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Core Competencies Introduction

CORE COMPETENCIES FOR THE URC CHURCH RELATED COMMUNITY WORKER

The above named document which came before the Training Committee in September 2001 has now been amended and produced in it’s final form. (see attached) The additions and amendments have been made following feedback and input from various sources including consultation with CRCWs-in-commission and CRCWs in training. It also includes the newly revised ‘National Occupational Standards in Community Development Work’. (NOS)  As such, it is the most current definition of what a URC Church Related Community Worker is, what she or he does and the knowledge and skills required to achieve these outcomes, although it would be remarkable if all CRCWs were able to demonstrate all these abilities!  It is a working document and will need to be regularly reviewed and updated and, for example, further examples could be written into the framework.
 

By nature, core competencies define what should be demonstrated in order to be an effective Church Related Community (Development) Worker. Fundamental for ‘good’ community development practice are the values and principles which underpin the standards, namely:

• Social Justice: working towards a fairer society, which respects civil and human rights and challenges oppression.

• Self-determination: individuals and groups have the right to identify shared issues and concerns as the starting point for collective action.

• Working and learning together: valuing and using the skills, knowledge, experience and diversity within communities to collectively bring about desired changes.

• Sustainable communities: empowering communities to develop their independence and autonomy whilst making and maintaining links to the wider society.

• Participation: everyone has the right to fully participate in the decision-making processes that affect their lives.

• Reflective practice: effective community development is informed and enhanced through reflection on action.

(from the NOS, Federation of Community Work Training Groups)

To these, we might want to add other values that mark the ministry of CRCW such as integrity, honesty, inclusiveness, recognising all people as valuable and equal as made in God’s image, love for one another as for ourselves, respect of and dignity for others, the integrity of all creation and the inter-dependence of all creatures of the earth.

The defining of these values and core competencies are useful for a number of reasons;

• Enabling the URC Training Committee to assess whether CRCW training programmes are suitable since the core competencies can be translated into learning outcomes. 

• Enabling the Ministries Committee to explain what Church Related Community Work is and to promote the distinctive ministry of Church Related Community Work throughout the Councils of the Church and to potential candidates.

• Describing and defining the nature of URC Church Related Community Work in The Manual, The CRCW Handbook and CRCW policy documents and materials.

• Assessing the Accredited Prior Learning that a CRCW-in-training could be awarded

• Assessing whether a CRCW from another denomination has sufficient competence in order to determine whether a Certificate of Eligibility could be awarded.

• Assessing what CME issues a CRCW-in-commission should address and a benchmark tool for self-appraisal.

• Enabling URC accredited churches-in-community to write a job description for a CRCW and to appraise her or his strengths and weaknesses.

• Assisting Local Management Committees to monitor and evaluate their community development work.

• Promoting and maintaining the professional standards of community development work.

• Raising awareness of the relevance of community development processes for church development and for community ministry.

• Promoting the ministry of Church Related Community (Development) Work to other denominations and faith organisations.

Further work will be necessary to translate the core competency framework into ‘user-friendly’ forms to meet the above purposes.  However, it is hoped that the framework will not be used in a restrictive manner but to illustrate the complex and diverse nature of the URC Church Related Community Work ministry.

Recommendations:

1. That the URC Training Committee adopts the Core Competencies as appropriate standards that a URC Church Related Community Worker should aim to acquire via her or his initial training.

2. That the URC Training Committee adopts the Core Competencies framework as appropriate standards that a URC Church Related Community Worker training programme should consider when designing the learning programme and outcomes.

3. That the corresponding alterations to The Manual be written.

4. That the Core Competencies be passed to the Ministries Committee for their information.