Removing barriers

CROSSREACH is known for its innovation and forward thinking when it comes to its projects and programmes for people of all ages and in every part of the country.

One recent project has begun yielding great results and is giving people who might be trapped in a qualification gap, a chance to get on the ladder to success.

The Get into Care with CrossReach programme is an innovative partnership with the Prince’s Trust, an organisation created to help unemployed people access work and skills to get into work.

Craig Wilson, Senior Head of Programmes at the Prince’s Trust Scotland, said: “We are big believers in strong partnership working in order to support more young people throughout Scotland.

“The social care sector offers stable and fulfilling careers, but young people aren’t always aware of these opportunities. Our partnership with CrossReach is offering young people the chance to not only learn about this sector, but learn the essential skills needed, gain experience, improve their confidence and have access to jobs.

“CrossReach were looking to remove barriers to recruitment and address not only the under-representation of young people in the sector but the poor perception social care has within that age group.

“The Prince’s Trust Scotland is a youth charity that helps young people to develop the confidence and skills they need to realise their ambitions so that they can live, learn and earn. Founded by The Duke of Rothesay in 1976, the charity supports 11 to 30-year-olds, many of whom are unemployed, struggling at school or at risk of exclusion. Three in four young people supported by the Trust move into work, education or training.

“The aim was to establish a long-term partnership to help young people gain confidence and learn new skills that will show them a career in social care was a viable option for them, as well as to i nd a sustainable solution to the recruitment challenges CrossReach face.

“A pilot programme, Get Into Care with CrossReach, was developed, focusing on preparing young people to work in the care sector. The i ve-week programme, which included topics such as adult protection, health and safety, emotional resilience, professional development, communication and coping with grief, was a huge success.

The impact on the young people, both individually and as a group, was inspirational for everyone involved and each of them was guaranteed an interview upon completion. The six young people who are now employed by CrossReach will continue to be supported in their on-going professional development through vocational qualifications.

“This pilot was then embedded as a permanent part of CrossReach’s recruitment policy with further programmes due to run in 2019.” Charlene Lawson, 30, a single mother of two young children lacked the confidence and self-belief to believe she could really contribute to society.

Seeing herself as ‘just a mum’, she also had periods of low mental health which affected how she saw herself. Charlene decided to try out for the Get Into Care with CrossReach programme and was successful in getting a place on the course.

During the five-week programme, Charlene blossomed from a nervous, shy young woman into a confident, articulate person who believed in herself and her capabilities. Fully supporting her peers by listening to them and supporting them through their personal challenges and demonstrating real empathy played a key role in the group of young people working as a team and embracing one another. Charlene excelled throughout the course and in particular during her placement.

Since completing the programme, Charlene gained employment with CrossReach as a support assistant at Threshold Glasgow, which supports adults with learning disabilities. She continues to shine by supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities, embracing every training opportunity, and is an inspiration to anyone who has overcome barriers to a successful career.

Charlene said: “Before I was ‘just a mum’ with kids and no condfidence but completing the course and getting a job at CrossReach has made a huge difference in my life.”

CrossReach Head of HR and People Development, Corinne Morrison-Gillies, says the project is a winner from their point of view as well.

“Realising we need to develop a different approach to recruitment, we developed a long term partnership which has begun to improve the vacancy situation within the organisation using a model which was sustainable on a long term basis,” she says.

“It supports young people who are less advantaged into employment whilst also raising awareness of the recruitment challenges facing the sector and positively promoting it as a career choice.

“The programme was developed by our small in-house HR People Development team, in consultation with staff, managers and the people who use our services.

“We agreed on a pilot programme in Glasgow and worked with the Prince’s Trust to attract young people through a variety of channels, to an information and selection day on August 28 2018. The selection day included presentations from people who use our services explaining what was important to them and what they looked for in the staff that support them. It provided an opportunity for the young people to engage with the people who use our services and our staff and have an informal chat and ask/ answer questions.

“Once the young people were selected, our rigorous, but inclusive, safer recruitment process took place, resulting in the young people commencing their five week programme at the start of October 2018. This holistic programme, used a blended learning approach with face to face classroom sessions being combined with individual learning, e learning and on the job training including a two-week work placement within one of our services.

Training included:

• Adult Protection

• Health and Safety

• Emotional Resilience

• Equality and Diversity

• Data Protection and Confidentiality

̉• Professional Development

• Outcomes based Care

• Introduction to vocational qualifications and work based observations

• Supporting people with Epilepsy

• Personalisation

• Communication and Motivation

• Report Writing

• Coping with Grief

• GIRFEC (Getting it Right for Every Child)

“Prior to a guaranteed interview at the end of the programme, the young people were also provided with employability support including interview skills training and one to one coaching.

“What we could not have anticipated at the start was the depth of the positive impact the programme would have upon the young people both individually and as a group.

“They supported each other so much throughout the programme. The end of programme celebration with their friends and family was emotional and inspiring, hearing the difference it has made to their lives.

“The six young people who we have employed will continue to be supported in their on-going professional development through vocational qualifications (Modern Apprenticeship or VQ) and an individual professional development plan which encompasses a blended learning approach, regular supervision, an annual appraisal and the opportunity to help with improving the services for people we support through for example service user forums, staff consultation group, policy review group etc.”