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: [email protected]
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
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