The Scottish Government

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Recruitment and retention issues in better neighbourhood services fund programmes

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND

1.1 The Scottish Executive's Better Neighbourhood Services Fund (BNSF) was announced in January 2001 as a 90 million 3-year (2001-04) programme aimed at delivering real and substantial service improvements in twelve Pathfinder areas. Five Pathfinder areas agreed more than one LOA for their area, so that there were fourteen Pathfinders in total ³.

1.2 The programme is intended to advance the Executive's Social Justice objectives and to demonstrate how providing better services can help narrow the gap between disadvantaged communities and the wider population. Each Pathfinder agreed a Local Outcome Agreement (LOA) with the Scottish Executive that detailed the BNSF programme in the area including the impacts or outcomes that would accrue.

1.3 In December 2003 the Minister for Communities announced an additional allocation of 31.2million for 2004/05. The one year extension to the BNSF programme is subject to ministerial approval of Year 4 LOAs which set out the outcomes expected to be achieved as a result of the additional funding.

1.4 This report on recruitment and retention issues in BNSF funded projects is part of a programme of ongoing research being carried out by Tribal HCH in relation to the development and implementation of the BNSF. It is the third of a series of topic reports exploring key issues emerging from the programme. The issues to be covered by topic reports are identified by the Scottish Executive in consultation with the Pathfinders.

REASEARCH QUESTIONS

1.5 This topic report addresses the following question:

' What specific staff recruitment and retention issues have been encountered, how have they been addressed, and how have they impacted on the delivery of BNSF?'

1.6 Pathfinders identified staff recruitment and retention as an issue they would wish to be explored in a topic report. Their interest in the subject reflects their experience of recruiting staff for time-limited programmes including BNSF. Anecdotal evidence from the Pathfinders prior to this topic report suggested that particular problems had been encountered recruiting youth workers and social workers - a problem in the labour market generally.

1.7 The aim of the report is to establish the extent of recruitment and retention difficulties experienced by Pathfinders, to consider what steps were taken to address problems as they arose and to establish whether staff recruitment difficulties had an impact on the programme's delivery and implementation. The report also seeks to establish whether the difficulties encountered during the BNSF programme have been more or less pronounced than those affecting other public and voluntary sector employers in Scotland and whether the BNSF programme has experienced greater problems than other time-limited regeneration programmes. The report also highlights where potential difficulties have been avoided by pre-emptive action by the Pathfinders. Best practice is highlighted where it was evident. The report concludes with recommendations for future programmes.

1.8 The report addresses the following specific questions:

• Which Pathfinders experienced recruitment difficulties?
• Which professions and skill areas were affected - were difficulties experienced in relation to specific types of positions such as youth workers, programme admin/management, social workers or neighbourhood wardens?
• What recruitment difficulties were encountered - was it a lack of applicants, a lack of suitably qualified applicants, a lack of suitably experienced applicants or a combination of factors? Any other difficulties?
• With the benefit of hindsight, is it possible that the qualifications required for certain positions were higher or more specific than was actually needed? Could the position have been filled by a person without the qualifications required, provided they had the right generic skills and aptitudes?
• Is there any firm evidence that security screening deterred some suitable candidates or that it delayed appointments being made and positions filled?
• Were all the positions with recruitment difficulties offered on temporary contracts?
• Did rural Pathfinders or those outside the central belt experience specific difficulties?
• How were the problems addressed? e.g. revised advertising, increased salary, incentives, training.
• Were short-term measures considered/implemented? e.g. secondments, agency staff, use of consultants.
• Are there examples of best practice where Pathfinders anticipated difficulties and implemented procedures which worked?
• Have there been any issues retaining staff? Has staff turnover been greater than anticipated/previous experience? Have staff indicated reasons for leaving that relate specifically to programme design or implementation?
• Are BNSF's problems similar to other time-limited programmes or are they worse?
• How have recruitment and retention difficulties affected the programme - for example, have they resulted in programme re-design, have they resulted in delay in delivery or smaller scale or poorer quality services?
• What could be done differently in the future?

METHODOLOGY

1.9 The report is based on the following:

• prior desk research - review of LOAs and Pathfinders' annual reports for 2001/02 and 2002/03
• telephone interviews with co-ordinators and/or project managers from all of the Pathfinders. The interviews were structured using a topic guide, which is attached as Appendix 1. The normal procedure was to phone in advance to arrange a mutually convenient time for an interview, and then to forward the topic guide to allow the interviewee to consider the issues and prepare for the discussion. In some cases, this preparation involved collating the views of a number of colleagues.

1.10 It is important to note that the research undertaken in preparation of this topic report was substantially qualitative in nature, being based on the thirteen telephone discussions with Pathfinder staff. The report is therefore based primarily on the views expressed by the consultees and it reflects their view of recruitment and retention issues; a degree of subjectivity will inevitably have been introduced Pathfinder responses have been made anonymous given the confidential nature of certain aspects of staff recruitment. The fourteen Pathfinders are referred to as Pathfinders A to N. Responses to topic guide questions were quantified to establish the strength of opinion on each issue. In the case of the positions affected by recruitment and retention difficulties, tables on the responses were also prepared ( see Appendices 2 and 3).

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