DWP ESF Support for Families with Multiple Problems

Remploy intends to bid for the DWP ESF ‘Support for Families with Multiple Problems’ provision and we would like to invite expressions of interest from prospective partner organisations.

We recognise that this contract will enable much needed support to be delivered to severely disadvantaged families by addressing worklessness and social inclusion, and enabling families to move towards sustained employment.

We are therefore developing bid submissions in the following Contract Package Areas (CPA’s):

• East Midlands
• West Midlands
• Yorkshire and Humber
• East London
• Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Warrington
• East of England

Our Delivery Model

We believe that the most effective service provision will be achieved by harnessing the considerable expertise and experience of providers who already operate within the selected CPAs. We will subcontract 100% of customer volume to high quality providers who can demonstrate the ability to engage, understand and support local families using a Key Worker approach.

We have already developed a management and delivery framework, and CPA-based staff are working closely with partners and stakeholders to develop local delivery and pricing models which ensure that this contract provision integrates with and complements existing service provision.

As an experienced Prime Contractor, we aim to support and add value to delivery by working with our existing national and local partners and stakeholders to ensure best practice, value for money and alignment and integration with existing provision. Remploy will utilise our relationships with major national employers and work in partnership with Work Programme providers to produce a stream of job and work experience opportunities into each CPA.

Customer facing activities will be delivered by two types of organisation in our supply chain:

Key Worker Providers

We believe that providing Key Workers to all families within a defined geography, typically an Upper Tier Local Authority area, is the best way to support families with multiple problems. We will therefore be encouraging providers to deliver services in appropriate community venues, on an outreach basis and through innovative use of technology.

While we will work with individual providers to agree the exact nature and cost of delivery, taking into account the breadth and scale of existing services, we have identified several common roles we believe will enable the highest quality support to be provided:

1)    Partnership Managers – individuals who understand the complex local landscape. Providers will be asked to nominate an individual or organisation to lead on understanding and integrating with local stakeholders and services to ensure provision remains aligned and relevant.

2)    Key Workers - customer facing staff responsible for creating and coordinating the customer journey. Key Workers will be experienced in engaging with customers who have multiple and complex barriers in an employment focused environment. Key Workers will deliver such core elements of activity as:

• Assessment, Action Planning, Progress Reviews, Progression Planning.
•  Local pre and post programme brokerage and coordination. (Key Workers will have access to a discretionary ‘Intervention Fund’ to procure local services where gaps are identified).
•  Confidence and motivational activity via GOALS or a similar programme producing measurable results.
• Suites of employment focused services. These are likely to include CV development, interview skills, job search etc.
•  Additional specialist services as defined by customer need and individual provider capability.

3) Mentors - Providers will be expected to develop a pool of Mentors reflective of local demographics and customer needs. They may be the Key Worker or an individual(s) attached to the customer through volunteering initiatives, including those linked to the 2011 European Year of Volunteering. Mentoring is likely to continue throughout the journey to employment and into work, reflecting the positive impact that they will have on integration and sustainability.

Specialist Providers

We recognise that in order to progress customers into sustainable employment with mainstream businesses and organisations, a wide range of family and individual barriers must be addressed. We intend to work with our partners to achieve this through integrating ESF activity with a wide range of services – those funded via other sources and those commissioned via ESF, to fill identified and emerging gaps in local provision.

Interventions will include a wide range of public, private and 3^rd sector delivered provision which address complex and often inter-related needs related to employability, debt, housing, health, disability, education, skills, dependent care, parenting, relationships, drug/alcohol support, anti-social behavior and criminal activity.

Remploy will encourage innovative delivery models which support equality and sustainability. Examples include promoting the use of ICT, supporting self employment and working with employers to create work experience opportunities and ‘Intermediate Labour Market’ activities in recognition of the barriers to access and participation in mainstream labour market activity faced by many families.

If you are interested working with Remploy please complete our Partnership Registration form.

If you wish to discuss partnership working in a specific CPA, please contact the appropriate Regional Business Development Manager: