 WORKING FOR FAMILIES Kelvin Gallery University of Glasgow Wednesday, 11 th February 2004

 Helen Chambers Head of Child Poverty Branch  Margaret Curran, MSP, Minister for Communities  Guidance overview  Sub-session 1  Coffee  Sub-session 2  Lunch  Clients perspective  Getting Going  Coffee  Monitoring and evaluation, Keith Hayton, GEN  Enterprise and Sustainability, Vivian Balmain, Community Enterprise in Strathclyde

 Margaret Curran MSP, Minister for Communities

 Working for Families Fund Why  320,000 children in households in poverty  14% children in workless households  187,000 children <16 of claimants of key benefits (20% of all children <16) But  Unemployment at 5.8%

 Barriers  Flexible, affordable, appropriate childcare  Personal circumstances –skills, qualifications, confidence, mental health, culture, debt  Benefit/tax credit complexities  Failure at transition points

 Sustainable Employment Worklessness Skills Training FE HE Volunteering Part-time work Full-time work

 TrainingBenefitsJobBenefitsStudy Activity Childcare

 TrainingBenefitsJobVolunteeringStudy Activity Childcare Support

 Target groups  Lone parents  pre-New Deal, entering employment, sustaining employment, entering FE/HE  Parents on low income  Other stress in household  disability, mental health, dugs/alcohol problems

 Service delivery  Parent Support  Service referral/brokering  Childcare – services/subsidy

 Outcomes  Employability focused Not  Childcare outputs

 Outcomes  Hard  employment/education/training/new deal  Soft  distance travelled

 Core themes  conjunction, alliance, affiliation, connection, combination, tie-up, togetherness a.k.a  Partnership  Sustainability  Flexible, parent-focused services

 Sub-session Choices 1.Urban issues to be overcome Gallery Restaurant (A) 2 minutes from Kelvin Gallery 2.Rural problems to be overcome Robing Room 3.Adult support to be delivered Gallery Restaurant (B) 2 minutes from Kelvin Gallery 4.Childcare challenges Carnegie Room 5.Client recruitment and referral Kelvin Gallery

 Clients Perspective I didn’t think I was worthy of it at all It’s been really confidence building for me I could just put the wean in one room and go up the stair to my class I wish you could do the HNC at Rosemount! The future for me is looking a lot brighter than it did a couple of years ago I was actually quite a bad heroin addict and in a bad way... now I am waiting to go to teacher training college Because I am going out and getting an education it shows my son that’s the way to go …with a bit of encouragement I was told I had the ability to go on and do a HNC

 Getting Going  Barriers  Solutions  The Way Forward

 Monitoring and Evaluation Guidance Keith Hayton Associate Director GEN Consulting Claremont House 20 North Claremont Street Glasgow G3 7LE Tel:

 Objectives  Why?  How?  What?  When ?

 Why?  Demonstrate that the target group is being reached; and  Show that this group is moving closer to employability.

 How(1)?  Have a project that will meet the Executive’s objectives;  Quantitative targets;  Have clear project outcomes:-  Numbers moving into/towards work or other positive outcomes; and  NOT the number of childcare places = output – a means to an end NOT the end.

 How (2)?  Honesty about what can be achieved with the client group in a relatively short time:-  “Hard” outcomes may be limited;  Need to measure “soft” outcomes

 What?  Implement a monitoring and evaluation framework:-  Profile information – show that the client group is being reached;  “Hard” outcomes – meet the Executive’s objectives;  “Soft” outcomes – distance travelled – e.g. changes in motivation and attitudes – need a baseline.

 When?  Various times:-  Profile and “soft” baseline at/near the start of the project;  On completion of the intervention – “hard” outcomes plus “distance travelled”; and  At various stages after the completion of the intervention (3, 6 or 12 months?):-  Sustainability of intervention;  “Hard” outcomes; and  “Distance travelled”.

 Conclusion  Monitoring and evaluation are not add ons;  Need to incorporated into project design;  If not:-  May not meet Executive’s objectives;  May not be able to show what has been achieved; and  Have to develop systems after the project has started.

 Vivian Balmain Development Officer Community Enterprise in Strathclyde Enterprise & Sustainability

 The Ideal World  Places for All  Realistic Fees  CTC / WTC  Job Security

 The Real World  Lack of Places  Fees  CTC /WTC  Contracts of Employment

 Sustainability  Self Sustaining v Subsidised  Sustainability Audits  Sound Business Practice  Investment Readiness Tool  Loan Finance

 What Works in Getting People Back to Work  Childcare Works  Full Employment Areas Initiative

 Summary of the day All the documents (guidance, outline proforma etc) and press releases issued by The Scottish Executive can be found on: