Improving Life Chances in Salford Transitions from education to adult life SSP Executive – Thursday 8 December 2011 Nick Page, Strategic Director Children’s Services Matthew Ainsworth, Skills and Work Commissioning Unit

Context What is the current picture? Our current response Thoughts for the future

Adult years Adults achieve economic independence and wellbeing, and provide a stable and supportive environment for their families Early years Every child is entitled to the best possible start in life that builds upon their individual needs, so that they meet their developmental and educational milestones and become confident and capable learners ready to start school Teenage years All young people have the skills and aspirations to make informed choices and reach their potential. Childhood years All children have equal opportunity to thrive and develop the foundations for future success in their adult years. Taking a lifecycle approach. Critical transition points and life moments… Equipped for life Attaining Aspiring Informed Connected Self sufficient Healthy and well Some communities and families are at more risk of poorer outcomes

A million reasons to act… Youth unemployment – 1 million record high nationally. Concerns that without further action we risk a ‘lost generation of young people – shut out of the labour market and increasingly disconnected from work and learning.’ (CLES 2011) Economic conditions continue to be challenging… …but there are opportunities. Ensuring young people have the skills required and support where needed to connect to opportunities. Welfare reform as well as changes to funding and eligibility. Maximising opportunities from national schemes (e.g. Youth Contract, Pupil Premium) as well as local community, public and private sector projects.

Over 2,465 reasons to act… Average rate of youth unemployment (based on JSA claimants) is 8.6 in comparison to a northwest rate of 9.2 and a national rate of 8. Salford rate increasing alongside national and regional trends. Salford performance is better than 14 out of 15 of statistical neighbours, but we still have approximately 2,465 young people claiming JSA Number of young people achieving A*-C continues to rise – now only 5% below national average. Gap between pupils eligible for free school meals and their peers at level 2 and level 3 has continued to reduce. Performance around NEET over the last months has often been better than the England average and those of our statistical neighbours.

Step change one: taking a prevention and early intervention approach Joining up interventions around shared outcomes Tackling risk factors early in life Tackling issues early on - delivering better outcomes and reducing demand Building community resilience and enabling self help

Step change two: employer engagement Single partnership business ‘offer’ Through work at MediaCityUK our 'offer' has already supported a number of employers to connect with local talent New opportunities e.g. Morrison’s staff, 167 (80%) from Salford of which 137 previously claiming a benefit. Included a programme for NEET young people. Building on what works through for example: –Future Jobs legacy programme –Pathways to construction –Apprenticeship incentives –Pre-employment training –Raising Aspirations programme –Quality universal and specialist IAG

Step change three: joining up investment Joining up services to deliver better outcomes for children, young people and their families more efficiently and effectively Moving towards a more integrated approach to commissioning: –Shared understanding of evidence, needs and assets, performance –Joint vision, approach and strategy –Developing service specifications around shared outcomes –Stakeholder management and support –Contract management

Step change four: learning and skills 60 targeted apprenticeships are being offered to support SMEs ‘Learning Champions’ - inspire and support residents into learning and to achieve essential Level 2/3 qualifications Community based Prepare to Teach Lifelong Learning programme Skills and Training Action Zones Strategic work around ESOL Work around Young and Adult Offender learner journeys Variety of public, private and community sector provision for young people not in education, employment and training

Step change five: financial inclusion Welfare Rights and Debt Advice Spotlight Early intervention and prevention and ‘triage’ approach in development Joint investment and collaborative delivery models Debt First Aid training is being delivered to front line workers, community and voluntary organisations and local Councillors Re-launch of Strategic Group & network

Going further and faster… Changing the way we work together – joining up, doing things at pace, scaling up and proactively planning Understanding our communities: evidence base to understand transition points / life moments, risks and assets Person centred approach – understand the needs and assets of individuals, families and communities Assets based approach - building community capacity and resilience Public sector reform driving integration