1 / 16

PACE Training for Employment Project Accessing Employment for Women

PACE Training for Employment Project Accessing Employment for Women. Lisa Cuthbert: Director Marie O’Hare: Womens Support Worker Pobal Equality for Women Measure Networking and Support Event. PACE. Voluntary organisation founded in 1969

adonica
Télécharger la présentation

PACE Training for Employment Project Accessing Employment for Women

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. PACE Training for Employment ProjectAccessing Employment for Women Lisa Cuthbert: Director Marie O’Hare: Womens Support Worker Pobal Equality for Women Measure Networking and Support Event

  2. PACE • Voluntary organisation founded in 1969 • Aims of PACE are to provide safe supported accommodation, training and education for offenders & ex-prisoners, to prevent recidivism and enable the individual to move forward • Works in partnership with the Probation service, FAS, the VEC, Dublin City Council and other agencies

  3. Target Group of Accessing Employment Programme • Women from offending backgrounds or at risk of offending behaviour. A smaller proportion of women are ex-prisoners than of men. • Referrals from probation officers or self referrals. • Most women are self referrals. • Aged 18 years and upwards.

  4. Rationale for the programme • Approximately 25% of PACE clients in the Training for Employment Project are women • Yet in 2009 the women clients required an average of four times the amount of key-working hours used by the men within the project • The support needs are disproportional to the number of women that we work with • Average stay of women trainees is also longer than of male trainees • Welfare trap that the women find themselves in and the challenges to progression are substantial

  5. Accessing Employment for Women Project • Aim: To provide a targeted women-centered support programme, for women from offending backgrounds, and to address the issues which prevent women from engaging in employment in a holistic, multifaceted way including the use of individual and group tailored training, one-to-one support and a peer support mechanism.

  6. Approaches Used in the Project • Structured training modules • One-to-one support • Key-working • Peer support group • External training • External agencies

  7. Innovations • Peer Support-Team building elements • Drama • Family Support • Engagement with Employers- Research and workshops

  8. 1. Peer support • Originally a structured weekly group • Figuring out what it was for • Trying to best meet varied needs of all the group • Jarring personalities • Staff member present • Self-sustaining?

  9. 2. Drama • Fun • Communication skills • Empowering Workshop • Personal Stories and Disclosures • Bonding Experience • Challenges to public performance- confidentiality, embarrassment, fear • PACE Family Open Day performance

  10. 3. Family Support • Family Communications Training – One Family • Family Support Work • Family Support in the Community • Speak Easy Training (men included) - IFPA

  11. 4. Engagement with Employers • Small piece of qualitative research (December 2011) • “Do you have any female employees with offending backgrounds that you are aware of?” • “What challenges do you face in hiring women?” • “What stops you hiring women with offending backgrounds?” • “What would help you employ women with offending backgrounds?” • Workshops designed to be delivered with LES, FAS, other employers (2012)

  12. Barriers to Participation/ Employment • Addiction – past or current • Mental Health Difficulties • History of Domestic Violence • Being a Lone Parent and being a Young Parent • Early School Leaving • Family history of Criminal Behaviour • Family Support Needs • Childcare expenses • Culture of Dependency • Social Welfare “Trap” • Lack of communication skills • Aggressive behaviour

  13. Case Studies • Jennifer • 38 year old • Single Mum • Recovered Addict • Getting on well at PACE but not stimulated • Completed NUIM Cert in Community Studies • Finishing PACE soon • Interested in Community and Addiction work • Seen as a “leader” in the Womens group. • Link in with other specialist organisations • Option to continue at PACE in a voluntary capacity to gain experience • Further training required in long-term Suzi • 21 year old • Single Mum • Living with mother -not a great relationship • Not getting on well at PACE • Lack of concentration • Disciplinary Issues • Very flirty with men on project • Loud – attention seeking • Clashes with other “big personalities” in Womens Group • Needs one to one support to address above • Specialised Training as a “Carrot” • Housing Support

  14. Challenges of the programme • Teething Problems • Avoiding duplication • Families and other external factors that impact on the women • Multifaceted Needs • Level of needs • Timespan of the project • Ability to mainstream in the current economic environment

  15. Lessons Learned • Structured Programmes vs Unstructured Environment • Group Work vs Personal Work • Peer Support vs Supervised Groups • Realistic goals for women

  16. Going forward • Funding • Personal one-to -one support • Peer Support Initiative • Research- first steps

More Related