Community Development

A Community can be defined as a group of people who don’t just live in the same area, but also share the same interests, experiences and often concerns about the area in which they live. Often when individuals have lived in a street or area for a while they become familiar with each other and the issues surrounding them. Children often attend the same schools and in many cases grow up together, again sharing the similar experiences. In some instances adults may work together, and quite commonly all community members will share the same doctors, dentists, hospitals, health visitors and other public services and facilities.


Frequently however, issues arise amongst a community that need attention. In this essay I will outline and discuss some of these issues and the interventions, projects or programmes designed and used to tackle and combat them. The three models of intervention or, ‘Community Development’, I will discuss in this essay, ‘Social Planning’, ‘Community Development’, and. ‘Social/Community Action’, all have the same aim regardless of how it is accomplished and this is to improve and maintain the conditions which affect the lives of the community.


‘Social Planning’, is a model of development which can be described as, ‘Doing For’, the community. If it is perceived by government bodies that a community has sunk so low that is unable to be resolved by using alternative methods, (some of which will be discussed later in this essay), the government will intervene with methods deemed necessary. Initially a profile of a community will be drawn up using research methods, surveys and statistics that will highlight the issues faced by the community. Then a plan to tackle these issues will be decided upon and put into action.


‘SureStart’, is a Social Planning initiative, which came into force as a government reaction to the levels of deprivation in...