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CHAPTER EIGHT: THE STAFF PERSPECTIVE
8.1 This section looks specifically at the perspective of the staff of the two programmes on working with clients, identifying and meeting their needs, managing their expectations and working with caseloads. Their views of employer engagement are also provided, together with perspectives on the programme organisation and funding.
Identifying and meeting client needs
8.2 The identification and meeting of client need is undertaken, for both the One Plus Sustainable Employment Project and Next Steps clients, according to an initial client assessment. For some clients, the priority need might be very practical issues (sorting out benefit entitlement or tax credits, facilitating access to drug or alcohol treatment services). Other clients can present with severe psychological problems, needing counselling or another form of emotional support. One member of staff said:
"We get a lot of people coming here that are very long-term - we've got clients who have been unemployed for 25 years that have now decided this is what they want to do. It's such a shock to their system because they've had everything done for them for so long. They've never had to pay a bill." (Wise Group Next Steps)
8.3 Clients who are unemployed, not surprisingly, need more time and support than those who come to the programme already having started (or just about to start) work. For those who were further from the labour market, staff highlighted the importance of initially gathering information with regard to their personal circumstances. This was considered to be only achievable if a relationship based on trust was established at the onset. It was suggested, by both the One Plus Sustainable Employment Project and Next Steps staff, that clients would divulge the sorts of personal information that would not be shared with, say, Jobcentre or Employment Zone Advisers around relationships, mental health, personal debts etc.
8.4 One of the biggest needs amongst clients, according to the staff, was lack of confidence or very low self-esteem, irrespective of age, gender or circumstance. For some clients, poor confidence was associated with being out of the labour market for a long time and coupled with the associated problems of relationships, finance and chaotic lifestyles. For those that had been in work, there were issues associated with multiple experiences of redundancy, poor in-work treatment by employers, being engaged on very short term or 'zero hours' contracts or very practical challenges associated with childcare, travelling or living in rural areas. For those who had had more recent experience within the labour market, staff needed to be able to assess, from the point of initial contact, why someone had been referred to their project. One member of staff said:
"One of the issues we frequently come up against is that clients have a particular 'communication style' which doesn't resonate in the workplace. I've got some clients who are extraordinarily poor at listening and with social interactions. Misjudging workplace behaviour or overreacting unnecessarily to on the job banter has resulted in some of our clients coming back through our door several times…….." (Wise Group Next Steps)
8.5 Some clients, by dint of their previous work and/or life experiences had very low expectations in terms of their ability to make life changes. Client attitudes underpin this, thus:
"There's invariably some form of counselling involved. We have to ensure that people are realistic about what they can do, otherwise we'd be setting them up to fail. Often when we first see clients they're at rock bottom - we have to deal with the amount of setbacks they've had in the past". (Wise Group Next Steps)
"Some just don't have any expectations when they get to us. It's often only when they've been on the project for about three months that they realise what we're doing for them, and their expectations change. They start thinking 'well, maybe I could do that'….." (One Plus Sustainable Employment Project)
8.6 So how are client needs met? Both organisations put a real emphasis on the importance of the one-to-one relationship. Staff in both organisations have a caseload, with initial individual interviews - undertaken in both formal and informal settings - informing action planning. This process, in turn, informs someone's training needs and, essentially, making a judgement with regard to their work readiness. The process includes an assessment of any potential barriers to employment that might need to be tackled - skills gaps, childcare, transport, offending background, language skills, confidence and self-esteem - followed by internal and external signposting to appropriate services including vocational training, coaching, mentoring, benefits assessments and job brokering. It is this combination of support that it was felt was needed to increase the chances of entering sustained employment.
What this project seeks to do, what we do with our job retention clients, is increase self-esteem, build confidence, build on their skills, show them that with the right information and careful planning, with access to childcare support, parents can be empowered to go out and be a confident worker." (One Plus)
8.7 Of key importance is the management of client/organisation relationships, with both One Plus and Next Steps being firmly of the opinion that recognition of difference is crucial - an acknowledgement that clients will have a multitude of needs, and that approaches have to be tailored accordingly - in a way that is not always possible through mainstream support.
"There's not much point doing this if we're doing the same stuff as mainstream agencies. What we are really trying to prove is that by doing things differently and providing the flexible support for longer, we can really make an impact on people's lives". (Wise Group Next Steps)
Managing client expectations and concerns
8.8 There was some evidence to suggest that clients presented with both realistic and unrealistic expectations which had to be 'managed' by the staff. This could include:
- Low expectations as to what could be achieved
- Unrealistic expectations regarding the sorts of jobs clients could reasonably expect to get given their past experience
- Expectations regarding potential income/earnings
8.9 For clients with caring responsibilities, there was sometimes a range of expectations that need to be managed quite sensitively, and at an appropriate pace for the client, to ensure that all of the issues that might affect work entry are taken into account in planning a return to work:
"Caseworkers have to be able to support someone as they settle into their working routine, helping them negotiate the benefits situation, helping them understand what's going on in the working world, dealing with the cultural issues. One of the key issues to sustainable employment is getting someone into the right sort of job - ideally with an employer who is sympathetic to the needs of lone parents. This has to go hand in hand with making sure that clients understand employer needs and expectations". (One Plus Sustainable Employment Project)
"The reality of moving into work is something of an eye-opener for some of our clients. The costs of working, the benefits that are lost. People sometimes find that work isn't paying as much as they thought; they've not understood the breadth of things they'll have to pay for themselves - losing an entitlement to free school meals is a big one for lone parents." (One Plus Sustainable Employment Project)
8.10 Money and financial problems were, seemingly, a significant feature in the lives of clients from both organisations, and a cause of concern with regard to (re)entering work. A One Plus Sustainable Employment Project Caseworker estimated that approximately 40 per cent of her caseload had bad debts, and that the problem was frequently a significant barrier to them finding work, for example:
When they are not working, they don't have to pay their debt off, but once they're earning they have to start." (One Plus Sustainable Employment Project)
"Debt is a big problem. Quite often they have accumulated over time. Catalogue debt is significant, and shops that make credit available for those with a poor credit history". (One Plus Sustainable Employment Project)
8.11 The ability of staff from both organisations to navigate the complexities of the benefits and tax credits system cannot be underestimated, as it could often determine client engagement. Organisational staff also flagged up the costs of housing (particularly in Glasgow for social housing residents) and the costs associated with training and securing a qualification. For example:
"As soon as you move off benefit you lose your entitlement to Housing Benefit and all the supporting benefits. Now that the Council no longer have control of housing, rents are huge. We have to sit down and do a very careful calculation. Ultimately, we have to recognise that some people simply can't afford to move off benefits given the local pay rates". (One Plus Sustainable Employment Project)
8.12 For those who have taken the step into work, it was suggested that the move is sometimes a first rung on a ladder that can continue to be fraught:
"When you're in an entry level position and money is really tight it's pretty hard. It's different if you're in a good job with a reasonable salary - you might be able to pay for night classes to get the qualifications to move on - this is unlikely to be the case if you're entry-level". (One Plus Sustainable Employment Project)
"It can be difficult to access SVQ Level Three training, costing £1,500 to £2,000 per person. Not every employer can afford to do it - and those who operate in sectors associated traditionally with low pay and high staff turnover won't be bothered." (Wise Group Next Steps worker)
Working with caseloads and supporting individuals
8.13 The One Plus Sustainable Employment Project had a target caseload of 380 clients each year and aimed to provide in-work support for 6 months, while Next Steps aimed to give support to 120 clients providing in-work support for over two years, with career progression a major focus. At the time of writing, the One Plus Sustainable Employment project had a caseload of 709 (with three advisers) and the Next Steps project had a caseload of 128 clients (with three advisers).
8.14 Both organisations appear to manage their respective caseloads very effectively, with both acknowledging the need for flexibility of response. There was also the suggestion that in terms of referrals and caseload management, there are 'seasonal' variations, for example:
"We've identified peaks and troughs according to the time of year. During the summer months and the lead up to Christmas, our clients don't appear to be wanting to move into work. Our clients have to take into account the availability and affordability of childcare during the school holiday period. Once they're back at school things pick up again". (One Plus Sustainable Employment Project)
8.15 In terms of managing a sizeable caseload, the role and the skills of caseworkers or project staff is crucial with regard to relationship building and supporting people to make the right decisions and the right times:
"Helping lone parents prepare for and enter work, and balancing that with knowledge of employer or business need is the crux of what we do … yes, we do carry a large caseload but it's all about effective time management and having the ability to prioritise when and where necessary". (0ne Plus Sustainable Employment Project)
8.16 A particular challenge was working with clients who had a wide range of needs and circumstances, at varying degrees of work 'readiness', and at various 'distances' from work. Some clients, by dint of their circumstances, placed more demands on staff than others, either because of their emotional needs or because of very practical help that they needed to enter and remain in employment. Unemployed clients took up more staff time because of the input needed into training, CV preparation and job search activity (especially if there were literacy and numeracy considerations, or if a client had mental health issues).
Some clients have one issue after another, others you may just see them at the first contact stage and before the 'quarterly' and again before the six months." (One Plus Sustainable Employment Project)
There was one client who was one day out of getting a Job Grant. She had no money but had a part-time job and didn't have the money to get to work - she literally hadn't gone into work because she didn't have the bus fare. We went out and physically gave her the money in her hand. It saved her job. (One Plus Sustainable Employment Project)
8.17 A further challenge raised by some of the workers was covering relatively large rural areas, with a fairly widely dispersed client base (outside of Glasgow), particularly with regard to the time needed to travel from one client to another.
8.18 As stated earlier, the ability of staff to work flexibly was deemed to be crucial to success. Both employment retention projects were part of large organisations, with internal referrals and clients being signed up to ILMs and various training and work experience activities resulting in good inter-project communication.
8.19 Staff from both organisations also routinely made themselves available for contact outside of normal working hours to give clients advice, support and encouragement at different stages of engagement. This was highly valued by clients and was particularly important to those in work who were not able to contact staff during normal working hours.
8.20 Asked to consider the possibility of even larger caseloads, there was a mixed response. Some staff (from both organisations) were firmly of the opinion that if more financial resources were available, more could be done. However, there were clear differences between the two organisations with regard to the intensity of support it was possible to offer, which in turn was affected by the caseload size.
"If we were working with a larger caseload it would be much more difficult, especially given the administration requirement. After a few months you get to really know your client, there's trust in the relationship. On a practical level you can remember their names, their personal circumstances, where they live, how many children they've got." (Wise Group Next Steps)
"We're constantly getting new people onto our caseload all the time. There are so many people, with so many different stories, different lifestyles, different needs. I don't limit the amount of contact they can have - and sometimes they'll 'phone at weekends …often they want quite a lot from you - it's a lot to carry if there are too many like that". (One Plus Sustainable Employment Project)
Links with the labour market
8.21 Caseworker knowledge and understanding of the employment environment is a fundamental part of the advisers' work. Staff demonstrated a good, working understanding of the changes in the economy, and of the particular challenges of rural economies. There was a good understanding of qualification structures, especially in social care, call centres and the financial sector, and of the emerging industries such as communications and technologies and those requiring higher-level qualifications. There was a broad recognition that there are increasingly fewer opportunities for people at entry level (other than in the care sector or in hospitality). Much effort has been put into establishing and maintaining relationships with employers, establishing a dialogue and an understanding of how either organisation can help employers in terms of recruitment and retention.
8.22 So whilst both organisations describe themselves very much as 'client-led', they need to have people in place who understand the needs of employers, ensuring a knowledge of the market for their clients. The One Plus Sustainable Employment Project, for example, has a Development Officer focussing on employment stability. She described a role as:
"Going out and promoting what the project does, identifying gaps and how to fill them. I have strong relationships with Working for Families and Jobcentres, the Employability Framework, and organisations like Reed". (One Plus Sustainable Employment Project)
8.23 Previously, One Plus had made efforts with employers around work/life balance issues, identifying best practice and signposting to business advice and support organisations. Staff had also experienced employer reluctance to embrace the concept of 'buddying' or mentoring, but the focus has shifted now:
"What we work to is a balance between the needs of lone parents and the needs of employers". (One Plus Sustainable Employment Project)
8.24 Next Steps described a very positive response from employers to their services, particularly public sector employers. Not all clients who are in work, however, want their employer to be contacted by the project. There are particular efforts made on behalf of clients who have offending backgrounds - and engagement with ILM programmes for this cohort enables Next Steps to demonstrate to potential employers how committed someone is - or for those clients who are 50+. Their NHS Project is, perhaps, a particularly good example of providing the local health service (a major employer in Glasgow employing 30,000 people) with a ready made and willing batch of clients (including asylum seekers) who were job-ready, flexible, and enthusiastic, and giving them the potential opportunity to advance in their careers.
"Basically, we're putting people into 'support level' jobs - portering, cleaning, clerical, driving. There are more jobs than there are people. What we say to people is that 'you might go in as a cleaner, but you can work your way up and the terms and conditions are good". (Next Steps NHS Project)
Views on the referral process
8.25 In terms of views about how the programmes themselves were organised within the wider context of working with disadvantaged unemployed groups, the client referral process was seen as important. The One Plus Sustainable Employment Project had skilled and experienced Client Liaison Officers, aiming to work with 380 people a year. Next Steps had skilled and experienced caseworkers aiming to work with 120 former clients of various Wise Group programmes. Focussing more on external relationships to ensure an effective flow of referrals, it appears that there were some initial challenges in the referral process, thus:
"We had some initial issues, but it was the Jobcentre Plus project who eventually provided a consistent source. There was a lot of chasing up to do, keeping relationships and networks going". (One Plus Sustainable Employment Project)
"What we found out was that in the first six months of this project we had more referrals from the New Deal for lone parents advisors then we had in the previous two years of the new deal!" (One Plus Sustainable Employment Project)
8.26 Relationships with Jobcentre Plus were considered to be very important in terms of securing referrals for the One Plus Sustainable Employment Project. There were also referrals coming from other sources - different trusts and partnerships. The interviews suggested that much effort has been made to ensure relationships were maintained and that there was an effective exchange of information.
8.27 There was also a process of internal referral, where appropriate, to various projects and services, including legal advice, vocational guidance, mentoring, childcare, ILMs and money advice - all of which were deemed as important to helping clients move forward, and in particularly having access to such services 'on the doorstep.
8.28 There are distinct differences with the client referral process at Next Steps by dint of them taking referrals from across the wider Wise Group. Next Steps indicated that initially recruitment was occurring via their Training for Work and Employment Zone Programmes. The Wise Group has a team of consultants working with people that are quite far removed from the labour market.
Views on the programme organisation and funding
8.29 Staff from both organisations had previously worked in similar roles in terms of client support regarding vocational training or employment. Accordingly, there was a well-developed understanding and hands-on experience of the types of employment support and job retention initiatives that a range of organisations had, in the past, delivered. This learning has been crucial to the design of the two projects. One member of staff said:
"Political change has given us the opportunity to put our money where our mouth is as a campaigning organisation. Some time ago we identified the need to have a project that was separate project that was about employability, not just about learning services. We are now much more focussed on supporting lone parents and sustaining them in employment". (One Plus Sustainable Employment Project)
8.30 Some felt that the labour market environment could be hostile, and that the output related funding of many labour market programmes (though not these job retention programmes) did not always work in the best interest of clients, with people cycling through different programmes without getting any positive benefit.
"… you get x amount of money for signing them up. You get x amount of money if they move from one stage to the next, and then you get a bucket-load of money if you get them a job and they're still there 13 weeks later…. then all we're doing is moving people along after they've got the job and they've got the piece of paper to say that they're 13 weeks in a job, you go onto the next person, because you're finished with that person. There's no more money to be earned from them. That's what's happening across the UK - chasing government funding." (Wise Group Next Steps)
8.31 As with other publicly funded initiatives, there was a resigned acceptance of the bureaucratic requirements inherent in such programmes. Both Next Steps and One Plus have been in receipt of public monies for a long time and, as such, have established systems in terms of project development, putting together funding proposals and in ensuring effective monitoring and reporting systems are in place.
"As with most public funded schemes, there's a fair chunk of paperwork to get through. … At present we have about three or four areas or recording that are, in effect, the same information. We need to have something in place that says how many calls or visits or whatever we've made this month, to try and figure out if we're doing too many or not enough. Sometimes I feel bogged down with the burden of administration." (One Plus Sustainable Employment Project)
8.32 Asked for views and experience on relationships and the type and frequency of support received from the Scottish Executive, the general consensus was that the Scottish Executive were fully supportive of the aims and objectives of the job retention projects, and were prepared to think beyond short term target driven responses.
"Compared to Europe, the targets don't seem quite as stringent. European funding dictates you must have x amount of people in this, x amount in that. Scottish Exec is basically saying 'let's suck it and see'. They're looking for meeting targets of 120 people - x amount from rural areas, x amount from urban, and let's see what happens". (Wise Group Next Steps)
"They have been very supportive of us. I think the key to a programme like this is having funders who actually have an interest. The Scottish Executive has been involved with our Steering Group right from day one, even before they funded the programme". (One Plus Sustainable Employment Project)
8.33 Staff from both organisations demonstrated and articulated a real passion about what they did and why. Organisational assessments from One Plus and Next Steps regarding their respective employment retention projects were overwhelmingly positive. Some of this is possibly as a result of experiences staff have had in delivering similar projects in the past, and indicators suggest that previously acquired learning has been put to effective use.
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