Community development is a process where community members take collective action on issues that are

important to them. This might be done with or without the support of a community development professional
or agency. Community development is intended to empower community members and create stronger and
more connected communities.

Community development is a holistic approach grounded in principles of empowerment, human rights,

inclusion, social justice, self-determination and collective action (Kenny & Connors, 2017). Community
development considers community members to be experts in their lives and communities, and values
community knowledge and wisdom. Community development programs are led by community members at
every stage – from deciding on issues to selecting and implementing actions, and evaluation. Community
development has an explicit focus on the redistribution of power to address the causes of inequality and
disadvantage.

Outcomes of community development

There are potential outcomes at both individual and community levels. Children and families directly
involved in community development initiatives may benefit from an increase in skills, knowledge,
empowerment and self-efficacy and experience enhanced social inclusion and community connectedness
(Kenny & Connors, 2017). As community members are empowered and develop as leaders, they can begin
to challenge and improve conditions that are resulting in their disempowerment or negatively impacting their
wellbeing (Ife, 2016). At a community level, community development initiatives are likely to achieve long-
term outcomes such as stronger and more cohesive communities, evidenced by changes in social capital,
civic engagement, social cohesion, community safety and improved health (Haldane et al., 2019; Ife, 2016;
Kenny & Connors, 2017).

What is not community development?

Community development is not one-off events, consultation to inform goals or strategies, community
advisory groups or committees, or leadership training. All these things could be part of a community
development strategy but, by themselves, they are not community development.

Community-based work and community development

work
Community development can be undertaken independently by community members or groups, or with the
support of a community development professional or agency. Community-based work that consults or
involves community members is often confused with community development work. Table 1 outlines the
difference between community-based work, which involves the community, and community development
work, which is led by the community.

Table 1: Comparing community-based with community development work

Community-based work Community development work

An issue or problem is defined by agencies and professionals who Community groups identify important
develop strategies to solve the problem and then involve concerns and issues, and plan and
community members in these strategies. Ongoing responsibility for implement strategies to mitigate their
the program may be handed over to community members and concerns and solve their issues.
community groups.
Characteristics:
Characteristics:  Power relations between agency and
 Decision-making power rests with the agency. community members are constantly
 The problem or issue is defined by the agency. negotiated.
 There are defined timelines.  The problem or issue is first named by
the community, then defined in a way
Outcomes are pre-specified, often changes in specific behaviours
that advances the shared interests of the
 Community-based work Community development work

or knowledge levels. community and the agency.

 Work is longer term in duration.
 The desired outcome is an increase in the
community members’ capacities.
 The desired long-term outcomes usually
include change at the neighbourhood or
community level.

Source: Adapted from Labonte (1999)

Self-determination - people and communities have the right to make their own choices and decisions.

Empowerment - people should be able to control and use their own assets and means to influence.

Collective action - coming together in groups or organisations strengthens peoples’ voices.

Working and learning together - collaboration and

sharing experiences is vital to good community
activityWhen to use community development
Community development is not always a suitable approach to use. Community development may be
particularly appropriate:

 to address social and community issues – community development is a good approach when you are trying
to create change at a community or neighbourhood level. For example, if your goal is to improve community
safety, increase community cohesion, reduce social isolation or create communities that are better for
children.
 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities – community development is a good approach to
use with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander communities because it can enable self-determination and
strengthen local First Nations organisations and grassroots community groups (Higgins [AIHW & AIFS],
2010)
 for disadvantaged communities – community development initiatives work well in disadvantaged
communities where they can alleviate some of the impacts of disadvantage on children and families by
building social capital and social inclusion (Ife, 2016; McDonald, 2011; Price-Robertson, 2011 [AIFS];
Ortiz et al., 2020) and can empower community members to challenge inequitable conditions that are
negatively impacting their wellbeing (Ife, 2016).
Community development may not be the best approach if:

 You already know what you want to do – If the outcomes you want to achieve and the activities that you
will use are already decided then there is no space for the community to determine outcomes and activities.
Similarly, if you don’t have the authority or resources to implement the community’s decisions, community
development is not a suitable strategy.
 You have limited time or short-term funding – Community development is a long-term process.
Engagement and planning can take a year or more, and it can take several years to implement projects and
ensure sustainable results.
 Your focus is improving specific individual skills – If you are seeking to build individual skills in a
specific area (e.g. parenting skills or literacy), a program that targets these directly may be more appropriate.

Who can do community development?

It is important to recognise that community development is a practice with a well-developed theoretical
framework. Community development practitioners should be familiar, through training or experience, with
the theory, practice and principles of community development work. In saying this, it is important that
community development practitioners have effective and respectful relationships with the communities they
are working with, and sometimes the ability to build these relationships with the community is a more
important quality for a worker than having a community development qualification. In these instances, it is
important that the worker is supported by someone who has a good understanding of community
development theory and practice.

What is the role of a community development

practitioner?
The key role of a community development practitioner is to resource and empower the community (Kenny &
Connors, 2017). This is done through a broad range of actions and activities, which change depending on the
context. Community development practitioners support community members through the provision of
information needed to identify issues and plan actions. This could include sharing information on local data,
good practice around particular identified issues, and relevant programs and resources that are available.
Community development practitioners also connect with and build local networks and leaders, undertake
community engagement and plan, deliver and evaluate projects and programs. Community development
practice has a focus on facilitation, education, capability building and resourcing skills.

Difference between community development and

other approaches
Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD): ABCD is a version of community development that
begins the development process by identifying and building on a community’s ‘assets’ rather than needs.
Assets include physical spaces, skills, local knowledge, local groups and associations and networks as well
as financial resources (Kretzmann & McKnight, 2005).

Strengths-based approach: A strengths-based approach seeks to build on an individual’s strengths rather

than deficits. This can be a good practice for a community development practitioner to use but by itself is not
community development.

Collective impact: Both community development and collective impact are place-based initiatives (i.e. they
are developed in – and are unique to – the area in which they are delivered). Collective impact aims to create
community-wide change on a particular social issue, and practitioners seek to do this by working towards
five ‘conditions’ that provide a framework for collaboration between stakeholders (Kania & Kramer, 2011).

A key difference between collective impact and community development is the role that community
members play in leadership and decision making. While initial descriptions of collective impact did not
centre community as decision makers, collective impact is an evolving practice and more recent
conceptualisations include a greater role for community engagement and leadership (Cabaj & Weaver,
2016). However, while some collective impact projects may be community-led, this is not universal.
Community development is always driven by the community, with issues and actions determined by
community members.