Fair Start Scotland: evaluation report 4 - year 3 overview

5. Process: referral and service delivery

As with previous year's evaluations, local area case studies were undertaken in three locations. The aims of the case studies were to:

• understand how FSS is being implemented across the different lots in Scotland
• understand the experience of FSS for lead providers, partner organisations, participants and employers
• identify what is working well and less well in the implementation of Fair Start Scotland
• identify lessons learned across the three years of the delivery period

As with last year it should be noted that planned fieldwork coincided with the national lockdown caused by the COVID-19 crisis and as such, it was not possible for researchers to engage with the breadth of participants that had been planned. In particular planned qualitative fieldwork with JCP staff and employers was not undertaken as initially intended. In response to the pandemic however, an additional focus on how providers have adapted to providing services within the current context has been included and features strongly across all three case study areas.

The following section sets out key findings from FSS delivery organisations, partners, stakeholders and participants in the three case study areas, which are Fife, Greenock, and Motherwell. In addition, a short survey of JCP frontline staff across Scotland was undertaken as well as interviews with senior stakeholders from both the DWP and the Scottish Government.

A complete report of findings from the case studies has been published separately as: Fair Start Scotland – Evaluation Report 4: Local Area Case Studies – Year 3.

5.1 Fair Start Scotland in Fife

Fife is a large geographical area with a number of challenges related to rurality as well as high degrees of income inequality. Fife forms part of contract area five of Fair Start Scotland where Start Scotland are the lead provider, with Triage Central Ltd also providing services to those in the Leven and Glenrothes areas.

Strengths of the FSS delivery model in Fife

Prior to the onset of the pandemic, Start Scotland felt that they had a strong productive relationship with local Jobcentres. However this was significantly impacted in Spring 2020 by Jobcentres having to shift their focus to responding to the large increase in the number of Universal Credit registrations resulting from consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to this situation both Start Scotland and Triage Central reported significant success in shifting the focus of their source of referrals to online recruitment via social media. This was achieved via a combination of advertising on existing locally focussed job search sites, community pages as well as paid advertising on social media sites such as Facebook.

One of the wider changes felt by providers as a result of the pandemic was a shift in the types of participants seeking support from FSS. Providers noted that since the onset of the pandemic they have been receiving many more referrals for individuals considered closer to the labour market, for instance individuals who have recently been made redundant. The type of support provided to such individuals therefore tends to focus less on removing barriers to employment and more on job search and application assistance. The providers felt that their capacity to adapt to a changing client group was significantly aided by the flexibility built into the service.

In addition to changes in sources of referrals and client types, providers also noted that changes in working conditions resulting from the pandemic have positively impacted on their capacity to deal with challenges presented by the geographical size of the Fife area. Specifically, a shift to remote working, telephone and online based engagement with participants reduced some of the inefficiencies generated by having to travel to meet with participants face-to-face. Staff also fed back that this shift to virtual appointments was positively received by participants, as it not only reduced travel times, but also allowed for more flexibility with regards to scheduling of appointments, which was particularly helpful for those receiving in-work support.

Another significant positive finding from the Fife area was related to the providers' capacity to access a large and varied amount of training and learning resources virtually via Start Scotland's parent company, FedCap. The breadth of opportunities presented by this resource, as well as the flexibility resulting from it being online were noted to be particularly helpful from the perspective of participants.

Challenges encountered delivering FSS in Fife

One of the significant challenges reported in Fife relates to the large number of pre-existing employability support services operating in the area, including a combination of public and third sector providers. FSS providers reported that this presents issues with regards to their capacity to attract participants due to the significant levels of competition between organisations. As has been the case for other areas with existing complex support landscapes, providers felt that the situation was additionally complicated by risks associated with the potential for double funding of support to individuals. An additional complicating factor relates to the capacity of providers to engage with local employers when there are already a number of other organisations attempting to do the same, particularly when others can offer grants as part of support packages.

"[The] landscape feels full and crowded and confusing for us as providers let alone for participants."

- Provider

Providers also noted a number of challenges they felt stemmed from some of the performance management parameters associated with delivery of FSS. For instance providers stated that they would like to see greater flexibility in relation to the three hour contact time that is expected to take place with participants on a weekly basis, increased flexibility around definitions pertaining to the 16 hour a week job outcome, as well as reducing the frequency of monthly meetings which take place between SG and the providers.

The providers also noted that while they felt there were some benefits to adopting a remote working approach as a result of the pandemic, they also faced a number of challenges related to the potential for digital exclusion of participants. Access to digital devices and broader connectivity issues were raised as significant challenges with providers feeling that funding to overcome such issues was outstripped by demand.

5.2 Fair Start Scotland in Greenock in Inverclyde

Greenock is an urban area noted for high levels of deprivation and low job density. Greenock sits within contract area nine of Fair Start Scotland with delivery being led by The Wise Group with support from Enable Scotland.

Strengths of the FSS delivery model in Greenock

As with other providers contacted during this year's evaluation, there was significant focus placed on the shift away from in person support to online support resulting from the pandemic. The providers in Greenock noted that this did present a number of benefits, including efficiencies gained from not having to travel to meet participants and successfully moving towards recruitment of participants directly using social media.

"If you asked me 18 months ago, 'Would you deliver it remotely?', I would have said, 'Absolutely not, it won't work', but it has and it is fantastic."

– Provider

The providers were also keen to stress what they saw as some of the key benefits of the FSS delivery model, including the duration of support offered to individuals, the voluntary nature of the programme, as well as the offer of in-work support. Combined, these elements of delivery were felt to work well for participants, increasing motivation and helping to facilitate achieving successful job outcomes.

Another strength that was noted within Greenock stemmed from the availability of staff who have particular specialist knowledge and experience who can be matched to participants, for instance staff with a particular focus on helping participants who would like to pursue self-employment. Furthermore, participants within Greenock are able to access broader services operated by The Wise Group as well other support organisations, thereby providing participants with a broad range of activities to help support them on their journey toward work.

Challenges encountered delivering FSS in Greenock

As with a number of other areas, concerns were raised about the challenges of operating in an environment where there are a large number of employability services already in place. Providers felt that they were often in competition with other services with regards to recruiting participants. This is further complicated by the providers view that the relationship between the Jobcentre and FSS in Inverclyde does not appear to be as strong as in other case study areas. While this appears to have been particularly heightened during the pandemic staff felt that there were longer standing issues which impacted on the quality of referrals received, as well as a perceived preference amongst Jobcentre staff to refer eligible clients to other non-FSS services.

Similar to feedback received from other areas, providers also felt that while there were significant strengths associated with the FSS model, there was also room for improvement, particularly around granting greater flexibility in relation to the definition of job outcomes and reducing requirements for providers to engage in what were perceived as administratively burdensome tasks.

5.3 Fair Start Scotland in Motherwell in North Lanarkshire

Motherwell is an urban area with a history of high unemployment and many existing support services in place. In terms of Fair Start Scotland delivery, Motherwell sits within contract area two and delivery is led by Remploy Limited, supported by Enable Scotland.

Strengths of the FSS delivery model in Motherwell

As with the other two local case study areas, providers in Motherwell discussed the substantial impact that the pandemic has had on their operating model. As with the other areas, staff reported that there were benefits gleaned from moving to a remote working approach. In response to the pandemic staff introduced a number of measures to help participants, including the use of 10 to 15 minute long 'micro appointments' to allow participants the opportunity to check in with staff in a less formal manner. In addition, Remploy developed online based group sessions focussed on topics such as confidence building and interviewing. Staff felt that these were particularly well received by younger participants who are more confident in using such technology.

More broadly, feedback from the provider highlighted a recognition that during the height of the pandemic many participants were vulnerable, struggling with their mental health and sometimes FSS staff were perhaps the only individual speaking to participants on a regular basis. While this was challenging Remploy noted that all of their staff are trained in mental health first aid and were able to adapt to the changing needs of participants.

"During Covid we made quite a switch to keeping in touch – for example, we were organising medication etc for those shielding. For some we were their only contact during a week and they trusted us. We were focusing on mental health and hardship support like food banks. All our staff were trained in mental health first aid."

- Provider

A significant strength noted within this case study was the successful use of a dedicated full time liaison officer employed by Remploy to work with Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches. The provider noted that the creation of this role has had a substantial positive impact on their relationship with local Jobcentres, and has increased not just referral volumes, but also the number of appropriate referrals into the service.

As with the other case study areas the provider in Motherwell drew attention to a number of components of the FSS delivery model which they felt worked particularly well and helped them support individuals. Particularly welcome was the decision to allow re-entry into FSS for participants who have left. Staff felt that this allowed for much greater flexibility and a stronger person-centred approach which was ultimately beneficial for participants.

Challenges encountered delivering FSS in Motherwell

Similar to the other areas studied, providers described Motherwell - and North Lanarkshire more broadly - as an area with a large number of existing employability support services with a particular focus on the longer term unemployed. In particular North Lanarkshire is noted for its longstanding Routes to Work (RTW) programme, established by the council in 1992. This programme uses European Social Fund (ESF) funding to provide specialist employability support to those with significant barriers to employment. Researchers undertook interviews with both FSS providers in the area, North Lanarkshire council staff as well as RTW staff who all noted the lack of joined up working between FSS and the existing employability landscape.

The introduction therefore of FSS into an area with a well-established existing landscape of support during a time of record employment presented challenges for the provider with regard to their capacity to distinguish themselves, generate referrals and build relationships with existing support providers.

5.4 Reflections on Delivery Across Three Years of FSS

Drawing on findings from across the three years that local area case studies were conducted, as well as additional fieldwork with stakeholders during the last year of the evaluation, a number of key findings were identified.

Context of Delivery

Both the design and delivery of Scotland's first devolved national employability service have been strongly shaped by the context within which it has been operating. The service was designed and launched in the context of a labour market with historically high employment rates, therefore a focus on those with persistent and complex barriers to employment was well suited to this context. However changes to labour market conditions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic appear to have at least in part shifted the focus of delivery to those closer to the labour market.

Beyond labour market conditions, findings from across the three years of evaluation strongly suggest that FSS has been operating in what is often described as a cluttered employability landscape. Stakeholders reported feeling that the service had fallen short of ambitions to facilitate more joined up working at a local level, instead often acting as yet another provider within an environment where many services are already operating.

"Fair Start has not met our ambitions in terms of alignment with local activity. This includes relationships with local authorities, the lack of integration and alignment – and the lack of local ownership as part of local offer."

- Scottish Government Stakeholder

These findings reinforce the fact that services such as FSS and their capacity to deliver against goals is subject to a range of conditions beyond factors accounted for by referring to performance metrics. Therefore future iterations of employability support need to be designed in such a way as to take a holistic approach, accounting for variable labour market conditions, as well as taking into consideration how delivery will operate within a pre-existing landscape of employability support.

It should be noted that the Scottish Government's ambitions around the development of the No One Left Behind (NOLB)^[12] approach to employability services have been developed with these issues in consideration. Evaluation of this new approach will include a focus on demonstrating whether NOLB has been more successful with regards to tackling the aforementioned challenges.

Participant Experience

Across the three years of local area case studies participant views on their experience of FSS have tended to be very positive. Participants often highlighted that they were treated in a way which felt respectful and considerate and were enthusiastic about the tailored support that they received. Participants also tended to be very positive about some of the key aspects of FSS service design, such as its voluntary nature as well as access to in-work support for those who found employment. These findings are broadly reflected in other elements of fieldwork from the evaluation, most notably from the participant telephone survey.

Many of the participants contacted as part of the local area case studies were of the opinion that the skills, support and confidence gained through their involvement with the service were pivotal to helping them find work, and that this would not have happened without support from the service.

"I wasn't confident at all in applying for retail jobs but they supported me the entire way and I feel a lot more confident. That's how I was able to get my current job."

- FSS Participant

Notwithstanding the generally positive views of participants contacted as part of this fieldwork, it was recognised by stakeholders that there is still significant work to be done with regards to the service's capacity to engage with those furthest from work, as well as with groups who tend to be underrepresented in employability services.

In particular Scottish Government staff acknowledged that the level of support required for individuals with complex health needs had been underestimated at the outset and that further work was also required to reach historically underrepresented groups.

"We are now looking at this. Have we got the promotion right? Are providers reaching out to these people – they are not necessarily in Jobcentres every month or week so they are not getting the referral pathways. There are people who could benefit from IPS and supported employment and Fair Start Scotland providers have enhanced their own third party referrals – but it needs much more embedded relationships."

- Scottish Government Stakeholder

Delivery Model

Stakeholders from across the three years of the local case studies, including providers, participants and referral partners tended to agree that there were certain core strengths of the FSS delivery model. These included the voluntary nature of the service, the length of support offered, access to in-work support and the use of a person-centred approach amongst other factors.

However there was also consistent feedback, from providers in particular, about certain elements of the delivery model which were felt to be too inflexible, including the strictly defined job outcomes as well as requirements around the frequency and content of engagement with participants. It should be noted that in relation to this the Scottish Government's position is that these requirements are integral to delivery of high quality services for participants.

Another key finding from the case study areas pertains to the pivotal nature of the relationship between providers and local Job Centres. Feedback received from front line JCP staff seemed to suggest a positive view of the relationship with 76% contacted via a survey agreeing that they worked well with local providers. However this was often at odds with findings from interviews with providers who noted that the number of referrals flowing from JCP's was lower than expected and that, particularly in the first year of delivery, that there were often misunderstandings around suitability of potential clients for the service. In general findings suggest that there may have been some degree of misalignment of expectations between SG, DWP/JCP's and providers.

However it should also be noted that in the Year 2 report there was evidence to suggest that the relationship between JCP and providers had significantly improved with many of the issues identified in year one being resolved. It is therefore likely that the improved relationships being developed in year two may have been affected to some extent by issues brought on by the pandemic. More broadly it should also be noted that where the relationship between providers and JCP's worked well tended to be in areas where significant investment of time and effort had been made in facilitating communication and understanding between the organisations, often through the use of approaches such as co-location or the use of dedicated liaison staff.

What worked well?

A number of positives were identified through this year's local area case studies including the capacity of providers to adapt to remote working with participants as a result of the pandemic and pivoting towards the use of social media to generate referrals in the absence of referrals from JCP's in the first months following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition providers highlighted that a key strength of the FSS delivery model was its flexibility and capacity to adapt to changing circumstances.

What were the challenges? / How could we improve?

It was noted that some of the improvements seen in last year's report with regards to improved relationships between providers and local stakeholders were not able to be evidenced in this year's findings, likely due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As has been the case with previous years reports a number of challenges were also identified regarding the local employability landscape in each case study area, with providers and stakeholders stating that the local employability landscape remains cluttered and confusing to navigate for participants. It should be recognised that while there is a commitment on the part of SG to develop services which aid alignment and service integration that there is also scope for service providers to engage more effectively with existing local employability organisations.

What is Scottish Government doing?

We recognise that a national service such as Fair Start Scotland has limited scope to make a deeper impact on the local governance of public services. Simplification of the employability landscape from the service user's point of view is a key driver of No One Left Behind, Scottish and Local Government's shared vision for the future of employability support in Scotland. Through this approach, we have recognised that employability is part of a wider public service offer, and that attempting to support someone through employability provision without ensuring wrap around support from Health, Justice, Housing and other services is unlikely to result in optimal outcomes for those furthest from the labour market.

A key focus for development of phase 2 of No One Left Behind has been strengthening local partnerships to ensure they can support the move to local governance of services, and that services can be planned, designed and delivered collaboratively across local organisations and sectors.

Part of this will require providers to play an active role in the wider landscape, but fundamentally, this is about ensuring better outcomes for service user's through having better aligned support across the public sector, and viewing their journey towards work holistically, rather than seeing the role of employability in a specific silo.

For the remainder of FSS delivery we will continue to facilitate and encourage service providers to develop and enhance their partnerships with other local service delivery organisations to provide a more integrated offer of support for participants. This is a key element of our performance management approach and will we continue to monitor progress through provider action plans and stakeholder feedback.