Scottish Government

THE NATIONAL EVALUATION OF THE CAREERS SCOTLAND INCLUSIVENESS PROJECTS

ANNEX 2: PROJECT ANALYSIS

project profile

Introduction

2.1 A questionnaire was developed to update the information gathered in the baseline survey carried out in 2003 on the 13 Careers Scotland, Inclusiveness Projects. It was designed to get a sense of the progress made by the Projects since becoming operational. The questionnaire was sent out by email to Project Coordinators for completion in February 2004. The following chapter sets out the results of the survey.

The Partners

2.2 Each project was asked which organisations had been active partners in the project in the last year. The responses are set out in the table below.

Table A2.1: Partners, other than the Careers Service, who have been active in the project over the last year

2.3 These responses are largely in line with the partners highlighted in the survey in 2003. Few partners have been recruited since that time. However, Lanarkshire has added Jobcentre Plus and the private sector; Forth Valley the voluntary sector; Grampian has involved user groups while Dunbartonshire and Lomond would appear to have enhanced its partnership scope considerable adding the voluntary sector, user groups and further/higher education.

2.4 Only three Projects identified instances of partners no longer being formally involved. In Glasgow Jobcentre Plus are no longer formally involved although the private sector continues to be represented there.

2.5 We wanted to know more about the quality of the partnership links. The Projects were presented with statements on the effects of their work on partnership links and asked whether they agreed with them or not. The table below show the responses.

Table A2.2: Thoughts on the success of partnership working

2.6 Nearly all the Projects felt that partnership working on behalf of the clients had been strengthened as a result of the Project. Only one Project thought it had made no appreciable difference and another felt that costs of partnership working out weighed the benefits. All the Projects reported a stronger focus on employability in services for Inclusiveness clients than was previously the case.

2.7 Clearly response to this type of question will be subjective. To evidence strengthened partnership links we asked about formal agreements. The majority (11) of the Projects had drawn up such agreements with their partners. These agreements cover a range of areas including:

• work placements for clients within statutory services
• referrals
• with Social Work around:
  • DWP transfers
  • throughcare/aftercare
  • care leaver support
• and with Youth Criminal Justice teams.

The Key Worker team

2.8 This section focuses on the way the Key Worker teams function. The table below shows the number of Key Workers in each Project.

Table A2.3: The make up of Key Worker teams

2.9 The Projects were also asked whether there were any workers who had been designated by partner organisations as providing a Key Worker service but not funded through the Inclusiveness Project. Three areas had adopted this approach including Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh and Lothians and Glasgow which has the most extensive partnership approach.

2.10 We were also interested in the supervision, training and development systems in place for Key Workers. The following patterns emerged:

• Most Key Workers receive formal supervision from their line managers at least once a month. In three areas it was less frequent - Projects in rural settings or with 'devolved' partnership delivery structures
• In terms of peer support mechanisms; seven the Projects work in close-knit teams anyway while ten have regular team meetings every one or two months while only three met less frequently or relied upon one-off events and exercises
• In terms of training all of the Projects have developed training programmes. Around half of the provision was taken in conjunction with other Careers Scotland staff. Most of the provision related to core elements of the Key Worker role including assessment, support, mapping and motivational interviewing however an important feature has been the focus on the needs of particular client groups such as people with mental health problems or deaf awareness training for example.

Tools systems and processes

2.11 The original survey of Projects focussed very much upon the early developmental stages of Inclusiveness. At this later point in the development process we were interested in what had been developed in terms of tools, systems and processes. We were particularly interested in developments with regard to the various stages which clients might progress through towards employability including:

• client assessment
• client action planning
• evaluating 'distance travelled/client progression'
• recording clients' views
• assisting clients into employment.

2.12 Activity varied quite considerably between projects. Aware of the increasing influence of Careers Scotland in shaping the nature of provision, we asked the Co-ordinators to focus on those tools which had been developed locally. Some examples are highlighted below:

Table A2.4: Examples of tools

2.13 Overall there has been considerable development of new and modified tools for working with clients with chaotic lifestyles through the Careers Scotland Inclusiveness Projects. Some of these tools and processes are now becoming part of the mainstream delivery process being developed through Careers Scotland. The Employability Gauge provides one example of this providing, as it does, the basis of the client achievement summary. Other developments, such as the student questionnaire and vocational profiling tools developed by Edinburgh and Lothians, have a much more specific application but demonstrate the influence of the Inclusiveness approach nonetheless.

Mainstreaming

2.14 The Projects were also asked about the issue of mainstreaming. The main themes are outlined under the headings below.

Defining the concept

2.15 Most of the Projects felt that the main focus of mainstreaming should involve the embedding of an Inclusiveness ethos throughout the organisation of Careers Scotland. This could only be achieved, however, by retaining a dedicated key worker approach to support the most chaotic clients. A differentiated inclusiveness model was also advocated by several projects. This involves Careers Advisers taking on a more inclusive role with the less complex clients using dedicated Key Worker colleagues as an information source whilst they continue to work with the harder to reach clients. Other suggestions included:

• all Careers Scotland staff developing one-to-one key working relationships with specific clients and having access to a discretionary fund to use to help remove small barriers to progress
• developing Key Workers as the 'high intervention' arm of a general Careers Scotland service
• providing a service to the disengaged via mainstream services as a matter of course to develop support and developing joint processes in assessment and planning with key partner agencies
• recognising the importance of the capacity of Key Workers to be flexible and pro active in the way they work and retaining this in any mainstreaming model.

Preparing for mainstreaming

2.16 The Projects were asked how prepared they felt with regard to mainstreaming. The responses would suggest that there has been activity at a local level in order to prepare the way forward:

• all of the Projects, with only one exception, had had discussions with their Regional Managers with regard to mainstreaming at the time of the questionnaire
• all of the Projects, for example, had discussed mainstreaming with their Key Workers
• all Projects, with one exception, had discussed the concept of mainstreaming with their key partners
• only nine of the 13 Projects, however, had at that stage begun to prepare a local mainstreaming strategy.

2.17 The Projects' responses to an open question on how prepared they felt themselves to be with regard to mainstreaming provided a mixed response. Some clearly felt the process was still very much in its infancy. Projects also acknowledged that it is hard to judge the degree of preparedness within partners. It is particularly difficult for voluntary sector players to find resources to embed the process. Concern has also been raised by some partners in several areas about the lack a perceived lack of forward planning with regard to the services delivered.

2.18 There were clearly a number of Projects, however, which felt themselves to be relatively well prepared and/or to have been preparing for mainstreaming from inception. Three examples are shown in the box below.

Example 1: Highlands and Islands

Although there has been little formal dialogue with partners, there has been an evolving shift through the life of the project to the Differentiated Model. For example Social Work partners are now aware that initial contact for a care leaver will be with a Careers Adviser rather than Key Worker and that Key Worker services are an additional resource to be called upon according to an individual's level of need. Increasingly the Project has taken a 'whole team' approach to inclusion training, reflected in the interactions with partners - for example Careers Advisers are more aware of the support needs of pupils on the 'autistic spectrum' and therefore better able to contribute to 'Future Needs Planning' alongside agency partners.

Example 2: Renfrewshire

It was decided from the outset to have all Key Workers operating from Careers Centres and employed by Careers Scotland. The project does have one Key Worker with a base in a partner agency which provides funding but the Key Worker is still closely involved with the area team and continues to report to the main team and to contribute to wider delivery on specific tasks such as Breakthrough to Excellence courses.

Example 3: Dumfries and Galloway

The Project began with all staff having an integrated as opposed to dedicated Key Worker role. Since the outset there has been movement towards integration. During the past 6 months, the dedicated Key Workers have joined with Careers Advisers to roll out the Early Intervention programme of Positive Futures clubs in 10 schools. This mix of specifically trained staff has been working well. In effect, the Beattie project staff have all been allocated integral roles within mainstream service provision.