Work Choice Best Practice Magazine Autumn 2017

@AdvanceUK.org @Advancetweets

www.advanceuk.org

I was appointed as Head of Employment & Skills for Advance in July 2017, at an exciting and transitional time for Advances’ Employment & Skills Division. We have been delivering the Work Choice contract in Birmingham & Solihull and The Black Country as a Prime Provider since 2010, supporting over 800 disabled and disadvantaged individuals into sustained employment. We have also delivered a number of Supported Business Places through our partner network of supportive employers including DRC, Better Pathways and Creative Support. This provision is critical in supporting our customers through their journey into ‘Open Employment.’

In 2017 Advance also successfully gained the Registration of Training Providers on the Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) register. This will enable us to deliver apprenticeships to individuals and also look to deliver specialist apprenticeships to disabled individuals.

The introduction of the Work & Health Programme will see an end to Work Choice referrals on 1st December 2017. We have to ensure that we maximise referrals onto the Work Choice programme up to that date, to ensure that this successful and trusted programme can continue to fulfil its objectives of supporting people into sustained employment.

My team and I will continue to build relationships with commissioners, stakeholders and referral organisations to attain as many Work Choice programme starts as possible.

There will be opportunities through other commissioning bodies such as Local Authorities, Local Employment Partnerships (LEP’s), Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG’s) and private funders to deliver more localised and specialist employability and skills contracts.

The Employment and Skills division will also need to diversify and introduce more innovation to deliver better value for money contracts to even more individuals. Therefore I will be looking at opportunities to diversify and increase our contracts in areas such as NEET’s, Carers, and opportunities for the 50+ and Social Enterprises.

My medium to long term priority is to sustain the employment division in the West Midlands and expand our geographical coverage, across a range of employability and skills contracts.

If we manage to deliver these priorities, it will help us in achieving our primary aim, which is to support even more disabled and disadvantaged individuals to better their prospects, lives and lifestyles through the world of employment.

Meet Jagdeep Soor, Head of Employment & Skills

The Work Choice programme provides support for people with disabilities, Learning difficulties and mental health conditions who want to find and keep a job. We have offices located in Solihull, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Erdington, and Northfield. Landau are based in West Bromwich and Sandwell MBC deliver from Smethwick and Dudley. Our Work Choice team give advice and support to help prepare people for work. We offer: • One to one specialist support • Training • Job search skills development

• Advice on interview techniques • Supported Business Placements For people in work, our Work Choice team can help you by providing advice and support to help people stay in work and develop their career by: • Supporting you to build a good relationship with your manager • Providing advice to your employer so they can support you • Giving advice on assistive technology

Expert advice on the world of work

Get the clothes, Get the confidence, Get the job! Smart Works is a UK charity that dresses and coaches unemployed women for their job interview. Helping women to feel confident, look fabulous, succeed at their job interview and move on with their lives: the service launched in Birmingham in summer 2016. Smart Works Birmingham has supported almost 280 women so far from Birmingham and Solihull and 55% of those who have gone through the service go on to get the job.

Each woman who comes to Smart Works receives a free personal styling session to help find an outfit for their interview from the boutique style dressing room. The clothes are theirs to keep and each also receives a second dressing voucher so that when they achieve their job, they can return for clothes for work.

Following a styling session, each client receives a one-to-one interview coaching session to help boost confidence, run through any last minute nerves and check that each client is as prepared as they can be for their interview.

The service is delivered by a team of female, professional volunteers who put clients at their ease and help to ensure that every woman who comes through the door at Smart Works can walk out understanding their strengths and skills, what’s expected of them at interview all while looking smart and feeling empowered.

This year, across the UK, Smart Works will dress and coach more than 3,000 women.

www.smartworks.org.uk/birmingham-smart-works

Smart Works

Couldyouhelpalocalpersonwithadisabilitytogainpaidworkexperience?Withnocosttoyouandfullsupportfromus,isn’tittimeyougavesomeonethechancetoshine?Ourtraineeshipprogrammesupportslocalpeoplewithdisabilities,learningdisabilities,ormentalhealthconditionstogainvaluablepaidworkexperience.Wepaythetraineeand,astheiremployer,yousupportthemtodeveloptheirconfidence,skills,andknowledge.

Seeking employer support

Customer Journey Tarika was referred to Work Choice by Neil from Erdington JCP. She suffers with severe arthritis and this can affect her daily life in-terms of mobility. When Tarika joined the programme her main issue was her lacking of confidence in herself, due to being unemployed for a period of time. Initially she attended one to one and group sessions with a specialist advisor and training team. After completing several sessions of job search an opportunity for an Administrative role on a Supported Business placement arose. This is the sector in which Tarika had worked in for a vast number of years. Tarika attended interview and completed a three day work trial which resulted in her being offered the position at Better Pathways for six months. Despite numerous challenges and difficulties throughout her placement Tarika with the help of her In Work Support Advisor and Access to Work was able to overcome barriers she was facing. She also played a big part in the development and restructure of the reception area and office at Better Pathways implementing new procedures learned through her invaluable work history. Once in work she found her self-belief very quickly and settled in well. With the support of the employer and Advance Tarika’s placement was so successful that she was offered a permanent role by Better Pathways. If you are interested in becoming a host employer like Better Pathways please contact Advance on 0121 711 1044

Customer Journey

Focus: Mental Health at work - Mental Health Foundation

Research shows that people who are more socially connected to family, friends, colleagues or their community are happier, physically healthier and live longer, with fewer mental health problems than people who are less well connected.

Staying connected is often more important than we realise. Many of us spend a huge proportion of our lives at work and see our colleagues more often than our family, so it’s important to be able to talk to colleagues and form strong relationships. It’s as simple as

Do you need urgent help? If your mental or emotional state quickly gets worse, or you're worried about someone you know – help is available at www.mentalhealth.org.uk You are not alone; talk to someone you trust. Sharing a problem is often the first step to recovery. Helpful sites: • Samaritans • Rethink Mental Illness • Mind • NHS Choices

Tea & Talk celebrated in Advance offices

We deliver tailored individual 1-2-1 sessions or group sessions to grow confidence and skills to help people get into work. Find below some of the recent feedback we received from those who attended our training sessions:

Listening to feedback

SM – “It was a great session, very supportive and she gave good support and she helped me looking for jobs” - Supported Job Search

RB –“It opened my mind to goals setting techniques”

JH – “I’ve gained more confidence in sitting a job interview. Good practice and Indie gave lots of good advice” – Mock Interview

TT “It helped me to better identify more suitable job for me to focus my attention on in the future when ready” - Identifying Job Goals

DH – “Nice friendly tutor with excellent people skills”

SK – “Helping with confidence to apply existing skills into new areas” – Transferrable Skills

AB – “Sharing my personal stress triggers. Learning about some of the coping mechanisms” – Stress Management

We carried out our most recent customer survey earlier this year. The feedback from Employment & Skills customers was very positive. The headline results are below. We are very grateful to our customers for taking the time to share their feedback and will keep working to ensure wherever possible we improve on the results for the future.

Customer survey results 2017

What’s on?

What: Positive Mental Health Group

The group is open to anyone with an interest in promoting a

greater awareness of mental health

When: 28/11/17

Where: Cakes and Ladders Café 38 – 40, Holloway Circus, Birmingham City Centre, B1 1EQ

Birmingham Mind run regular wellbeing & recovery services, please call 0121 237

3761 to find out more

Creative Support runs regular activities, groups and recovery support sessions at their Water St Hub & in Northfield. Please

call them on 0121 200 3188 to find out more

Referrals

Referrals

WorkChoicereferralsstoponDecember1st2017!

Pleaseensureallreferralsaremadebeforethisdate.

Advance offices Solihull: 0121 711 1044 Erdington: 0121 647 3553 Wolverhampton: 01902 424144 www.advanceuk.org

@AdvanceUK.org

@Advancetweets

Local partners Landau: 0121 553 6730 Sandwell MBC: 0121 569 5981 Autism West Midlands: 0121 450 7582 In an emergency telephone 999 Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust Main switchboard: 0121 301 0000 www.bsmhft.nhs.uk British Red Cross 0344 871 1111 www.redcross.org.uk Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust General Enquiries 0845-146-1800 Fax: 0121-612-8090 E-mail: enquiries@bcpft.nhs.uk NHS 24/7 In a crisis Telephone 111 www.nhs.uk Samaritans 116 123 www.samaritans.org Saneline 0300 304 7000 www.sane.org.uk

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