Blackpool: Work-focused services pilot
What was the issue?
The Works4Me pilot offers support for parents not engaging with existing employment services. In particular, those parents who
- have progressed their lives in terms of stabilised lifestyles and accommodation, but have not moved into employment and remain dependent on welfare benefits
- are disengaged with pre-work support programmes
- do not ‘fit’ current employment provision due to greater support needs and/or self-imposed barriers
- are concerned about financial implications when considering going to work.
A mapping exercise of existing services and consultation with key organisations proved valuable in helping us understand why clients were not engaging with existing employment services, and it was quickly established that the group fell into three distinct categories:
a) sporadic unskilled work experience / some educational qualifications
b) Sporadic unskilled work experience / little / no educational qualifications
c) very little / no work experience / no qualifications / offending history offending / substance abuse.
Category C appeared to be the group least likely to be referred to or offered any support in exploring their employment opportunities. Two main factors appear key to this:
- Some existing agencies that work with the unemployed are target driven and as such, use their resources to focus on those perceived to be ready to return to the labour market imminently. For example, newly unemployed, those with work experience and self-motivated individuals.
- Ingrained beliefs that those in this particular group are so far removed from a place where they are able to secure / sustain employment.
Frontline workers also expressed their concerns regarding the drive to move people into employment without providing the tools to do so. The consensus being that they are being asked to deliver – in some cases – the undeliverable with regard to groups of people who have complex needs and underlying issues that stem from
- a second/third generation culture of welfare benefit dependency
- changes in role models (instant rather than earned)
- long histories of being in the ‘system’ where enabling and reinforcement of welfare advice was commonplace.
Consequentially, for many people the concept of ‘getting a job’ is far removed from their current circumstances, and interventions would need to challenge deeply entrenched thinking/behaviours, increase self esteem, and, most importantly, bridge the gap between those who believe that they can progress their lives and those who don't.
What were the barriers?
Consultation exercise outcomes on why people were not engaging with employment services:
- few if any qualifications
- poor if any work experience
- offending backgrounds
- history of substance misuse
- low self-esteem
- little if any direction
- poor expectations (self and others)
- negative experiences
- in some cases, needs too high for existing services.
While it is possible to address the first five barriers, the remaining four provide the greatest challenge and required the development of a tailored back-to-work service that meets their needs and allows clients to compete for jobs.
What was the solution?
Structured 'back-to-work' programme
We worked closely with employment agencies and developed the pre-work training programme to bridge the gaps (greater pre-work prep) and fed into existing services.
Priorities:
- welfare and back-to-work training for all frontline staff
- group work programme
- involve key partners
- joint partnership working
- work placement programme
- high-level assessment and development planning
- clear referrals pathways to employment/training/education opportunities
- tracking and monitoring systems to measure effectiveness
- seamless support before, during and at completion of work placements.
In order to meet these priorities, each partner organisation (Housing Options, Jobcentre Plus and Sure Start Children’s Centres) agreed objectives, roles and responsibilities.
Pre-work initiatives
Take Control, Achieve your Goal (six-day group work programme)
Aim: setting activities that
- explain basic psychological models and how we can use these to understand and help modify behaviour
- challenge irrational beliefs
- raise self-awareness and build confidence
- identify and demonstrate the importance of good coping techniques
- show how to set and maintain realistic goals – making real and lasting change
- gain an understanding of self
- gain a sense of self belief that change is possible
- role models (self and others).
The course aims to cut through many self-imposed barriers to making life changes. It provides a structured framework that challenges conventional ways of working, introduces concepts that require individuals to understand what they can achieve, the world they live in and how they can (if appropriate) modify behaviour and be inspired to secure employment, attend college and/or training courses. The programme includes work placements.
Work placements
Aim: a work placement programme that will help people believe it is possible to gain a good job. Delivered in partnership with key organisations, the placements lead to either employment or enhance career prospects and ensure that people considering taking them up understand the long-term benefits to themselves and their families.
It was also important that any organisation providing placement would provide a full range of workplace support to ensure that clients learn about the organisation, the people who use it, how to work within a professional organisation, teamwork and much more. The overall remit would be
- opportunity to prove themselves
- experience of working with professionals
- apply for college/employment in career of choice
- personal growth
- opportunity to follow their dreams.
Costs
There is a cost implication related to staff training, expenses incurred through childcare, etc. We also spent a considerable time with frontline workers training, discussing and promoting a prescriptive programme of support that provides the tools to facilitate/modify behaviour based on the basic principles of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
What was the outcome?
In challenging conventional ways of working (and to break the cycle of expectation) we knew we had to come up with something that would require the clients to invest something of themselves. It worked perfectly:
- all frontline staff trained to provide benefit advice at first point of contact to ensure financial stability and demystify beliefs that ‘people are worse off' going back to work
- structured group work programme
- work placement programme
- providers offered work placements without any financial incentives
- those accessing the programme funding the cost (clothing, bus fares and study materials) out of their benefits because they believe what they gain more than outweighs the cost, has been ground-breaking
- NVQ/IT qualifications.
We have a number of lone parents and families who have accessed the service. At present, we have a lone parent (Ms A) with a history of service involvement on a work placement. Her mother is not around and she has taken on the care of her two siblings from her alcoholic father. She has great aspirations, not only for herself, but her family. Until she worked with us, she did not believe that she could start on a path that will lead her into her career of choice: social work (she thought she could only ever work in menial jobs). While she knows this will be a long journey she is determined to be the very best she thought she could not be.
We have lots of other examples as the programme has been designed to pick up people like Ms A, who thought doing something with their lives was so far removed from where they were at.
In conclusion, this programme demonstrates partnership work at its very best. For key organisations in Blackpool to stand firm together to provide opportunities for real work placements to people who otherwise would not get a chance, is truly inspiring. For them to commit without any additional resources is a first, and highlights what can be achieved when we work together. Big society at its best!
Contact details
Shiree Varley
Housing Solutions Coordinator
Telephone: 01253 478348
Email: shiree.varley@blackpool.gov.uk
