WORKING FOR FAMILIES

WORKING FOR FAMILIES

Kelvin GalleryUniversity of Glasgow

Wednesday, 11th 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 FundWhy

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

SkillsTraining

FE

HE

Volunteering

Part-time work

Full-timework

Training Benefits Job Benefits Study

Activity

Childcare

TrainingBenefits JobVolunteering Study

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 Choices1. 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 PerspectiveI 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 collegeBecause 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 HaytonAssociate DirectorGEN Consulting

Claremont House20 North Claremont Street

GlasgowG3 7LE

Tel: 0845-120-6244Email: keith.hayton@genconsulting.co.uk

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:

www.scotland.gov.uk/workingforfamilies