ESF-Works

Examples of collaboration between Equal Development Partnerships

The ESF Equal initiative was all about innovation, experimentation and collaboration. Below are some examples of collaboration between Equal Development Partnerships

Working with Jobcentre Plus

Five Equal Development Partnerships (all working under theme A, employability and access to work) combined their expertise to provide training for Jobcentre Plus advisers. Collectively these five DPs identified ‘core needs’ common to their target groups. They agreed with Jobcentre Plus to pilot training with Jobcentre Plus advisers in addressing the range of problems facing different groups, and highlighted new ways of improving service provision. This resulted in the DPs leading a training event for 60 Jobcentre Plus advisers to share their experience and expertise. The event was well received and many of the suggestions have now been incorporated into staff training.

Click on the links below to read more about the Development Partnerships involved:

Helping asylum seekers and refugees

In November 2006, four Equal Development Partnerships (DPs) gave a presentation to the Home Office’s Sunrise Partnership Board to present their emerging findings. This presentation included highlighting the transferable nature of their activities with asylum seekers and how they could be applied with refugees and individuals receiving leave to remain in Great Britain, including an enhanced employment support model for refugees. A follow-up meeting with the Home Office’s Refugee Employment Team resulted in recommendations for action that were taken forward to an inter-departmental group tasked with addressing the low level of refugee employment. The DPs also drafted a collective submission to the Home Office, highlighting lessons from Equal, to inform consultation on the New Asylum Model that was implemented by the Borders and Immigration Agency from April 2007.

Click on the links below to read more about the Development Partnerships involved:

Helping older workers

Development Partnerships (DPs) from themes E and F worked together under the ‘Equal Age’ banner to maximise the impact of their dissemination and mainstreaming activities, culminating in the Age Summit, held in Windsor Castle in December 2007. The Age Summit included participants from DPs in other European Member States. Key issues addressed by the group included the impact of demographic change, volunteering, factors contributing to worklessness, and re-training and re-skilling of older workers. The Age Summit resulted in the first steps to set up a European Age Management Network that would build on the work that had taken place under Equal.

Click on the links below to read more about the Development Partnerships involved:

National Equal Offender Network (NEON)

The National Equal Offender Network (NEON) represented Equal DPs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who were working exclusively with ex-offenders, each with different specific target groups or issues. NEON established a National Policy Reference Group, which includes relevant national agencies and stakeholders, to ensure that the effective models and practices that are being developed by the projects are considered by policy-makers.

Core partners

Click on the links below to read more about the Development Partnerships involved:

Reachout project

This project, based in Northern Ireland, built on the outcomes of a previous project (Personal Progression System) which focused on pre-release employability training. The Reachout project developed strategies that engaged employers, thereby ensuring that the demand side of the labour market was prepared to engage with the motivated, trained ex-offender. This took the form of customised training to employers who are referred by Business in the Community, and generating work-based training and placement opportunities for ex-offenders based on models developed in the disability sector (incentives etc.). The project developed models of peer mentoring and works very closely with the Northern Ireland Prison Service and the Probation Board for Northern Ireland.

Ex-offender Policy forum, held in Poland

The forum involved a number of UK Equal DPs, who sought to share their experiences of effective resettlement of offenders to a variety of policy-makers from across Europe. The Prison Services IMPACT DP trailed its Portfolio of Achievement, which was developed in collaboration with their French partners. The Portfolio of Achievement is essentially a highly detailed curriculum vitae. Specifically it is a simple method for recording achievements, qualifications, experience, aspirations and attitude and behaviour. The portfolio is aimed at employers, training providers and colleges, helping them to see steps that the offender has taken to being fully re-integrated back into the community. The policy forum provided delegates with the opportunity to explore the methodologies currently being used to support offenders across Europe and learning from the event will be seen as key in shaping policy that targets offender need directly. For information on the Portfolio of Achievement, please contact Francesca Emmett or Bill Spiby on +44 (0) 1925 805238.

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