Shirlie Project

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Shirlie Project

• 1994
• Inverness based
• 10 clients
• People with learning disabilities
• Training
• 3 members of staff

• 2006
• Highland wide
• gt 200 clients
• Anyone who needs employment support
• Employment
• 26 members of staff

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Client group

• Anyone who needs support in finding and
  sustaining employment
• People with learning disabilities
• People with autism
• People experiencing mental ill-health
• People with acquired brain injury
• Young people at risk of exclusion
• People returning to labour market following
  illness or disability

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How to make the change

• Vision and direction
• Commitment at all levels of organisation
• Look at funding that can make it happen
• Focus on sustainable outcomes
• Flexibility
• In-depth knowledge of local area
• Invest in capacity building

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Partnerships

• Began at operational level
• Led by individual client needs
• Identify complementary working practices
• Later incorporated strategic planning and sharing
  working practices
• Examples Careers Scotland, Jobcentre plus,
  Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Highlands and
  Islands Partnership Programme, other providers at
  operations level

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Links with national level

• Through staff who have good knowledge of local
  provision, local needs, as well as national
  programmes

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Opportunities

• Learning and development
• Up-to-date knowledge of employer needs
• Develop joint working practices
• Develop joint principles of practice

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Barriers

• Central (national) tendering
• Payment in arrears
• Short-term funding initiatives
• Cocktail funding
• Innovation versus capacity building
• Restrictive rules
• Provider expectations

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Added value (long term)

• Change perceptions
• Sustained and sustainable outcomes
• Reduced underemployment
• People in control of their lives
• Better use of potential

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Sustain local activities

• Capacity to deliver contracts
• Debate about full cost recovery
• Flexibility to respond to new opportunities
• Established reputation
• Skill and expertise in accessing new funding

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Lessons learned

• Localised, audited contract management
• Clear vision and direction
• Strong management team
• Be confident about the vision
• Links between local and national strategic level
• Less prescriptive about format for reporting
• Assess funding opps on their impact on service
  delivery