Job Start Payment evaluation: annex B - qualitative research

Appendix B- Young people discussion guides

Applicant Version

Job Start Payment

Discussion Guide, November 2021

Versions for those who have applied 'All',

including 'successful applicants' and 'unsuccessful applicants'.

All - Set up

Introduce Diffley Partnership Team

Welcome to the Discussion Group–

- Explain the discussion will last up to 45 minutes

- There will be plenty of time to get your views across and discuss issues between yourselves, something we encourage; my role is to keep the conversation flowing, ensuring we cover the broad areas we need to and ask any follow-up questions,

- Fully anonymous and confidential; The Diffley Partnership abide by the Market Research Society Code of Practice and the SRA Ethical Guidelines.

- Request permission to record discussion – with your permission I will record the discussion; this is just so we can go back and listen again after the discussion. This recording will be deleted and we will never share this with anyone outside our research team.

Do you have any questions before we start?

All- Introductions and opening discussion

Can you please tell me a bit about the impact the pandemic has had for you? Prompts- working, types of jobs, career plans, education plans, caring responsibilities, money and savings.

Have you moved recently to take up any opportunities such as study or work?

How did you first hear about Job Start Payment?

Prompts- from whom, when abouts including

Did anyone recommend you look into applying?

Prompts- friends/ family, employer, recruiter, Career coach/ Job Centre, social worker, charity

How easy or difficult did you find it to work out if you could be eligible to receive Job Start Payment?

Unsuccessful applicants - Details of their Circumstances

Were you receiving any of the qualifying benefits beforehand?

Check-

• Income-based Job Seeker's Allowance
• Contributions Job Seeker's Allowance
• Income Support
• Income-related Employment Support Allowance
• Contributions Employment Support Allowance
• Universal Credit

Follow up- for roughly how long?

What was your employment status at the time you applied for Job Start Payment?

Check-

• Out of work for approximately how long
• Working on and off
• Studying/ education and working
• Self-employed

Please tell me a bit more about your job offer which led you to apply for Job Start Payment.

What kind of company was it with?

what kind of contract were you offered?

What were your expected weekly hours?

How long between being offered the job and your start date roughly?

Unsuccessful applicants - Application Process

How did you find the application process?

Check mode-

• Online
• by phone
• by post

Did you speak to any staff about your application?

*Only if contacted to Social Security Scotland staff (which they should have been)

How did they communicate with you?

By phone

By post

Follow up- How did you find this?

How easy or difficult did you find submitting evidence to support your application? Prompts- job offer date, recipient of qualifying benefits

Did your new employer provide you with any supporting evidence?

Did you expect to be successful when you applied?

Roughly how long did it take from first applying to finding out you were unsuccessful? – Prompt around how many weeks or months?

How did you find out?- by phone, email

How many times did you try to apply? Prompts- just the once or more than once, whether they were advised to re-submit

Have you any suggestions for improvement around the application process? Prompts- communication, accessibility, timescales

Unsuccessful applicants – Impact

Should you have been awarded JSP, what were you thinking to spend the money on? Prompts- Public Transport, car costs including fuel, buying new clothing, Tools/ equipment for new job, food, bills, paying off debt e.g. credit card, loan, spending money on family members

What impacts did not receiving JSP have for you? Probe- please tell me more about your employment situation

How do you feel about your future job prospects?

How would you feel about applying for JSP again?

Successful applicants- Application Process

How did you find the application process?

Check mode-

• Online
• by phone
• by post

Did you speak to any staff about your application?

*Only if contacted to Social Security Scotland staff (which they should have been)

How did they communicate with you?

• By phone
• By post

Follow up- How did you find this?

How easy or difficult did you find submitting evidence to support your application? Prompts- job offer date, recipient of qualifying benefits

Did your new employer provide you with any supporting evidence?

Roughly how long did it take from first applying to receiving the benefit? Prompt- weeks or months

How many times did you try to apply? Prompts- just the once or more than once,

Follow up- were you advised to re-submit?

* Only if unsuccessful before successful

Do you know the reason for your denial? Prompts- dates, location, age, qualifying benefits, evidence required

Have you any suggestions for improvement around the application process? Prompts- communication, accessibility, timescales

Successful applicants- Spend

How much did you receive? Prompts- £250/£252.50 or £400/£404

There are no restrictions around what Job Start Payment is spent on. Can you tell us what you spent it on? Prompts- Public Transport, car costs including fuel, buying new clothing, Tools/ equipment for new job, food, bills, paying off debt e.g. credit card, loan, spending money on family members

Did it cover/ not cover your travel to your new place of work? Please tell me more about your travel arrangements and costs and if you think they would change post pandemic?

Successful applicants- Impacts

Did receiving JSP help you at all? Follow up with probes- How so/ not so?/ In what ways?/ Please tell me more.

*Only for parents

How did receiving JSP help your family at all? Probe- how so/ how not so?

Did JSP help you take up your new job at all? Probe- how so/ how not? (checking whether pivotal to taking up the job or meeting the costs to take up)

Did JSP impact how confident you felt when starting your new job? Probe- how so/ how not?

Could you describe the impact the new job had on your life? Prompts- well-being, social network, financial independence, lifestyle improvement, more optimistic about career. Probe- how so/ how not?

Follow up- how about your social network? How has it made you feel about your career? Probe- how so/ how not?

*Only for parents

What difference did starting this new job mean for your family? Prompts- well-being, financial, lifestyle improvement Probe- how so/ how not?

What are your circumstances now?

Check-

• Same employment
• Different employment
• Unemployed
• Education/ training
• Other

All - Conclusions and wrap-up

Would you recommend young people you know apply for JSP? Probe- How so/ how not?

Lastly, do you have any suggestions for improvement so that Job Start Payment can help young people who are out of work and starting a new job?

Thank you for your time today.

To confirm you will receive a e-gift card for Love2Shop for £30 as a thank you for your time today. Please check your email, including your junk mail folder. Any problems let us know.

Non-applicant version

Job Start Payment

Discussion Guide, December 2021

Version for non-applicants (who are not in school and have taken up employment)

Set up

Introduce Diffley Partnership Team

Welcome to the Discussion Group–

- Explain the discussion will last up to 45 minutes

- There will be plenty of time to get your views across and discuss issues between yourselves, something we encourage; my role is to keep the conversation flowing, ensuring we cover the broad areas we need to and ask any follow-up questions,

- Fully anonymous and confidential; The Diffley Partnership abide by the Market Research Society Code of Practice and the SRA Ethical Guidelines.

- Request permission to record discussion – with your permission I will record the discussion; this is just so we can go back and listen again after the discussion. This recording will be deleted and we will never share this with anyone outside our research team.

Do you have any questions before we start?

Preamble

We are talking to you today because we have been commissioned by the Scottish Government to evaluate a benefit called Job Start Payment.

As part of the evaluation we are speaking to young people who have applied for the benefit.

We are also speaking to young people, such as yourself, who have not applied for the benefit.

Hearing about your experiences will help inform Scottish Government about the wider context of young people and work, including the costs of starting a new job.

Employment History

What opportunities have you looked into in the past few years?

• Employment
• Apprenticeships
• College/ University

How has the pandemic impacted your opportunities and your choices?

Have you received any guidance about your opportunities?:

• Careers advice and guidance through school/ college/ university
• Job centre plus
• My World of Work/ Young Person's Guarantee (SDS)
• Charities
• Trade unions
• Professional bodies

Please tell me more

Please tell me about your employment status in the past few years

Follow up if have worked-

• What kind of companies have you worked for?
• what kind of contracts have you been offered?
• What amount of weekly hours have you been working?

What was your employment status at the moment?

Check-

• Out of work, for approximately how long
• Working on and off
• Studying/ education and working
• Self-employed

Follow up if working-

Please tell me more about your current job

• What kind of company do you work for?
• What kind of contract do you have?
• What kind of hours do you work?

Follow up if not working-

Please tell me a bit more

• Are you actively looking for work at the moment?
• What kind of work are you looking for?
• Have you any concerns about starting a new job when you are offered one?

Follow up if self-employed-

• Please tell me a bit more
• When did you set up as self-employed?

Did you gain any financial assistance to help you whilst contracts picked up?

Experience of starting jobs

Interviewer check responses to survey- taken up new jobs within the JSP period- one/ more than one.

In your survey you said that you had taken up Interview enter job/ jobs, since May 2020

Please tell me a bit more about the job/s you have taken up

• Were you out of work for any periods in between jobs?
• Did any jobs fall through?
• Were you doing any trial shifts?
• Did you get advice about jobs from any professionals such as careers advisors?
• Where did you look for jobs?
• Did you go through any recruitment agencies?

Have you found any financial difficulties when starting a new job?

Have you ever been put off applying for/ or taking up a job because the upfront costs were too high?

Have you ever had to pay anything upfront before getting your first salary payment?

Prompts- travel costs, uniform and equipment costs, childcare costs

Did you expect these costs before starting the job?

How have you managed to pay for up front costs before getting your first salary payment?

Prompts- savings, credit, loans, borrow family and friends

Did you look into what financial assistant you could get to help with these upfront costs?

Did you look into what benefits were available, such as Job Start Payment?

Knowledge, Experience and Views of JSP

Interviewer check survey response- note whether they had heard/ not heard of JSP prior to our survey and whether they are aware/ unaware of assistance from government

If respondent not heard of JSP prior to our survey:

Job Start Payment is a benefit to help young people with the cost of starting a new job.

How might receiving that benefit have helped you?

Interviewer check survey response- note whether heard of JSP but not applied.

If respondent heard of JSP but did not apply:

When and how did you first become aware of Job Start Payment?

Please tell us more about why you didn't apply for Job Start Payment

You said in our survey your reasons were Interviewer enter, please tell me more

If respondent heard of JSP, and did not complete their application:

You said in our survey your experience starting to apply for Job Start Payment was Interviewer enter, please tell me more

Details of their Circumstances

Interviewer- check survey responses and select questions accordingly- benefits, disability, parents etc.

If claiming any of the eligible benefits-

Have you had any advice about benefits you may be eligible for and from whom?

Check-

• Social worker
• Job Centre Plus

How would you describe your financial situation at the moment?

Do you feel able to deal with the unexpected i.e. an unexpected expense of £200 or more-

Why/ why not?

How does thinking about your financial situation make you feel?- why?

Have you had any advice about financial management and from whom?

Check-

• Friends and family
• Bank/ building society
• Credit union
• Money Advice Scotland
• Other charities
• Sources online- websites/ videos

Can you please tell me a bit about the impact the pandemic has had for you? Prompts- health and wellbeing of them and their family

How do you feel about your future job prospects?

Suggestions

Interviewer- check response to last question in the survey and follow up

Lastly, do you have any suggestions for the Scottish Government to help young people who are out of work and starting a new job?

Conclusions and wrap-up

Thank you for your time today.

To confirm you will receive a e-gift card for Love2Shop for £30 as a thank you for your time today. Please check your email, including your junk mail folder over this coming week. Any problems let us know.

Thank and close