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1. A4e’s delivery of Work Programme across Lancashire Paul Hardman – Regional Development Director
Emma Palmer – Regional Development Manager
CPA 6 (Lancashire / Cumbria / Liverpool City Region)
Thursday 26th May 2011
2. Agenda
A4e and the Work Programme
A4e and Lancashire
People and Places
Key Messages
3. A4e A4e was founded in 1991
Currently employs over 3,300 people
Work with a network of over 100,000 employers
A4e have been working across Lancashire 2009
A4e offers other complimentary services:
Legal Services
VOX Centre's
Money Advice Service
Family Intervention Projects
Independent Living Services (ILS)
Business start-up / enterprise
Skills provision
4. Overview of the Work Programme Eligibility
Mandatory programme for
-18-24 year old JSA claimants from 9 months on benefit
- 25+ JSA claimants from 12 months on benefit
- IB claimants moved on to JSA through the reassessment process, from 3 months from their transfer
- JSA claimants with serious disadvantages (eg ex-offenders) from 3 months
- New ESA claimants or IB claimants moved on to ESA assessed as in the Work Related Activity Group, when expected to be fit for work within 3 months
Voluntary programme for ESA claimants in the Support Group
Funding
- Payment By Results basis, funded through benefit savings
- Funding drawn down when people move into work and sustain it, with payment points from 3 months and up to 2 years.
2 providers working across Cumbria, Lancashire and Liverpool City Region
Contracts in place for between 5-7 years
5. Key Principles of our Operating Model
Job first for customers
Focus on what customers can do rather than what they can’t do
Advisors work with customers throughout their journey to stable employment
Identify and support customers by the challenges they face not the benefit they are on.
Support and challenge customer to become ready for work and into work
Support the customer to manage a health condition not eliminate it
Actively manage the employer base
Proactive links to other initiatives – Skills, Enterprise, local agendas
6. Key Principles of our Operating Model
Customers who are able to work but do not engage - their journey programme will become increasingly tough
Show each customer why their lives are better in work than not working
It will always be better for customers to work than to remain on programme
We will have honest and direct relationship with the customer
We do not expect to go live with the finished operating model on Day 1
We will be highly structured, but flexible in our approach Job first for customers
7. Pre-referral:
Community Engagement / Community Managers
Engagement:
all via Jobcentre Plus
Customer Services Advisor (national contact centre)
Immediately look to make sure gets the most appropriate support
Focus:
Appropriate programme of support
Listening / Two way agreement
Universal Services
Literacy / Numeracy
Interview skills - techniques
Development Programmes
Support for Life – our sustainability offer
Re-commence
Better off / health / career not just a job
New role created – Community Manager to lead on community engagement
Research local community to identify key local stakeholders and opportunities for community engagement
Engage meaningfully with these organisations with a view to accessing their customers; creating A4e advocates and supporting them in their role
Actively seeking opportunities for co-location and co-creation
Substantial part of delivery will be through partners and 3rd party providersNew role created – Community Manager to lead on community engagement
Research local community to identify key local stakeholders and opportunities for community engagement
Engage meaningfully with these organisations with a view to accessing their customers; creating A4e advocates and supporting them in their role
Actively seeking opportunities for co-location and co-creation
Substantial part of delivery will be through partners and 3rd party providers
8. Work Programme – Development Programmes A4e Five Building Blocks of Sustainability
The core requirements to move away from benefits dependency
9. Employer Engagement Our approach is both Employer and Customer centric
Employer; to drive volume opportunities from all levels of employer
Customer; to create and deliver opportunity based on customer need
National employer team
Structured local approach
Labour market analysis
Engagement with local community
Monthly marketing campaigns
10. Delivering in Lancashire - Operations End-to-End (50.5% A4e / 49.5% Partners – whole of CPA)
(53.5% A4e / 46.5% Partners – Lancashire)
Blackpool / Fylde / Wyre – Blackpool Council / A4e
West Lancashire / Lancaster / Preston / Chorley / South Ribble - A4e
Burnley / Blackburn with Darwin / Hyndburn / Rossendale / Ribble Valley / Pendle - VEDAS and Bootstrap
Key messages:
Lancashire is the delivery area (not single areas)
Partners chosen for local experience / ability to draw in - access complimentary services / quality
11. Delivering in Lancashire - Operations NW ~ 650 organisations applied to provide specialist support.
Work alongside 10 carefully selected specialist intervention partners.
Expect whole supply chain to evolve over lifetime of the Work Programme.
50%+ specialist intervention partners are 3rd sector organisations and others Public sector eg Blackpool and Fylde College and the ‘Build Up’ LEGI project.
Partners include:
Youth Action, Members of the ‘Together Group’
Twin Valley Homes
Khulisa Crime Prevention - BME groups
The Experts Patients programme - exceptional mental Health provision
CanWe
12. Delivering in Lancashire – Building Effective Partnerships Committed to supporting Lancashire
Ongoing discussions:
Lancashire County Council
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
Blackpool Council
Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Economic Development Company
Jobcentre Plus
Will work alongside LEPs / Chambers of Commerce
Open to suggestions as to how we best engage with yourselves as the contract progresses
13. People and Places Employment is key to reducing health inequalities
Each 1% increase in unemployment sustained for five years produces in the 5th year
a 1.9% increase in total mortality
a 4.3% increase in male mental hospital admissions,
a 2.3% increase in female mental hospital admissions,
a 4% increase in prison admissions,
a 4.1% increase in suicide and
a 5.7% increase in homicide
Everyone in this room has a (financial) stake in reducing health-related worklessness
14. The Person Many people we help will face complex problems
Clients will need help from a range of sources / organisations
Customers common to us all
Collectively more effective / more efficient / resources go further / financial gains
Early thoughts:
Can we look to co-locate / develop cross referral mechanisms
Collectively explore opportunities to align or co-commission our Work Programme activity with local services.
This might include statutory services but also for example health, reducing reoffending, VCS activity
Small programmes / test-pilot initiatives / payment by results
15. The Place Ensure skills (retention-progress) / employability / in-work support offer meets local employer
Deliver job creation through enterprise, growing SMEs, support attracting inward investment
Maximise benefits from local procurement
Explore opportunities to bid for further funding eg RGF
Use our other contracts to support delivery of your priorities eg skills, financial inclusion
Identify opportunities to draw down further funding eg ESF / ERDF (Families / Enterprise)
16. A4e Work Programme - Summary Our model and partner infrastructure will evolve over the lifetime of the programme
Working in partnership with Lancashire is key – we can’t deliver the Work Programme on our own
More than a contractor we want to be a Strategic partner (5-7 years) – we will listen / bring ideas / innovation / commit resources
Immediate opportunity - DWP ESF employment focused provision for families with multiple problems
17. Thank You Paul Hardman – Regional Development DirectorPHardman@a4e.co.uk
07850 722596
Emma Palmer – Regional Development Manager
EPalmer@a4e.co.uk
07850 909381