What is a Community Development Worker?

A Community Development Worker (CDW) knows how to work with families, groups, and communities in ways that are community-led, participatory, inclusive, build local capacity, and encourage self-reliance. People with these skills are critically important for development in PNG.

CDWs can be people from outside the community such as: agriculture extension officers, district community development officers, commerce officers, community health workers, NGO field and project officers, community affairs officers, or company extension officers. CDWs can also be people from inside the community such as: Ward Development Committee or Community Government representatives, grade-12 leavers, youth leaders, pastors, community volunteers, community educators, women leaders, village liaison officers, and community rangers. Often CDWs will also have other expert skills. For example, an agriculture extension officer might be an expert on farming systems (a didiman) and also have CDW skills.

What is the National Standard?

The Community Development Worker National Standard describes the common jobs done by community development workers. These jobs are broken down into more detailed tasks or “performance criteria” which describe the minimum level of skill and knoweldge that a CDW should demonstrate whenever they carry out each task. Many Community Development Workers (CDWs) are already very able and confident. Some CDWs may need training to become “competent”. For many CDWs and their organisations, it is sufficient to have been trained in competencies (the Standard) and to have established work place procedures that enable CDWs to to put those competencies into practice. Some organisations also find it beneficial to establish assessment and accreditation procedures for their CDWs – when a CDW wants to be assessed for “competence” then they or their organisation may arrange assessment. For further detail please go to the CDW Workplace Assessment Handbook available on the Resources for the National Standard page of this website.

The CDW National Standard helps CDWs and the organisations they work for by providing:

  • a basis for CDW duty statements
  • a basis for CDW training courses
  • benchmarks for CDW assessment
  • a broadening the CDWs skills base
  • recognition of skills held by people in both formal and informal employment
  • a portfolio of a CDW’s competence to support professional and employment opportunities
  • a basis for in-house accreditation and the option of NATTB accreditation
  • a basis to identify further training needs
  • a common standard for CDWs in PNG
  • the opportunity for CDWs and the organisations they work for to market themselves as delivering development assistance in line with the PNG National Standard

A copy of the Community Development Worker National Standard is available on the Resources for the CDW National Standard page of this website.

Materials for CDW workplace assessors to conduct assessments are available on the Resources for the CDW National Standard and the Assessment Instruments pages of this website.

Competency based training manuals, for all the common jobs undertaken by CDWs, are available for download. Go to the Resources for the CDW National Standard page of this website.

Competency based coursebooks, for all the common jobs undertaken by CDWs, are being developed. Go to the Resources for the CDW National Standard page of this website to download copies of completed coursebooks.