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Improving Employment Prospects of blind and partially sighted people

Improving Employment Prospects of blind and partially sighted people. Alex Saunders, Enabler Project Manager, Ruth Morrell, Employment Advisor RNIB Scotland, Glenn Paisley. Introduction. The background to the Enabler Project What is the Enabler Project? The Assessment Toolkit

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Improving Employment Prospects of blind and partially sighted people

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  1. Improving Employment Prospects of blind and partially sighted people Alex Saunders, Enabler Project Manager, Ruth Morrell, Employment Advisor RNIB Scotland, Glenn Paisley

  2. Introduction • The background to the Enabler Project • What is the Enabler Project? • The Assessment Toolkit • A clients viewpoint • Questions? • Next steps

  3. Background to the Enabler Project • 66% of people with sight loss are economically inactive • 9 out of 10 employers rate it difficult or impossible to employ someone with sight loss. • In 2010-2011 RNIB/Action for Blind People supported 1164 people with sight loss to remain in work or to gain employment

  4. Background to the Enabler Project • The work Focus Project (2008-2010) examined 350 people to ask what gets people into work? • Including basic skills gaps. Recognition of the differences in customers, one size doesn't fit all. • Evaluation and providing bespoke training for people with sight loss.

  5. Enabler Project • The Enabler Project emerged to address these issues. • Partnership between RNIB, Action for Blind People, University of Birmingham with support from Big Lottery. • Three year project with two main aims and objectives.

  6. Two Objectives • Develop a standardised assessment model which would increase our understanding of the needs and barriers facing job seekers with sight loss. • Supporting employment professionals working with customers requiring a great deal of support on their way into employment, developing new ways of working.

  7. Key Objectives • Formulating the assessment tool based on good practice, working with employment professionals in the field and blind and partially sighted people, drawing on their expertise to design, deliver and revise the toolkit. • Questions are designed to generate information used to inform the assessment • This can then be used to measure and communicate distance travelled.

  8. The Assessment Toolkit • Testing the toolkit in the field within two research phases, learning through practice about what works and what doesn't work • Some questions have a screening function • These questions taken with the broader questions can be used to give the customer and employment professional an indication of the level of support a client requires.

  9. Testing the Assessment Toolkit • Trialled with 14 clients • 7 Employment professionals tested the toolkit in the field • Outside of contractual obligations • 10 month trial of the toolkit in the field • Testing of pre employment programme

  10. Activity • What do you think are important areas to consider when assessing the back to work support a person with sight loss would require? • How would you prioritise these areas?

  11. What's in the toolkit? • 7 areas of screening including: • Employment experience • Access to information • Computer skills • Independent Travel • Vision • Education and Training • Motivation and Focus

  12. What's in the toolkit? • On completion of the screening tool clients can be placed in one of the following levels of support, giving both clients and employment professionals an opportunity to track progress towards employment.

  13. What's in the Toolkit? • Level 1 - work ready • Level 2a - nearly work ready (closer) • Level 2b - nearly work ready (further) • Level 3- Longer term support needed • Level 4 - Foundation work required before employment services

  14. What's in the Toolkit? • The screening tool also enables a comprehensive action plan to be developed with the client, identifying barriers and how to overcome them according to SMART goals. • This is a interactive document which can demonstrate progress and develops over time with the client.

  15. The results from the trial • 12 out of 14 clients made progress to employment • 2 Enabler Clients attending a pre employment course are now in paid work • 3 participants secured full time education courses • 6 clients moved closer to employment • 7 clients benefited from voluntary work as the first step towards employment.

  16. The results from the trial • 1 person secured 10 hours support work from local authority, moving him from a situation of isolation into a position where he was able to undertake voluntary work. • Confidence and motivation levels have increased for the majority of clients over the ten month trial.

  17. A clients viewpoint of the Enabler Project • Glenn Paisley • Glenn has participated in the trial of the toolkit, which included recording his experiences, discussing with researchers his experiences and thoughts to give a detailed insight into his journey towards employment.

  18. The Next Steps • Launched the Employment Assessment Toolkit on 18 March 2013. • Employment Assessment Toolkit launch event on 18 June, aimed at prime contractors. Presenting the toolkit and our work with people furthest from the labour market.

  19. The ENABLER Project: www.rnib.org.uk/employmentservices www.actionforblindpeople.org.uk The DVD

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