ESF DWP Employment Support Programme
Hertfordshire
Working with Reed in Partnership
1.0 Context
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is commissioning employment programmes in collaboration with Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) across LEP areas of England. These programmes respond to specific local needs and align with identified priorities for labour market participation and social inclusion. As part of the 2014-2020 European Structural Investment Fund programme in Hertfordshire, DWP have procured a voluntary programme to engage economically inactive individuals, particularly those who are disadvantaged and face multiple barriers to employment; and support them to find suitable, sustainable jobs. Reed in Partnership have secured this programme and seek organisations that are interested in working in partnership to deliver this service.
2.0 The Service
The aim of this service is to engage unemployed people from the local community and provide them with a tailored package of support to address their worklessness. The provision must engage with the individual, identify and address barriers to work and using a range of specialist and bespoke support/provision, to move the individual into sustained employment at the earliest opportunity.
The objectives of this three year programme are to:
· Provide a tailored package of support that is individualised, proactive and wraps around mainstream DWP provision and local services
· Reduce worklessness amongst disadvantaged people
· Help individuals into work and provide in-work support to enable them to sustain job outcomes
3.0 Eligibility
Participants for this programme must be unemployed or inactive and fall into one of the following categories:
· Long term unemployed or inactive (26 weeks or longer)
· Have a basic skills need
· Have more than one barrier to employment. Barriers may include:
o A lone worker
o An older worker (50+)
o An ex offender
o Caring responsibilities (including those returning to employment when caring responsibilities end)
o Have a physical or health condition, including sensory impairments
o Mental health or learning disability
o Drug/Alcohol dependency
o Be from a BAME group
o Have low or no qualifications
o Have a language barrier
o People on ESA / IB / JSA Claimants
Priority Group engagement Targets : 25% economically inactive; 75% unemployed (pre/post Work Programme); 20% on health-related benefits; 20% Carers/Lone Parents; 15% aged 50+; 17% NEET (18-24); & 8% ex-offenders
The maximum duration for each participant on the programme is a continuous period of 52 weeks.
4.0 Identification of participants and engagement
As this is a European funded programme, participation from the service user is voluntary. Therefore, providers are responsible for identifying eligible participants and engaging them onto the programme.
Participants should be identified through different sources by providers including (but not limited to):
· General provider recruitment
· Jobcentre Plus
· Community and voluntary sector organisations
· Local Authorities
· GPs/Health Workers
· Self-referrals
5.0 Partner delivery:
As a minimum, providers must undertake these mandatory service elements:
5.1 Assessment and Action plan
· Providers must deliver an initial face-to-face meeting, engaging the participant and delivering an in-depth needs assessment
· From this initial meeting, an Action Plan must be created setting out clear goals in a suitable timeline that supports an individual back into employment. This Action Plan must be agreed and signed by both parties
· The Action Plan must be reviewed monthly
5.2 Delivery of Programme
· Providers must deliver the service through trained delivery staff who have the ability to build rapport with the participant, identify participant barriers to employment and have a knowledge of employment issues affecting the local labour market
· Providers must deliver services within a framework of support that includes:
o Addressing participant motivation, confidence and attitudes to employment
o A dedicated Keyworker and a minimum of 1:1 monthly meetings
o Provide comprehensive employment support including (but not limited to): identifying job goals; job search and application; CV development; and interview skills
o Employability training including (but not limited to): communication skills; self-presentation; time keeping; and team building
o Basic IT skills that enable a participant to set up an email address, apply for jobs online and to manage a bank account online
o General skills provision where a lack of skills is a barrier to work e.g. Food Hygiene Certificates and CSCS cards
o Addressing language and cultural barriers to work
o Providing wider support needs including (but not limited to): financial management and debt and benefits advice; condition management; help with a substance or alcohol abuse issue; managing mental health conditions; help to obtain and sustain suitable accommodation; and support to become more independent. Providers may offer this support in-house or refer participants to suitable community support
o Providing work experience or volunteering placements
o Support for self-employment and business start up
o Signposting to DWP and non-DWP support including (but not limited to): ESOL; New Enterprise Allowance; Sector base work academies; Apprenticeships/Traineeships; National Careers Service; Basic Skills Support; ESF provision provided by Skills Funding Agency and/or the Big Lottery Fund
5.3 In-work support
· Providers must provide in-work support for participants who enter employment to ensure that they are supported to remain in work. This support may be up to 26 weeks for providers to achieve a 26 week sustained job outcome.
· Providers are expected to complete an exit review for 100% of participants, including early leavers.
6.0 Next steps
· Reed in Partnership seeks a provider to deliver services for 201 participants in the Council areas of Broxbourne and East Hertfordshire (Bishop’s Stortford / Hertford). As a minimum, Providers must deliver from premises in the borough of Broxbourne and be able to demonstrate how they will provide access to participants in East Hertfordshire, e.g. via fixed/outreach locations. Providers not able to provide a fixed delivery location within the borough of Broxbourne and demonstrate coverage of East Hertfordshire will not be considered to deliver this service
· The programme is three years long (2 years of referrals)
· The value of this contract is in the region of £289,500
· Providers will receive funding at the following claim points:
o 25% service fee to be paid monthly
o 40% to be paid on a short (13 weeks) job outcome
o 35% to be paid on a long (26 weeks) job outcome
· Only providers that have experience delivering voluntary, bespoke employment services to disadvantaged communities should apply for this opportunity
·
Providers wishing to deliver this service in partnership with Reed should complete this pro-forma by detailing answers to the five questions below. Please ensure that this pro-forma is returned to:
by 2pm on Thursday 30th June.
NB Providers that have completed a recent Reed in Partnership EOI for the Greater Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ESF/DWP opportunity need only complete Questions 1,2,4,5 and 6 below
Section 1: Organisation InformationOrganisation name
Name and job title of main contact
Job title
Telephone number
Email address
Address
Alternative contact name, phone number and email address
Question 2: Delivery Areas
Please detail below both the fixed addresses where you will deliver this employment service and how you intend to meet the needs of participants in East Hertfordshire. Please note that only organisations that have fixed addresses in Broxbourne and can demonstrate how they will provide access to participants in East Hertfordshire locations will be considered for this opportunity
Broxbourne:
East Hertfordshire:
Question 3: Performance and previous experience
Please indicate below previous experience of delivering voluntary programmes that engage unemployed people from disadvantaged communities
· Previous experience of delivering DWP programmes is preferred
· Please include multiple examples where possible
· Please ensure that performance is shown as a percentage against target
Contract name and Commissioner / Delivery dates / Volume of participants supported / Performance against target (shown as percentage) / Notes
Question 4: Engaging participants onto the programme
As this is an ESF/DWP programme, participation from service users is voluntary. Please indicate below where you intend to engage participants from
· Please use examples of previous engagement drives where possible, including the number of people engaged and the type of programme they were engaged onto
(please keep your answer to 300 words or under)
Question 5: Employer Engagement
Please indicate the types and number of relationships that you have with local employers.
· Please include examples of where you have placed participants of welfare to work programmes with local employers
(please keep your answer to 300 words or under)
Question 6: Staffing
Providers must ensure that staff are in place or will be recruited by 1st August 2016 to accommodate training, DBS checks etc. Contract go-live will be on the 15th August 2016.
Please can providers indicate in the box below that they will be able to meet the above staffing requirements
1
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