Scottish Government

• Founded

• 2000

• 1994

• 1985

• 1999

• 1990s

• 1999

• Objectives

• To get into the heart of the community, access the hardest to reach people and get them into work or training.

• To provide advice and guidance to ex offenders and people at risk of offending behaviour to support them in obtaining equality of access to employment

• To provide a group programme for young people who are about to leave school

• Support the inclusion of young people aged 11-18 who are at the margins of exclusion.

• Take young people from where they are, redress the barriers they face and give them the confidence to develop skills for work.

• Overall aim is to stop offending behaviour. Part of this is to Increase the employability of young people at risk of criminal activity or with offending behaviours.

• Client Groups

• The project covers all people between 16-65.

• Ex offenders and people at risk of offending behaviour between 16 and 25

The main focus is school age children between 14 - 16 year olds.

The majority of clients are under 16.

• looked after children and young people with various difficulties

• The main focus is on clients with offending behaviours.

• Activities

• Outreach work from community centres.
• An adviser will meet with an individual and develop an action plan.
• Weekly, client led meetings. Support to find training and jobs

• Main element is the Get Ready for Work Programme

• Conduct a self assessment with the client:

• 26 week individual action plan developed.

• Training in life skills, personal skills, core skills and vocational skills is provided.

• Also College tasters, work placements and introductions to New Deal.

• The programme is structured around two elements: social/play and work.

• Work element : self esteem, emotions, hopes and ambitions, drugs, dealing with aggression, body image and employability issues such as CV and interview skills and finding apprenticeships.

A Youth Counsellor is allocated to each child referred to the project. Outreach work will then take place either in the child's home or elsewhere.

Solution Focused Therapy used.

• Get Ready for Work:
• Life skills:
• Personal and social skills development
• Vocational skills
• Choices:
• 11-16 year olds excluded from school. Includes outdoor activities to get rid of negativity and aggression.

• A joint action plan is developed.

• The NCH provides cognitive/behavioural support

• APEX- focus on employability skills. Provide training in terms of literacy/ numeracy, disclosure situation, the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.

• Clients assisted
• Numbers in each area of activity

• Oct 00 - June 04

• 3020 client contacts, but this is not broken down by age.

• 03-04

• 81 clients 16-24

• 03-04
• 55 clients

• 03-04

• 260

• GRFW:

• 73 per 12 week programme

• Choices:

• 30 per one year programme

• Target 100 young people per year

• Actual numbers unknown.

• Employ-ability focus

• Primary focus of the project

• Primary focus of the project

• Important focus of the project

• Not a large focus as most children in the 13-14 age group but see activities above.

• Important focus of the project

• Employ-ability is important element in providing structure in the life of these young people and in preventing their risk of offending.

• Client outcomes

• Oct 00- June 04
• 1389 job entries, of which 327 are young people
• Figures of young people entering into education or training are not kept except in individual case files.

• Out of the 81 clients:

• Training= 7

• Education= 13

• Employment= 32

• New Deal= 2

• (Others involved custodial sentences, moving away from area, breach of order etc.)

• n/a
• No tracking systems

• 90 exit outcomes for 03-04

• Of these

• 29 went onto education

• 8 went on to employment/ training

• The other exit figures relate to issue based support, leisure activities, no contact, referred on, withdrawn, support no longer required.

• The target for the Get Ready for Work programme is 40% but there is no breakdown by type of outcome.

• Choices Programme has softer targets and completion is the outcome sought.

• Specific Outcome figures are not known. Only a small proportion go directly on to employment. Soft indicators of increased self esteem etc. are more easily assessed
• The car crimes project outcomes are measured: of 55 starts 34 were employ-ability engaged (includes New Deal, Training and Employment) by the end of the project.