Coming into work?Engaging vulnerable people with employability

policy frameworks,

local practices

SHEN/Dundee Cyrenians March 2008

Current policy context

• Homelessness legislation/ HTF recommendations

• Workforce Plus/ MCMC

• Welfare Reform leading to flexible New Deal

• Skills for Scotland

Joined up thinking!

A chance to work for all?

Amongst other things, welfare reform offers:

• 80% employment rate

• Equip individuals with skills

• Jobs pledge – 250,000 job opportunities

• New services through flexible New Deal

Who are the 20%?

How will this be delivered?

• Changes to benefits system

• DWP Commissioning Strategy

• Workforce Plus – more provision for early stages and in-work support

• Skills policies (for low skilled?)

New job seekers

• 3 months on JSA

• Job search requirements widened

• 6 months – Gateway to include skills check and training

• 12 months – specialist service

• Full time work experience

Worklessness and the pipeline

• Who are the “workless”

• Changing the pattern

• Fast tracking and the “pipeline”

• Pathways to Work etc.

Low – skilled in Scotland

• Skills for Scotland

• More choices more chances

• New projects – eg “Youthbuild”

• Whatever happened to NFFI?

Flexible New Deal – what is it?

• Based on the Freud Report

• First tier providers with supply chain

• 2 phases to be rolled out by 2010

• Competition, market-led, paid by results

• Sustainable job outcomes (rising to 18 months)

Strengths of SHEN member providers

• Scottish context – WF+, MCMC and HTF recommendations

• Focus on individual

• Local identity and service provision

• Existing experience

Weaknesses

• Small providers, partnerships weak

• Funding “patchy” – lack of investment

• Homelessness is not a DWP priority

• Evidence not systematically collected

Opportunities

• DWP Chaotic lifestyles

• Not “parking” the hardest to help

• Flexible New Deal activity looks for:– Links to specialist providers– Focus on individuals– Partnerships– Local credibility

Threats

• Competition in supply chain

• Up-front funding

• Homelessness not a priority

• Timescales for in-work outcomes

• Sustainabilty

• Difficulty of demonstrating outcomes

• How local is “local”

SHEN response

• Collecting evidence as programme rolls out

• Supporting partnership development

• Highlighting the importance of measurement systems which recognise soft outcomes

• Representation of service providers and service users at Scottish and UK levels

Contact

geraldine@scsh.org.uk

www.shen-scotland.org