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Get Ready! . A guide for referring agencies. November 2011. What is Get Ready!?. What we do. Business Action on Homelessness (BAOH) supports homeless people to gain and sustain employment and actively campaigns for the removal of barriers to work. What is it?.
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Get Ready! A guide for referring agencies November 2011
What we do • Business Action on Homelessness (BAOH) supports homeless people to gain and sustain employment and actively campaigns for the removal of barriers to work.
What is it? • The programme is designed to support homeless sector organisations to develop a culture of work aspiration for the clients with whom they work. We intend to do this by creating inspiring events for clients and front-line workers, led by business volunteers, training professionals or community partners. • Over a period of approx. 3 months, each client would build their knowledge of the workplace, increase their skills and develop a sense of their own employability. • Client progress will be monitored using the Homeless Outcomes Star* methodology. • *explained in section 2
How does it fit with what BAOH already does? • Ready for Work is BAOH’s flagship employability programme, with the support of DCLG for 10 years has supported over 6,000 homeless people of whom over 2,250 clients have gained employment, making it the most successful national employability programme in the UK working with homeless people. The positive outcomes for clients have improved every year since its inception however the gap in this provision is the transition from the initial support and guidance offered by support staff at hostels and day centres and the more formal work programmes offered nationally. • This is where Get Ready! has a role to play in supporting individuals on their employment journey.
Homelessness Outcomes Star • The Outcomes Star is a unique tool for supporting and measuring change when working with vulnerable people. It is widely used and is underpinned by an explicit model of change for people from a homeless background. • The tool was developed as part of the London Housing Foundation Impact through Outcomes programme with support from St Mungo's, Thames Reach and other service providers in London and through Rochdale Supporting People. Homeless Link supports the use of the tool.
The key areas that the Outcomes Star helps a client review, with the support of a trained individual are: • Motivation and taking responsibility • Self-care and living skills • Managing money and personal administration • Social networks and relationships • Drug and alcohol misuse • Physical health • Emotional and mental health • Meaningful use of time • Managing tenancy and accommodation • Offending
The underlying model of change through which clients’ progress is detailed below: • Stuck (1-2) • Accepting help (3-4) • Believing (5-6) • Learning (7-8) • Self-reliance (9-10) These are self evaluated with the support from a trained worker. An Outcomes Star will be completed with the client at the start, end and if appropriate during the programme to monitor progress.
The Get Ready! Team Agency Partner • Responsible for liaising with referring agencies • Responsible for day to day contact with clients • Responsible for completing all Outcomes Star assessments with clients • Responsible for signing clients up to events • Responsible for being the point of contact for clients BITC Partner • Responsible for setting up taster days and workshops • Responsible for ensuring that there are business volunteers at each client event • Responsible for setting up key worker events throughout the year
Registration • Key workers refer clients to the agency partner in their location via phone or email • The client is then invited to drop in sessions where a registration form and initial Outcomes Star assessment is completed • Key workers must complete a risk assessment for any clients with unspent convictions • If you already use the Outcomes Star methodology it would be very helpful if you could provide the most recent assessment for the client you are referring • Clients are talked through the various taster days and workshops that are on offer to them • Client is then invited to the Introduction Day to start their Get Ready! programme
Client referral guidance • In order for clients to be eligible for the programme: • Client must be homeless (i.e. currently in temporary accommodation) and unlikely to face any serious housing issues during programme (such as becoming street homeless) or client is at risk of becoming homeless • Client must be legally able to work in the UK and aged over 18 years • Clients must be risk assessed if they have an unspent conviction • Candidates can demonstrate basic skills i.e. ability to communicate, read and write in English • Clients will be attending events at business venues so need to be clean and understand the need to be punctual • Client must have an interest in knowing more about work and accessing opportunities to lead towards building a successful working life • Feedback will be given to the referring agency if information shared during the client’s Outcomes Star assessment suggests that the client may not benefit from Get Ready!
Introduction Day • Session led by Get Ready! Agency Partner, includes: • Overview of the programme • What success looks like and the benefits of the programme on an individual basis • What the clients commitment is • Business volunteers to help run this session. • Clients sign up to future taster days and workshops.
Taster Days and Workshops • Clients must attend a minimum of 4 taster days and/ or workshops within 3 months in order to complete the Get Ready! programme. Example sessions include: • Positive Thinking: How clients can develop this - using tools we have developed with leading Business Psychologists Pearn Kandola. • Understanding disclosure: How clients can develop their understanding of this and how to approach disclosure of personal information in an appropriate manner – for example, unspent convictions, drugs and alcohol issues. • Transferable skills/experience: Business led workshops on how clients can recognise and articulate their skills/experience gained so far and how to apply these to work context . • Volunteering as a step to working: Client focussed sessions on using volunteering and getting in to volunteering as a useful step to prepare for employment. • Understand what employers are looking for in their employees. Work place norms of behaviour and expectations.
Benefits of the programme • Clients inspired and motivated to progress onto other positive activities • Unique opportunities to engage with business volunteers and visit places of work • Opportunities to engage with a peer group who have similar goals • Understand how work can be part of their overall plan for the future • Get Ready! could help clients access other opportunities such as Ready for Work • Get Ready! and Ready for Work do not guarantee a job for your clients but they can significantly improve your clients chance of gaining work in the future.Currently 40% of clients who complete Ready for Work do gain work after the programme.
Referral to employability programmes • When a client completes Get Ready! they could access Ready for Work. • This programme is well established and has proven results, see pathway below. • If they are not eligible or do not want to move on to the Ready for Work programme we will signpost the client to other organisations to continue their employability journey. • Ready for Work • Club • Action Day • Job Coaching • Client Support Networks • Regular support from BITC team • Registration Day • Half-day • ‘Job ready’ clients • Ready to Go • Two days • Self-esteem • Motivation • CV preparation • Interview technique • Work Placement • Two weeks (min) • ‘Buddy’ support • Feedback • CV update • Written reference • Unpaid
Agency events • This element of the programme should help you accelerate your clients journey into work. You are invited to attend workshops led by business professionals which will focus on areas such as: • Current private sector recruitment practices • What employers are looking for in their employees – and transferable skills and behaviours necessary to thrive in the workplace. • How to support clients to become more emotionally resilient. • Local employment opportunities and what skills/competencies and training opportunities are most useful to access them. • .
Contact • If you are interested in referring clients to Get Ready! or attending agency workshops please contact: • .............. Name.......... • on • .......................................Phone number.................................. • .......................................... email .....................................
