Fair Start Scotland - annual report: year one

1. Introduction

Employability services in Scotland

In 2015, following the independence referendum and subsequent Smith commission recommendations, the Scottish Government undertook a public consultation to develop a new approach to delivering employment support services. The consultation response ‘Creating a Fairer Scotland: A new future for employability support in Scotland’ laid the foundation for the design of new services that were devolved to Scotland in 2017, having previously been delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) across the UK. 

Responses to the consultation made clear the desire for individuals to feel more in control over their journey through support services into work; that they as “service users” should have a clearer voice in how services were designed and delivered; that services should be tailored to their individual needs; and that providers recognised their individual life circumstances and challenges. The consultation also showed that people were overwhelmingly in favour of a voluntary approach to engaging with services as there was real concern about the impact of benefit sanctions on individuals for non-participation.

The consultation responses laid the foundations for the employability services the Scottish Government wanted to see implemented, and that are now being delivered through Fair Start Scotland.

A year of transitional services followed in 2017, during which the Scottish Government worked with Service Providers and partners to successfully implement Work First Scotland and Work Able Scotland. The learning and critical success factors from delivering these transitional services informed the delivery of Fair Start Scotland from April 2018.

Fair Start Scotland 

In April 2018, the Scottish Government introduced its first fully devolved service, Fair Start Scotland. The service aims to support a minimum of 38,000 people who want help to find and stay in work, and for whom work is a reasonable objective.

It is delivered across nine geographical areas intended to align with specific local labour markets, whilst ensuring a consistent national standard of service delivery.

Fair Start Scotland builds on the principles established in the transitional services and supports the Scottish Government’s values and principles of public services which are delivered with dignity and respect to individuals.

Fair Start Scotland is not the only employability support in Scotland. A wide range of support is available to help people depending on their individual circumstances, in their journeys towards and into work. Support is available through the UK Government, third sector organisations, Local Authorities or other Scottish Government programmes and initiatives.

And in March 2018, the Scottish Government published No One Left Behind which set out a vision for more effective integration and alignment of the range of employability support and services, involving funders and delivery partners collaborating to simplify the current landscape and deliver better outcomes for people facing significant barriers to accessing work.

Current Labour market

In early 2019, the unemployment rate for Scotland (3.2%) reached a record low. Nevertheless, the Scottish Government’s economic, labour market and inclusive growth strategies recognise that, for many people living with poor health, financial disadvantage and other barriers, moving into secure and fair work remains a significant challenge.

Fair Start Scotland is designed to help people in their journey towards and into sustainable and good work, people who have traditionally faced significant challenges to obtaining work. This includes disabled people, people out of work due to ill health, long-term unemployed people and those from minority ethnic groups. 

Looking to the future, the Scottish Government is mindful of the need to respond to any future economic challenges and to any potential labour market fluctuations arising from EU exit.

Fair Start Scotland Aims

Fair Start Scotland is part of a wider vision for employability support and aims to take forward a uniquely Scottish approach to the delivery of employability services, including:

• a high quality service that maximises delivery of real and sustained job outcomes for individuals, treating them with fairness, dignity and respect;
• a programme of service integration and alignment that will seek to join up public employability services;
• support for those furthest removed from the labour market; 
• participation is voluntary, and people will not be driven to take part by fear of benefit sanctions; 
• person-centred support and not based on the type of benefit an individual receives;
• national service standards providing a high quality service and consistency of delivery across Scotland meaning that no one is left without the support they need.

Fair Start Scotland’s overall ambition is to help support people in their journey into, and their ability to stay, in work. The Service Providers that the Scottish Government has contracted to deliver Fair Start Scotland are financially rewarded when they support people to remain in work for 13, 26 and 52 weeks.

The complexity of the challenges people accessing Fair Start Scotland have means that the service is designed to take a long-term approach to people’s needs, which is reflected in the length and intensity of pre and in-work support on offer.

How participants access support

Potential participants can engage with Fair Start Scotland in a variety of ways. A referral can be made by an individual’s Jobcentre Plus (JCP) Work Coach. Alternatively, participants can be signposted to Fair Start Scotland through third party organisations or they can self-refer to their local Provider if they meet specific criteria. Third-party referrals relate to referrals from outwith JCP. A strong, and unexpected feature of the first year of service has been the number of referrals emerging from sources other than JCP. 

After a referral is made, the participant is matched with a Provider in their local area, the Provider makes contact and offers an introduction in which the service is fully explained, and the participant is then given the necessary information to engage with Fair Start Scotland.

If a participant chooses to engage with Fair Start Scotland, they are offered support tailored to their individual circumstances, and are expected to then work closely on a weekly basis with their Provider to identify their goals and ambitions, as well as their barriers to progressing towards employment.

Methodology

This report draws on a range of sources including analysis of management information on the demographic and background characteristics of participants in the first year of service delivery, information from Providers who deliver Fair Start Scotland and the two early evaluation reports. The Scottish Government also publishes quarterly reports on statistics around the performance of Fair Start Scotland. Many of the findings outlined are taken from the Fair Start Scotland Evaluation Report 2 – Overview of Year 1.^[2]

Case Study

Courtney (Lanarkshire)

From the age of 15, Courtney assumed care responsibilities full time. Thanks to this experience, when she was 18, Courtney decided to pursue a career in the area with the support of Fair Start Scotland (FSS). With the help provided by FSS, Courtney was successful in her application to become an Assistant Support Worker at Action for Children.

In speaking with Courtney she highlighted that her “confidence was at an all-time low, but I was made to feel at home and the support I received was really personal to me” when she joined FSS.

It wasn’t long before Courtney was referred to Action for Children for specialist support, taking part in a Positive Choices course for development and received a Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) Level 3 award in Health and Wellbeing. While discussing the course Courtney stated “I could tell my confidence was gradually increasing. The course was very useful, I learned about myself and it really helped me on my journey into work – I also managed to add the SQA award to my credentials.”

During her Positive Choices course, Courtney was informed that there was a position for an Assistant Support Worker at Action for Children and applied for the role. After a successful application, Courtney would receive additional support for the interview through FSS and go on to secure the role. Courtney stated “The preparation prior to my interview was instrumental in me securing this role. It really gave me confidence and belief I could make the job mine.” And that she was “over the moon” to have received the position.

When reflecting on the service provided by Fair Start Scotland, Courtney advised “The Fair Start Scotland service was great, I was allowed to go at my own pace and all the decisions were mine to make. It has really made a huge difference to my life, I am delighted with this outcome and I am looking forward to helping people who need the extra bit of support like I did. The whole experience was immense and it really helped spur me on to get this position.”