the strategic direction of Compassionate Inverclyde
  • sound knowledge of the community of Inverclyde
  • demonstrates a passion and commitment that matches the key values: Compassionate, Helpful and Neighbourly

Board Members

The Compassionate Inverclyde Board comprises an Independent chair (local Councillor) and representation from:

  • Ardgowan Hospice
  • Community Policing
  • Health and Care Alliance Scotland
  • HM Prison Greenock
  • Inverclyde Carers Centre
  • Inverclyde Chamber of Commerce
  • Inverclyde Community Health and Social Care Partnership
  • Inverclyde Council for Voluntary Services
  • Macmillan Cancer Support
  • Scottish Care
  • University of the West of Scotland School of Health and Life Sciences
  • Volunteer leaders for each of the work streams
  • West College Scotland
  • Your Voice Inverclyde Community Care Forum

Knowledge partner - International Centre for Integrated Care

Photo by Samuel Zeller on Unsplash

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