Cumbernauld and North Area
Voluntary Sector Network
Hazel Rintoul
29th August 2014
Making It Work
• Investment of £7m over 5 years in 5 LA areas of Scotland
• Support lone parents to realise potential & move towards/into the labour market
• Improve access to services for lone parents furthest from the labour market and with
complex circumstances & needs
• Almost 50% of lone parents in Scotland reside in 5 LA areas:
– Glasgow
– Edinburgh
– Fife
– South Lanarkshire
– North Lanarkshire
• Funding - £2m for Glasgow & £1.25m each for other 4 areas
North Lanarkshire Bid – Action: Lone Parents
• Partnership bid led by
RTW
Lead partner responsible directly to Big Lottery for all aspects of the project management
NLC
VANL
Coordination of project steering group
Provision of employability-related services & support
Achievement of project outcomes
Marketing & promotion via NLW
Promotion of volunteering opportunities/pre-vocational & personal development
programme delivery
• Delivery Partners:
JCP
Client referral, specialist benefit advice & welfare reform information sessions
GEMAP Individual & group sessions on debt & money advice
Circle
Specialist support around substance misuse and/or offending backgrounds
OPFS
Lone Parent support worker services & pre-vocational & personal development
programme delivery
• 4 year project with 3 years worth of direct delivery
• Project value of £1.59m (£1.25m from Big Lottery)
• Localised “task-force” approach targeting 300 lone parents
• 6 communities targeted for 6 months each
• 18 Lone Parent Mentors
Who will ALP support
BIG Lottery has defined client eligibility as:
Lone parents with disabilities, or caring for someone with disabilities
Lone parents with a large family (three or more children)
Lone parent families living in chaotic circumstances
Lone parents with little work experience, or who have been out of work for more than two
years.
A check will be made on Hanlon to ensure that the client has not received support from NLW in the past
two years. There may be exceptions to this which will be reviewed & approved by the Project Coordinator on a case by case basis with reports provided on exceptions to the Steering Group at each
meeting as part of the performance reporting framework.
Work Programme clients are ineligible. Lone Parents will be asked to sign a Declaration to confirm their
status and that they are eligible for the programme.
Outputs & Outcomes
• 270 LP’s experiencing improved self-confidence
• 216 LP’s improving skills in CV writing & job applications
• 150 LP’s being referred to NLW mainstream activity
• 120 LP’s moving into a positive destination
• 120 LP’s engaging with a Transitional Support Worker
• 120 LP’s receiving a BOIW calculation from GEMAP
• 88 LP’s sustaining employment at 13 weeks
• 70 LP’s sustaining employment at 26 weeks
Performance
• Engaged with over 200 LP in the Motherwell and Craigneuk areas
• 116 LP are actively working with ALP team
• 15 working with Family Support work receiving support
with substance misuse, criminality or mental health
• 66 receiving support to increase their self-esteem and access
personal development via Lone Parent Support Worker
• 18 accessing employability services via project Key Worker
• 16 accessing transitional support
• 93 LP’s are now confident that they will be financially secure in employment
• 3 LP has successfully commenced volunteering
• 9 LP’s are currently seeking volunteering opportunities
• 20 LP’s have moved into employment and are receiving in work support
• 1 LP due to start employment over the next few weeks
• 86 clients have received the Warm Home discount scheme based on
money advice received from ALP which equates to a fuel discount of £135 each
• 15 client received detailed support with housing including receiving
welfare grants etc.. which assisted with a very complex circumstances of
chaotic life circumstances.
Community Integration
• Forged excellent working relationships with local community
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North Motherwell Community Church
St Patrick’s Curch
Craigneuk Lifelong Learning Centre
The Venny
Food Co-op
CLAD
Women's Aid
• Working closely with local schools and nursery
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Bag drop for Family Fun days
Leaflet drop to promote service
Agreement to engage with LP’s during pick-up & drop-off times
• Successful Family Fun Day’s
• Joined up approach with statutory services
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Attend various team meetings include social work, money advice, housing
Presented to Local Area Partnership Meetings
Next Steps
• Arriving in Carbrain East 1st September 2014
• Outreach base – Cornerstone House
• Engaging with local schools and community organisations
• Liaising with local statutory organisations
• Family Fun day being arranged for October Holidays – details to follow
• Leaflet drop of all houses in Carbrain East Area
Case Studies
Can not imagine life without Alison, she has helped me so
much over the last few weeks. I felt that I was getting nowhere
fast and was becoming more depressed. Alison came to
meetings with me and spoke on behalf, now me and my wee
boy are settled in our house and I can start looking at ways to
help me.
Hazel has been able to help me think about how I react to
situations, I would normally fly off the handle when I didn’t
like what I was being told but with the advice Hazel gave me I
now take time and have a great deal more patience. Now
people actual listen to me!!
I didn’t know there was such a service existed and cant believe
how much support I am getting to help me. Gerry also
explained stuff about my money and I can go to work and get
more money when I though it would be worse off.
My jobcentre advisor sent me along to see Susan, I thought it
was going to be like the other appointments but was really
happy to find Susan so helpful and caring. Being a lone parent
dad I feel quite isolated but Susan was able to give me
information about another service for other dads just like me