NOLB Fife Commissioning Framework 2022-25

Opportunities Fife Partnership

No One Left Behind:

Commissioning Framework 2022-25

 

1.0    INTRODUCTION

1.1 This Commissioning Framework sets out the Opportunities Fife Partnership[1] (OFP) intentions, principles and priorities that will underpin employability and skills provision between 2022 and 2025 funded through the various funding streams that sit beneath the No One Left Behind banner.  Fife’s budget allocation for the 2022-23 and beyond has not yet been identified, therefore activity will be commissioned with a flexible focus, providing scope for activities to be scaled appropriately once the financial situation has been clarified.

1.2       The Opportunities Fife Partnership (OFP) is responsible for overseeing the delivery of aspects of the “Inclusive Growth and Jobs” priority within Fife Partnership’s Local Outcome Improvement Plan (LOIP); “A Plan 4 Fife”.  The OFP is a strategic decision-making partnership reporting directly to the Fife Partnership.

1.3       The OFP’s Mission is:

“To influence and drive innovative approaches to skills and employability services that reflect the current and future needs of individuals and employers.”

1.5       This Commissioning Framework has been revised and refreshed from 2021 and includes:

• • An updated outline of the current policy, economic and delivery context (Section 2)
  • No One Left Behind Employability Service delivery expectations: How services will be delivered (principles), where and when (Section 3)
  • No One Left Behind Employability Service delivery expectations: Who services will be aimed at and what they will be delivering (Section 4)
  • No One Left Behind infrastructure that will support provision in Fife (Section 5)
  • Performance Management expectations and recording personal information (Section 6)
  • Outline Budget allocations (Section 7)
  • Outline timetable and criteria for commissioning and assessing No One Left Behind Provision, commencing in April 2022. (Section 8)

2.0 CONTEXT

No One Left Behind: national and local context:

2.1 No One Left Behind is the Scottish Government’s policy framework and approach to tackling employment issues. It aims to ensure those who experience complex and multiple barriers to moving into work are not ‘left behind’. No One Left Behind is supported through a Partnership Working Agreement which reflects shared principles and ambitions for improving outcomes for individuals between Scottish Government and local authority partners agreed with COSLA, with inputs and oversight through the Improvement Service, SLAED and SOLACE[2]. It signals a shift from top down programme design approaches, where target groups and provision are set out at a national level, to one where local areas have the flexibility to use funding in line with the needs of their local community.

2.2 The Partnership Working Agreement is supported by local commissioning and a national Shared Measurement Framework currently in development. NOLB allocation combines several existing national employment-related funding pots[3] into one coordinated fund which is flexible to local needs, takes a long-term approach to funding, adaptable to changing circumstances, and values the role of the third sector.

2.3 These commitments are designed to support services and Local Employability Partnerships, such as the OFP to create a system based on the following principles:

1. 1. Promote dignity and respect, fairness and equality and continuous improvement
   2. Provide flexible and person-centred support;
   3. Be more straightforward for people to navigate;
   4. Be better integrated and aligned with other services, particularly with health, justice and housing provision;
   5. Provide pathways into sustainable and fair work;
   6. Be driven by evidence, including data and the experience of users; and
   7. Support more people – particularly those facing multiple barriers – to move into the right job, at the right time.

2.4 In Fife we have used the Scottish Approach to Service Design to help understand where provision should be targeted.  The Framework outlined below is based on the findings of 16 Collaborative Conversations with 120 individuals and over 124 responses to our online survey held during 2020. This includes the voice of frontline staff, those who have used or are currently using employment services as well as those who have never used an employment service before.  The process that was followed in 2020 for the first year of commissioned activity has been subject to independent evaluation by PHIRST (Public Health Intervention Responsive Studies Team), to ensure the process is robust, transparent and is focussed on targeting provision where it is most needed. 

 

Wider national strategies relating to employability/employment:

2.5 No One left Behind connects to, and is supported by, a number of wider Scottish Government policies relating to improving employment outcomes in Scotland. These include but are not limited to: Halving the Disability Employment Gap, Reducing the Gender Pay gap, Reducing the Race Pay Gap, Tackling Child Poverty, and a human-rights based approach to policy development and delivery. In addition, the consultation for Scotland’s Fair Work Nation and Economic Recovery Policy has been launched.  The intention is that by 2025, people in Scotland will have a world-leading working life where fair work drives success, wellbeing and prosperity for individuals, businesses, organisations and society.  Scottish Government is supporting this through the promotion of work places that support the real minimum wage, developing supportive working environments for women, those from black and minority ethnic communities. those with health or disabilities issues and those impacted the exit from the EU.

The impact and context of Covid-19

2.6 No One Left Behind was conceived and developed in a social and economic context where Scotland was experiencing relatively high employment rates and comparatively low unemployment. Since then, we have been affected by a global pandemic and the introduction of UK Government’s Job Retention Scheme. The Furlough scheme has provided a safety net for many employees unable to perform their usual working roles, but it is possible the scheme has masked some of the wider issues that will have affected businesses in during the pandemic.  Furlough ended on 30 September 2021 and it is possible that unemployment rates will rise significantly over the coming months as people go back to work, or businesses that have relied on the scheme are unable to operate at the same capacity as before the pandemic.

2.7 The full economic impact is unclear but it is expected that we will be facing significantly increased levels of unemployment and slow economic growth, particularly in key sectors such as culture, entertainment, tourism & hospitality, health & social care and in the respective supply chains for these industries. This will combine with fluctuating funding provision coming from both the UK and Scottish Governments to try and mitigate the worst impacts of this. Evidence from previous recessions suggests people affected by protected characteristics will be disproportionately negatively affected and therefore the work of the No One Left Behind provision will be all the more important.2.8 Across Fife the issues created by digital poverty have been significant. Whether this be through lack of laptops, tablets and computers, lack of internet access, lack of skills or lack of confidence, digital poverty has had severe impact on people’s ability to access and interact with a whole range of services, including employability services as well as jobs. The national Connecting Scotland programme aims to address elements of this issue, nevertheless it will be critical for No one Left Behind provision to factor this into service delivery.  Although the pandemic has resulted in many people embracing virtual interaction and online participation in learning and training, those that lack the technology and/or skills to engage in this way will have been disproportionately disadvantaged during the pandemic.  Possibly leaving them further from the job market and even harder to reach.

• A number of national and local strategies and funding streams are being developed to try and address this including: the Scottish Government Economic Recovery Implementation Plan, Coronavirus: Measures to mitigate labour market impacts; Towards a Robust, resilient Wellbeing Economy for Scotland; Young Person’s Guarantee Activity Plan Phase 1, Inclusion Health: Principles and Practice. In Fife there has been the development of Fife’s Economic Recovery Plan, a refresh of A Plan 4 Fife, and the implementation of Fife’s Youth Employment Recovery Plan

Community Wealth Building:

2.9 Community Wealth Building provides a holistic approach to empowering communities to actively participate in and benefit from economic growth. The five pillars of Community Wealth Building are:

1. 1. Progressive Procurement
   2. Fair Employment and Just Labour Markets
   3. Accessing Affordable Funding
   4. Land & Assets
   5. Plural Ownership of the Economy

The Community Wealth Building approach in Fife will link to No One Left Behind through ensuring that fair and accessible work is embedded within delivery approaches, and successful providers will be expected to show how they are supporting the community wealth building agenda, such as through progressive procurement or plural ownership.

Exit from the European Union: 

2.11 The impact of the UK’s exit from the European Union has probably been somewhat masked by the Covid-19 pandemic. Indicators and research from business representative organisations forecast that many businesses which trade internationally will see some level of impact. Industry sectors such as hospitality, food & drink manufacture, logistics and construction that rely heavily on seasonal or migrant labour are already seeing a rise in vacancy rates, which are becoming increasingly hard to fill.   

Existing employment funding & support in Fife:

2.12 The Commissioning of No One Left Behind provision is placed in the context of the existing employability provision and support in Fife adding value and additional types of support where there are gaps in provision. This includes (but is not limited to):

• • Fair Start Scotland: Scottish Government funded provision delivered at ‘regional’ level focussing on all ages with multiple barriers to employment. In Fife, this is delivered by FedCap, working across the Edinburgh & South East Scotland city region with a small element sub-contracted to Triage.
  • OFP European Social Investment Fund Employability Pathway (which will complete in March 2022): Currently five providers[4] focussing on those with multiple barriers to employment, those living in deprived areas such as mid-Fife and those facing in-work poverty.
  • Department for Work & Pensions and Job Centre provision: benefits administration, signposting, funded specialist activity at UK and local level. This includes the national Kickstart programme, which as a response to Covid-19,  has been providing 6 month placement opportunities for those jobseekers aged 16-24; Job Entry Targeted Support (JETS); Job Finding Support, Work & Health Programme and Commissioning Agreement for Work and Health Related Services (CAERHS)
  • Skills Development Scotland: advisers offer careers and employability support to people of all ages in Fife. SDS have public centres across Fife and advisers in each secondary school and in Fife College. SDS also fund Foundation/Modern /Graduate Apprenticeships as well as developing and sharing of local and national labour market insight data.
  • City Region Deals: Fife is in the rare position of being a participant in two city region deals; TayCities (with Angus, Dundee, and Perth & Kinross Councils) and Edinburgh & South East Scotland (with East Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scottish Borders and West Lothian Councils). The latter includes an Integrated Regional Employability and Skills (IRES) Programme  with a focus on targeted Skills Gateways, disadvantaged families, growth sector pathways, workforce mobility and more.
  • Fife College: Careers advice and skills development, including apprenticeship activity, the Flexible Workforce Development Fund and new programmes aligned to priority groupings and funding streams identified to support economic recovery.
  • Fife Council funded provision: internal provision focuses on foundation and modern apprenticeships, Employability Fund, 16+, Fife Job Contract and the Supported Employment Service. Community Learning and Development and local area funded provision varies according to locality and includes a variety of valuable partnership projects[5]

3.0 NOLB SERVICE DELIVERY:  HOW, WHERE AND WHEN SERVICES SHOULD BE DELIVERED

3.1 No One Left Behind Fife will commission employability provision in a way which supports services to adapt to:

• • the unique needs of individuals with a specific focus on those who tend to be ‘left behind’,
  • the dynamic and rapidly changing economic and employment context in Fife and beyond

 

3.2 This is based on our insight that ‘employability’ is a complex concept which is affected by factors relating to an individual’s personal strengths and capacities and the social and economic context in which they live. These two contexts inter-connect with each other but broadly can be divided as follows:

3.3 The voice of experience has been key in developing the Fife NOLB Commissioning Framework. This expectation extends to services bidding for NOLB in Fife:  meaningful involvement of people who use services, frontline staff and employers in planning, designing and delivery is crucial to developing services which are responsive and relevant.  This must include targeted efforts to engage with people affected under the Equalities Act 2010. This is in line with the Scottish Human Rights PANEL principles of: Participation, Accountability, Non-Discrimination, Engagement and Legality

3.4 How services are delivered is as important as what they do. No One Left Behind Conversations identified the following Principles as being central to delivering a good service:

 No One Left Behind Fife Principles for Service Delivery

• • Equal and fair: people accessing the service will be treated as equals, they will feel respected, trusted and listened to.
  • Strengths-based: provision will focus on helping people to identify and grow their own strengths rather than solving problems for them. This also means giving people responsibility and allowing them to make mistakes and take risks.
  • Non-judgemental: people will feel able to open-up without risk of judgment, staff will bring humility and an open mind to understand peoples’ individual situation and challenges[7]
  • Discreet: services will be provided in a way that respects people’s need for privacy and the vulnerability associated with accessing support services
  • Collaborative: services will work together to ensure people get the support they need when they need it. This includes warm handovers or working alongside one another, with clearly identified progression options and support pathways.
  • Time unlimited and progressive: services will balance consistency and dependability with energy, momentum and challenge at a pace that works for the individual and which maintains momentum towards improved employability
  • Continuously improving: services will actively gather feedback from people who use their services, reflect on delivery and demonstrate a willingness to adapt and learn.
  • Hopeful: provision will hold the hope for everyone who comes through the door, (and those who don’t), and support people to recognise, voice and progress their individual hopes. Knowing that the right work is out there for them, and we are all on a journey.

Where and when do we want services to be working?

 3.5 No One Left Behind will seek to ensure there is Core delivery available in each of Fife’s 7 localities with a particular focus on areas of multiple deprivation and the Mid-Fife area (See Annex B). Provision must be easily accessible from anywhere in Fife, such as within a single bus journey, or alternative delivery offered online. In reality this may involve prioritising provision in areas with highest levels of systemic unemployment OR where the local transport connectivity is a predominant barrier for effective access to services.

3.6 Whilst face-to-face delivery should be available wherever possible it will be critical that online and remote approaches, including the tools for people to use these, are considered as an essential part of delivery. The use of online platforms developed during the pandemic has given greater flexibility for many people to engage with provision when at home.

3.7 Providers will be expected to offer reasonable support out-with Mon-Fri, 9-5 as appropriate, especially for people who had moved into work, with clear rationale for how this will be delivered and when.

4.0 NOLB SERVICE DELIVERY:       WHAT SERVICES WILL BE DELIVERED, FOR WHOM

 4.1 No One Left Behind services will be delivered with the aim of actively reducing barriers for people with protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act 2010, as well as for those with certain life experiences who are significantly more likely to struggle, in order to improve their employability and successfully gain and sustain employment.

4.2 These characteristics and life experiences often interact with each other (also known as intersectionality) meaning that people are often affected by more than one issue at a time which can have a cumulative impact on person’s journey to work. No One Left Behind services will be commissioned under three banners:

• • Core No One Left Behind provision which will need to be as inclusive as possible (Section 4.9 for details), working closely with
  • Specialist No One Left Behind provision for people where additional, specialist skills are required (Section 4.18)
  • No One Left Behind Test of Change provision – for those providers wishing to embark on innovative, or experimental test of change activity, for less than, or up to one year. (Section 4.22) Providers should note that a separate application process will be implemented for this activity.

It is our intention that Core and Specialist provision be delivered within Consortia or in Partnership to build on the principles of collaboration outlined at section 3.3.  Where possible, the test of change activity would also be delivered in a collaborative manner, but it is understood that organisations may wish to run short-term interventions for limited numbers, in order to establish/test a delivery model.

4.3 Due to the uncertainty of the current budget situation, the OFP encourage delivery partners to understand and highlight the flexible nature of their provision.  Developing projects that can support a certain number of clients, but has the capacity to be expanded, extended or up-scaled based on performance, need, and the available budget, over the time period.

4.4 For Core and Specialist provision activity will be commissioned for one year (April 2022 – March 2023) but with the intention for activity to be extended, for a second and possibly third year, subject to budget availability, performance review and continued evidence of need.

4.5  Test of Change provision, will be for shorter term activities (4 - 48 weeks) and will commence and complete within a twelve month period. Providers should note that a separate application process will be developed and implemented for this activity.  

4.6 Core No One Left Behind Provision will be ‘universal’ – that is it should be open and accessible to all no matter what their background, protected characteristics or life history. Core Provision will be expected to work alongside the Specialist Provision (outlined at Section 4.18) where necessary.

4.7 The table below outlines the currently available data for Fife for people with key protected characteristics and life experiences relevant to No One Left Behind. It is important to acknowledge that this data is not complete and there will be under-reporting in many categories. Alongside an awareness of existing provision (see Section 2.10) this data has informed the commissioning approach outlined below.

4.8 Based on the data above and existing and new provision outlined at section 2.10 the following groups would appear to be under-served given the scale of the population affected. Many people will be affected by more than one of these issues so there is going to be cross-counting between these groups

• • Those with four or more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) (34,777), issues relating to alcohol misuse (34,768), common mental health problems (32,785), LGB and Other community (12,700) and those living in areas of multiple deprivation (9,071) have very large populations for Fife. For this reason, Core No One Left Behind providers must have the necessary skills to support people affected by these issues whether working with young people or adults.
  • The figure for unemployed people with physical health problems and disabilities (4,100) does not include those who want to work but who are not claiming employment-related benefits. This community is currently supported mainly through Fife Council’s Supported Employment Service, Positive Pathways and Fair Start Scotland[29]. There is a clear need for continued investment for this community, particularly around in-work support.
  • Lone parents (8,123) are primarily being supported through the Fife Gingerbread Making it Work for lone parents and Making it Work for families provision but this is currently limited to certain geographical areas
  • Young carers (6,785), those with issues relating to drug use (4,089), homeless households (2,630), people from minority ethnic backgrounds (4,100), accessing criminal justice support services (1,020), adult carers (53,500) and women returners (6,000) are all communities who would benefit from some targeted support to help them access mainstream employability provision.
  • Looked after young people (81/year) are currently supported through Fife Council’s Rising Stars programme (20/year) and the Apex element of Opportunities for All (circa 50-70/year) funded through ESiF.
  • People experiencing low wages, in-work poverty and/or lack of progression opportunities

Core No One Left Behind Delivery will include:

 4.9 Core No One Left Behind Services will be delivered using a 5-stage keyworker/support worker model of support, which aligns with the OFP Employability Pathway (Annex A). The 5 stages breakdown as follows:

1. 1. Early engagement
   2. Support to overcome barriers
   3. Vocational activity
   4. Job brokerage and job matching
   5. In work aftercare

4.10 People’s life circumstances mean that they may need support at multiple stages simultaneously and it will be the keyworkers’ role to navigate the necessary supports as appropriate to the individual’s journey. The No One Left Behind keyworkers will be expected to take a strengths-based approach to supporting individuals, with capacity for reflective practice to ensure sufficient support and momentum is in place on their journey – as outlined within the No One Left Behind Fife Principles at Section 3.4.

4.11 Core No One Left Behind Services must provide access to a menu of skills development as appropriate to individuals’ needs. Proposed elements of the menu of support are listed here. This is not an exhaustive list and not all elements are expected to be delivered by all providers.

Core provision must include	Core provision may also include the following	These elements will be available through NOLB infrastructure or existing provision
Digital Skills, tools and access to the internet	Volunteering	Understanding stigma and discrimination
Accurate and easy to understand financial advice and support	Work placements (of personal relevance)	Talking to your employer and knowing your employment rights
Employability skills: cv, applications, personal presentation, interview and career management skills	Peer mentoring	Basic literacy and numeracy support
Growing Community Connections	Funding for transition to work costs	Use of Employer Recruitment Incentives
Emotional Awareness (resilience)	Travel training and financial support
Support for mild mental health problems, Mental Health First Aid	Engagement with & feedback from employers
Trauma & Alcohol use Aware	In-work support
Strengths-based approaches and reflective practice	Industry specific training
Understanding and awareness of the impact of stigma and discrimination

4.12 Positive outcomes for Core No One Left Behind Provision will primarily focus on the outcomes relevant to the individuals being supported. From
an employability perspective they will include moving into: training, education, volunteering which supports transition to employment; paid employment and staying in/progressing in work. Job outcomes are a core element and expectation of any employment service. No One Left Behind job outcomes are expected to be sustainable and in ‘good and healthy ’ working environments.

4.13 Core No One Left Behind Provision will be split according to Fife’s seven localities - with keyworker provision for young people (24 and under)
and for adults (25+) in each area.

4.14 Core Provision for adults (25+) will focus on key transition points such as supporting women returners, over 55s, and those affected by change
in life circumstances. This would be reviewed to ensure provision reacts to the changing needs of the economy in the context of Covid-19.

4.15 Core Provision for young people (24 and under) will have a focus on key transition points including early engagement, actively working with
schools, those who have left school to a negative or unknown destination, and/or those who have fallen out of/not sustained their first positive transition. Provision can target support at young people in key age brackets such as 16-18 or 19-24 year olds, should that be relevant for the delivery activity.

4.16 Providers are invited to submit an application to:

• • Deliver in one or more locality in Fife
  • Deliver provision for either young people, aged between 16-24 OR deliver adult provision for those 25 and over
  • Deliver an innovative or experimental test of change activity for a short period, with the potential for up-scaling should it prove effective. Providers should note there will be a separate application form and process. See section 4.22 for further detail

4.17 Whilst Core provision will be allocated by locality they must offer flexibility and willingness to work with individuals out with that area where necessary. For example, this may be due to the individual moving accommodation mid-engagement with a service or due to a stated preference to access a service out with their local area.

Specialist No One Left Behind Provision will include:

4.18 Specialist No One Left Behind provision will take a different role and will not be involved in delivering end-to-end employability services. Specialists will vary activity to reflect the needs of the community being supported. Key elements of all No One Left Behind Specialist Provision will include:

• • Acting as an early engagement partner with individuals from the relevant community, helping them to gain confidence to access mainstream (or relevant specialist) employability services whether through group activities, outreach or 1:1 work.
  • Supporting individuals while they are accessing mainstream (or relevant specialist) employability services (either within No One Left Behind or elsewhere) and liaising constructively with the relevant services in terms of any specific support needs (e.g. language issues), barriers and opportunities affecting that individual
  • Actively engaging with employer engagement teams and employer recruitment incentives in Fife to ensure that they are both accessible and being accessed by the individuals they are looking to support.
  • Providing in-work support where necessary to help people to maintain or progress in employment and to address in-work poverty.
  • Delivering awareness sessions (min four/year) co-produced and co-delivered with the voice of experience, targeted at frontline staff, employers and the employer engagement team about their area of expertise. These will be coordinated through No One Left Behind Infrastructure 

4.19 The Specialist Provision that will be prioritised may include:

4.20 Specialist provision will be commissioned on a Fife-wide basis to reflect the spread of people affected by these issues. Providers will be expected to develop effective working relationships with the successful Core No One Left Behind providers in each area as well as other provision in Fife relevant to their specialism.

4.21 Positive Outcome measures for the specialist provision will include will also focus on the outcomes relevant to the individuals being supported. In addition, they will be expected to identify people accessing and sustaining access to mainstream employability provision, uptake of employer recruitment incentives and feedback from training sessions

 

Test of Change Activities:

4.22     Building on learning from NOLB Commissioning in 2020-21, commissioning will include a Test of Change element.  Activities under this strand can include:

• • To test an approach or delivery model with a controlled number of participants, with a view to up-scaling / expanding activity in future.
  • Linked to an industry specific need or fulfil the training / pre-recruitment requirements of an identified employer
  • Specifically targeted at a key target group, either social or geographic dependant on need

4.23     Test of Change funding can be for activity valued from £5,000 up to £75,000. It is expected to be delivered for smaller number of clients, providing specific support for an identified period (from 4 weeks up to a maximum of 48 weeks). 

4.24     Although applications for Test of Change Fund will be accepted at the same time as the wider Core and Specialist commissioning, further applications for Test of Change activity will be accepted after April 2022. Delivery can therefore start at any point in the year, in response to the changing social or economic climate, or to meet an emerging industry/business need.

4.25     A separate application form, assessment and approval process will be implemented for this activity.

5.0       NO ONE LEFT BEHIND INFRASTRUCTURE

No One Left Behind Collaborative Conversations identified a need for Core infrastructure services relating to employability to improve both accessibility and outcomes for individuals they support. Infrastructure services will be coordinated through the Fife Council No One Left Behind Coordinator and will be available to all No One Left Behind services as well as other employment-related services in Fife.

• Tackling Stigma and Discrimination – OFP partners will support a programme of training for frontline staff in employability services and employers to understand the impact of stigma and discrimination in services and the workplace. They will also support training on Employment Law and the Equality Act 2010 for people who use services.
• Staff training – OFP partners will continue to support a programme of staff training relevant to employability colleagues and beyond. This will include elements such as strengths-based coaching, basic employment law, understanding stigma and discrimination, emotional resilience & employability, understanding the Fife landscape of employability services, housing and more. This will also raise awareness with key partners in Fife of the support on offer within the employability landscape
• Marketing – OFP partners will support the development and maintenance of an accessible public-facing, searchable database of employment-related services in Fife and beyond. This will also be produced as a hard copy directory and promoted to staff in related sectors every 2 years. All providers will be expected to display the OFP logo on commissioned provision marketing.
• Collaboration – OFP will continue to support strategic partnerships (OFP Delivery Groups and other related Fife Partnership groups) and Forums which promote networking and collaboration such as: Know Your Network and the Fife Employability Forum.
• Employer Recruitment Incentives (ERIs)– Fife Council will deliver a coordinated approach to employer recruitment incentives in Fife. Job application, interview and job outcome equalities data will be monitored and reviewed, and provision adapted as necessary, to ensure significant outcomes are being achieved for groups identified at 3.3 above. Employers using ERIs in Fife will need to demonstrate how they are working to create good and healthy working environments, pay the living wage and tackle stigma and discrimination. This work will be supported by a small operational group including representatives from all No One Left Behind funded provision.

6.0 PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT, GATHERING OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

All No One Left Behind funded provision will need to comply with certain data gathering requirements in line with the expectations of Scottish Government and the principles outlined below.

6.1 Personal information will be gathered and recorded for the following purposes:

• • To provide quantitative data on registrations, progressions and positive outcomes to inform service delivery adjustments and improvements (e.g. Are people getting healthy sustainable jobs? Are services mainstreaming equalities provision? Are people ‘stuck’ in the system?)
  • To provide qualitative data in the form of case studies and surveys to inform how services are doing in relation to the No One Left Behind Principles outlined at Section 3.4
  • To contribute to the national No One Left Behind Shared Measurement Framework once published

6.2 Providers will be expected to use the Fife Online Referral Tracking (FORT) system to record all personal and service-related information for people who use their services. Tracking and aftercare support must be recorded for a minimum of 12 months.

6.3 Equalities data will be recorded separately and anonymously at point of registration for all participants in No One Left Behind funded services. It is our intention that forms will be coded anonymously so that outcomes can be tracked for individuals.

6.4 Information relating to personal barriers to work will be allowed to emerge as trust builds with someone’s keyworker and recorded on the system only when relevant/appropriate. The Fife Mental Health & Work Indicator should be used as appropriate to guide conversations where mental health has been identified as a barrier.

6.5 Successful providers must follow No One Left Behind guidance and provide evidence that supports compliance.  Any delivery partner(s) failing to maintain acceptable performance or compliance standards will be removed from the No One Left Behind provider list and their funding withdrawn.

6.6 Service delivery will include on-going monitoring and reporting of progress: through statistical data uploaded to FORT; qualitative reporting at scheduled meetings; case studies; monitoring of equalities data and external user-led evaluations.  This will allow the real-time evaluation of each project’s current levels of achievement and facilitate any actions required to address any performance issues.  Providers will also be required to produce evidence of financial spend, statistics and case studies for quarterly reports to Scottish Government, compiled by the NOLB Co-ordinator.

6.7 Service activity reports and performance against No One Left Behind Fife Principles will be provided to OFP (at least) twice annually and published so that all partners understand their own progress against performance profile, but also in relation to the other delivery partners.

6.8 All provision must demonstrate how it will uphold the No One Left Behind Fife Principles outlined at Section 3.4 as well as applying a Human Rights-based Approach to service design and delivery using the key principles of PANEL: Participation, Accountability, Non-discrimination and equality, Empowerment and Legality[32].

7.0 BUDGET AND PAYMENT PROCESS

7.1 It is our intention that payment for service delivery will be as follows:

• • For Core and Specialist Activities payment for the first quarter will be made after delivery providers return a signed grant offer letter. Quarter 2 will be paid in advance (at the end of quarter 1) and quarters three and four in arrears, subject to compliance with service delivery commitments.
  • For Test of Change Activities payment projects will be for a shorter time and for limited number of clients. For this reason a quarterly payment arrangement may not be appropriate, therefore 50% of the allocation will be paid at the start of the project to alleviate any cashflow issues the delivery partner might incur to initiate the activity and the remaining 50% would be paid upon completion of the project, subject to compliance with service delivery commitments.

7.2 Due to the uncertain nature of the funding allocation, The Opportunities Fife Partnership cannot commission activity for a three-year period as initially anticipated. 

• • For Core (both adult and youth) and Specialist provisions the OFP intend to commission service delivery for one year (April 2022 – March 2023) but with the intention that activity be extended, for a second and third year, subject to budget availability, performance review and continued evidence of need.
  • For Test of Change provision, the OFP does not intend this activity to be for long term pilot activity. As outlined in section 4.22, this activity would be shorter-term activity with a view to testing a model or concept and therefore would be completed within a twelve month period.

 

7.3 Funds that will be absorbed into NOLB 2022/23 include:

• • Fife Council Employability Third Sector Service Level Agreement
  • No One Left Behind Phase One Spend (formerly Activity Agreements and Scottish Employer Recruitment Incentive)
  • Parental Employment Support Fund (ring-fenced for families and lone parents)
  • Scottish Young Person’s Guarantee Fife allocation (partial)
  • Employability Fund
  • Community Jobs Scotland

 

 

 

7.4 Overall No One Left Behind funding for 2022/23 is anticipated to be between £3.2m and £4.5m*. The table below indicates the maximum values that may be attached to each funding stream. The No One Left Behind delivery plans require a flexible response to meet needs and demand for services, therefore, we may prioritise the commissioning of services to reflect this.

8.0 Challenge Fund Process

The following table outlines the timescale for commissioning the new activity:

Proposals will be assessed according to the following sample criteria. Percentage allocations will be marked against the different elements of the bid.

Applicants should note that all bids are scored by a panel of assessors including the voice of experience.

To help our assessment panels all bids must be written in plain English and ensure that content is accessible and included in the appropriate section to the application form.

 

 

 

 

[1] Opportunities Fife Partnership includes representation from: Fife Council, Fife College, Fife Health & Social Care Partnership, NHS Fife, Department for Work & Pensions, Skills Development Scotland, Fife Voluntary Action, Developing Young Workforce and Fife Chambers of Commerce

[2] COSLA: Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, Solace: Society of Local Authority Chief Executives, SLAED: Scottish Local Authority Economic Development representative body.

[3] No One Left Behind Funding strands will include: Activity Agreements, Young Person’s Guarantee, Scottish Employer Recruitment Incentive, Parental Employment Support Fund (and PESF Boost). Community Jobs Scotland and the Employability Fund.

[4] FEAT (focus on complex mental health problems), Fife-ETC (focus on long-term unemployed and in-work support), Fife Council Supported Employment Service  Positive Pathways (focus on those with health problems and disabilities ), Opportunities for All (focus on young people and young people with mental health problems), Fife Gingerbread (focus on lone parents)

[5] such as the FEAT and Coalfield Worx programme

[6] Healthy and sustainable work characteristics are defined in the Marmot Principles of Fair work

[7] This will be supported by awareness training outlined within Specialist provision and Infrastructure.

[8]Source: Annual Population Survey Apr 2020 – Mar 2021, NOMIS (accessed 22/09/2021)

[9] Those with four or more ACEs far more likely to have low qualifications and be in lower paid/manual jobs Scottish Health Summary 2019

_[10] Source: Annual Population Survey Apr 2020 – Mar 2021, NOMIS (accessed 22/09/2021)

[11] School Leaver Destination Return 2018/19

[12]Source: Annual Population Survey Apr 2020 – Mar 2021, NOMIS (accessed 22/09/2021), as above – small sample sizes mean this figure need to be treated with caution. Unemployment rates for minority ethnic females are high in Fife: 65% compared to 36% nationally. For males this is 29.4%, compared to 18.6% nationally.

[13]2020 data provided via email from Fife Criminal justice team

[14] 3.7% of people who had a health condition or illness lasting more than 12 months were unemployed in Fife compared with 2.3% in Scotland as a whole. Importantly we also estimate a further additional 52.3% (55,800 people) were economically inactive many of whom may wish to gain or return to employment with appropriate support (47.5% in Scotland). Source: Annual Population Survey Apr 2020 – Mar 2021, NOMIS (accessed 22/09/2021)

[15] Prevalence of problem drug use in Scotland, June 2020 (2015-16 estimates) -this includes all forms of problem drug use from canniboids to opiates

[16] ScotPHO profile tool (2014-17)

[17] profiling tool. (2014-17) common mental health problems, defined as score of 4 of more on the General Health Questionnaire (12 item version) (GHQ12).  Does not include undiagnosed MH problems

[18] Source: ONS Jobseeker's Allowance by age and duration; Department for Work & Pensions statxplore

[19] Scottish Survey Core Questions 2019 https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-surveys-core-questions-2019/documents/, Published 19 Jan 2021 (Table 4.4)

[20] This data does not include the hidden homeless which are more likely to be affected by other complex barriers listed here.  Homelessness in Scotland 2019-20

[21] https://centreforequalities.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/EQUALITY-IN-FIFE-JULY-2019-3b.pdf

[22] Based on figures from Fife Carers Centre: 17% of the adult population (16+).  The figures for adult carers are estimated to have increased by at least 25% since lockdown, and higher than this in some areas.

[23]Will have a caring role at some point in their life, Fife Young Carers Report 2018

[24] Annual Population Survey Jun 2019 - July 2020, accessed via NOMIS 20/11/20

[25]Scottish Household Survey

[26] Source: Annual Population Survey Apr 2020 – Mar 2021, NOMIS (accessed 22/09/2021). Rate of 7.7% in Fife compared to Scotland (4.3%)

[27] Child Poverty Fife Findings 2018-19

[28] Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2016 & 2020

[29] Year 2 evaluation for Fair Start Scotland show a 57% drop out rate for those with long-term health conditions

[30] Marmot Principles of Good Work and Scottish Government Fair Work First Principles

[31] These priorities are defined by the Parental Employment Support Fund and PESF Boost guidelines from Scottish Government.

[32] http://www.scottishhumanrights.com/

[34] Allocation based on the Annual Participation Measure for Fife 2020

[35] Allocation based on levels of employment deprivation recorded in the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2020v2