Schedule Part 8 - Community Engagement

CFL shall ensure robust community engagement is carried out throughout the Grant Period. This includes actively seeking, valuing and responding to the input from communities, creating open dialogue, and consistently demonstrating a commitment to addressing community needs and concerns.

CFL shall ensure that suitable arrangements are put in place for regular engagement and consultation with relevant local authorities, regional transport partnerships and a range of representatives of island stakeholders and businesses to ensure the effective delivery of the Ferry Service.

CFL shall work with communities and Scottish Ministers to identify and engage as appropriate with the ferry committee structure across the network and use the standard framework for producing a standardised set of terms of reference, inclusive of decisions and actions that may be used.

CFL shall have a section on their website that is easily accessible to enable communities to engage with them.

CFL shall appoint an individual, who will as part of their duties operate at a senior level within the business, with defined authority for establishing, maintaining, and reporting on community engagement.

CFL shall work with Scottish Ministers to establish a new senior stakeholder group comprising of a senior local authority representative from each of the four local authorities served. The group shall meet every 6 months to receive and discuss updates from CFL, addressing strategic and operational issues highlighted across the network.

CFL shall support the establishment and operation of the Ferries Community Board (FCB) in line with the direction and guidelines set by Scottish Ministers, as a forum for community insights on strategic matters related to the delivery of the Services. The Terms of Reference should be developed and incorporated into CFL’s Community Engagement Strategy. This support shall include the provision of administrative support and payment of appropriate expenses. CFL shall designate a specific individual who will serve as the primary contact with the FCB. CFL should engage with the FCB as appropriate in the delivery of the Services.

Deliverables and Milestones

CFL shall provide all deliverables and meet all milestones outlined in Table 30. Additionally, CFL may propose additional deliverables and milestones for approval by Scottish Ministers.

Table 30

Deliverable/Milestone	Delivery Date
1.1. CFL shall work with communities and Scottish Ministers to identify and engage as appropriate with the ferry committee structure across the network and produce a standardised terms of reference that may be used	End of first Financial Year.
1.2. Establishing a new senior stakeholder group with the four local authorities	End of first Financial Year.
1.3. CFL shall have a section on their website that is easily accessible.	Commencement Date and ongoing thereafter.

Community Engagement Strategy

CFL will create and share a Community Engagement Strategy which will outline the approach and structure CFL will use to ensure effective engagement with communities and key stakeholders, enhancing communication, fostering collaboration, and improving service delivery. The Strategy will include. but not be limited to, the following:

Goals of engagement, including:

• To gather meaningful feedback from the community.
• To use community input to drive improvements.
• To ensure transparency and accountability in decision-making processes.
• To build and maintain trust with community members and stakeholders.

Engagement Approach: CFL will undertake a holistic approach to community and key stakeholder engagement, which includes:

• Stakeholder mapping exercise to be reviewed annually.
• Regular consultations and meetings with stakeholders.
• Use of multiple communication channels to reach a diverse audience.
• Incorporation of community feedback into planning and decision-making.
• Alignment of engagement activities with the Islands Connectivity Plan

Ferries Community Board: CFL will support the Board and align with the direction set out by Scottish Ministers through:

• Providing administrative support and covering appropriate expenses.
• Appointing a primary contact to engage with the FCB.
• Ensuring regular communication and collaboration with the FCB in the delivery of the Services in line with the agreed direction set out by Scottish Ministers.

Local Community Engagement: To ensure consistent engagement across the network, CFL will:

• Identify a single representative group for each route/community as part of the Enhanced Engagement Model (Area Manager).
• Develop a clear set of Terms of Reference for specified groups.
• Engage with such groups at regular intervals, create and circulate the minutes for every meeting including agreed decisions and actions. These will be available to Scottish Ministers upon request.

Feedback Loops and Reporting & Monitoring Mechanisms: CFL will put in place feedback and reporting mechanisms which will include:

• Regular reporting of community engagement outcomes to Scottish Ministers.
• Communication of engagement and any subsequent changes back to the community.
• Monitoring and assessing the success of engagement outputs.
• CFL shall also introduce a Customer Relationship Management for all stakeholder which will act as an effective management of actions and a single point of reference.

Issue Escalation Process: In the event the stakeholder group is unhappy with the response from CFL through the approach outlined above, CFL will ensure a structured process will be in place for community groups to escalate queries, ensuring timely and effective issue resolution.

Identification and Resource Plan: CFL will develop a comprehensive plan for a community and stakeholder engagement, including:

• Identifying required roles and responsibilities.
• Allocating necessary resources to support engagement activities.

Local Community Liaison: CFL will maintain continuous liaison with representatives of users and the public to ensure ongoing dialogue and responsiveness to community needs.

Deliverables and Milestones

• CFL is required to provide all deliverables and meet all milestones outlined in Table 31. Additionally, CFL may propose additional deliverables and milestones for approval by Scottish Ministers.

Table 31

Deliverable/Milestone	Delivery Date
1.4.1. Produce, agree, publish, and implement Community Engagement Strategy	End of first Financial Year.
1.4.2. Community Engagement Strategy to be updated	Annually
1.4.3. Community Engagement Strategy summary of outputs, actions and insights to be provided to Scottish Ministers	Quarterly

Community Benefits Plan

CFL shall work with Scottish Ministers to produce, publish, and implement a Community Benefits Plan.

The Community Benefits Plan should contain, but not limited to, the following:

1. A plan to work to increase CFLs workforce of apprenticeship, graduate, and early careers schemes to encourage local people into the ferry workforce.
2. A plan informing of how CFL will carry out at least four school visits annually within the communities, focusing on specific themes/topics such as recycling or Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) activities.
3. A plan for: Ten officer cadets, ten deck and engine ratings trainees and four work placements each year.

• A record of all community benefits initiatives carried out.

Deliverables and Milestones

CFL is required to provide all deliverables and meet all milestones outlined in Table 32. Additionally, CFL may propose additional deliverables and milestones for approval by Scottish Ministers.

Table 32

Deliverable/Milestone	Delivery Date
1.4.4. Produce, publish, and implement Community Benefits Plan	During first 6 months in first Financial Year,
1.4.5. Community Benefits Plan to be reviewed and updated	Annually