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Evaluation of the COASTAL Project 2010 Annual Report – Key findings

Evaluation of the COASTAL Project 2010 Annual Report – Key findings. Contents. Introduction and context Outputs, results and impacts to date Management and delivery to date Key findings and recommendations. Introduction and context. COASTAL – ‘the basics’.

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Evaluation of the COASTAL Project 2010 Annual Report – Key findings

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  1. Evaluation of the COASTAL Project 2010 Annual Report – Key findings

  2. Contents • Introduction and context • Outputs, results and impacts to date • Management and delivery to date • Key findings and recommendations

  3. Introduction and context

  4. COASTAL – ‘the basics’ • Support for individuals with serious and enduring illness and/or disability to gain their maximum potential in respect of skill acquisition, employability and economic activity • A £52million Regional Strategic Project covering the six Local Authority (LA) areas of SW Wales funded by ESF funding • Six (to date 4) Creating Opportunities And Skills Teams - COAST’s - one in each LA area - working in collaboration with a range of service providers • Five ‘cross-regional’ services

  5. Objectives of ESF, Theme 1: Priority 2 • To increase employment and tackle economic inactivity by bringing more people into employment through: • Implementing active labour policies and supporting people to overcome a wide range of barriers to sustainable employment • Helping to address specific barriers faced by disadvantaged groups

  6. Aims & objectives of the evaluation • The evaluation will address four key questions: • How have participants benefited from the support provided? • How effectively has the project been delivered? • How has the project changed the way in which support is provided in each area? • What has been the cost-benefit and impact of the project? • To be undertaken alongside the delivery of the project over five years (annual reports)

  7. Fieldwork in 2010 • A range of baseline data for the region has been collected – levels of unemployment, etc. • 22 ‘strategic level’ stakeholders interviewed • 50 project staff interviewed • 90 participants interviewed informally during visits to elements of the project

  8. Outputs, results and impact to date

  9. Headline targets for the project • 9,020 economically inactive participants to be engaged • 5,412 participants gaining a qualification (60%) • 2,870 participants move into sustainable employment (32%) • 8,569 participants gaining other positive outcomes (95%) • 20 employers adopting or improving equality and diversity strategies and monitoring systems

  10. Cumulative targets

  11. Cumulative targets vs. achievementNumber of participants

  12. Are the project targets achievable? • Targets were a key issues during discussions with stakeholders – strategic and delviery • The target on the number of ‘participants entering employment’ was of particular concern • “The target was challenging when it was set - since then there has been a recession”

  13. Changing economic conditions: Jobseekers in SW Wales 2007-2009

  14. Measuring ‘soft outcomes’ – The Work Star Model: Triangle Consulting

  15. Benefits identified by participants • The Work Star categories identified most often were: • Stability: improvements to the day to day pattern of participants lives • Social skills for work: getting on with people, self-confidence, turning up on time, behaving appropriately, etc. • “More confident” • Quality of life • Self-esteem and self-worth • Meeting and interacting with other people • Motivation

  16. Quotes from participants • “The support here is brilliant and the staff are great. Without this I would be a wreck…Now my confidence is better I even think I should be on the Council, I would be really good!” • “I'm a completely different person” • “Now I feel like I am willing to try anything, I have now found a proper job and I start this Monday, it is with Future Jobs Fund as a customer service advisor for 6 months.”

  17. Quotes from participants • “The project has saved my life without it I would have been totally isolated. I did not realise there was so much help out there for addicts.” • “It (COASTAL) has been a massive help in my life. Before I came to COASTAL I was beaten by my mum, put in foster care, I was taking drugs and drinking, I was classed as an alcoholic by the age of 13 and then I got some help with WGCADA and then my social worker suggested COASTAL and they have been brilliant.” • “I'm using again now, on self destruct again, can't take it, need more help.”

  18. Management and delivery of the project to date

  19. The slow start • The procurement process – ‘a cautious approach’ • Nervousness amongst the Local Authorities • The process of recruiting staff • This has knock-on effects such as the need to re-profile expenditure which has already been done • This in-turn increases levels of caution /nervousness amongst Local Authorities • As does the ongoing discussion regarding the need to reduce public sector expenditure • This has implications for staff morale

  20. A flexible delivery model • This is one of the most notable characteristics of the project and recognised as one of its strengths • Critical to any Regional project such as COASTAL – delivery will differ within a region • Different perspectives: • A source of funding to develop a new way of working / providing support • A source of funding to maintain an ongoing service • COASTAL is as an opportunity to manage the process of change in how support is provided

  21. Perceived strengths • An opportunity to share good practice amongst the partners (for some more than others) • Shared risk in terms of achieving outputs, expenditure, etc. • A lean management structure / economies of scale • COASTAL has a clear identity (is seen as something different) • The procurement process / contract / targets provides a clear focus for activity

  22. Perceived weaknesses & challenges • Slow progress / uncertainty • Paperwork and the bureaucracy within the project • The perceived focus on employment outputs and outcomes • The target driven approach – “you can’t push the type of people that we’re working with” • COASTAL has a clear identity - is seen as something different. Accordingly, it’s seen as a threat rather than an addition in some cases • Resistance to ‘change’ amongst some staff (new staff are enthused, more experienced staff are more sceptical)

  23. The COASTAL process

  24. The COASTAL process: the focus of work to date

  25. The COASTAL process: achieving project targets

  26. The COASTAL process: participants need to progress

  27. Distance from being employment ready:Those most at need vs. those closest to the labour market

  28. Distance from being employment ready:Those most at need vs. those closest to the labour marketAchieving COASTAL targets

  29. Life after COASTAL • The need for a strategy in order to maintain the ‘change’ being facilitated by COSTAL is recognised • The steps taken to develop that strategy are supported and, in light of the time taken to establish COASTAL, are clearly sensible if there is to be no gap after COASTAL and in order to maintain any momentum that is developed • However, at a delivery level, the focus on what will happen after COASTAL is seen by some as premature – “the current project isn’t up and running properly yet”.

  30. Key findings and recommendations

  31. Recommendation 1 Key findings Recommendation The following should be considered: The introduction of strategies designed to ensure that targets are achieved; OR Begin discussions with WEFO regarding the need to change the targets for COASTAL • COASTAL has made a slow start • There is some scepticism in terms of whether the targets are achievable • Economic conditions have changed since targets were set • The range of project active in SW Wales has also changes

  32. Recommendation 2 Findings Recommendations The fact that COASTAL supports the process of overcoming barriers to employment and the ‘well-being’ benefits that this can generate needs to be re-emphasised and promoted, especially amongst the staff of projects / services that will be referring participants to the project. • The focus of COASTAL on employment is seen as a barrier to the ability of the project to support some participants and, perhaps more importantly, to the acceptance of the project by some staff.

  33. Recommendation 3 Findings Recommendation The project board should consider opportunities to increase the level of cross-regional cooperation amongst staff at a delivery level. This should include options to engage colleagues from outside the COASTAL project itself. • The ‘flexible delivery’ model being used by COASTAL is one of its key strengths and opportunities. • Senior staff have clearly benefited from cooperation. • There is significant opportunity for greater cooperation amongst delivery teams across the region.

  34. Recommendation 4 Finding Recommendation Whilst recognising that a certain level of bureaucracy is inevitable with any ESF funded project, the potential to streamline the paperwork associated with COASTAL should be explored by, for example, establishing a delivery staff working group to consider the matter. • Feedback from staff on the level of bureaucracy within the project has been very negative.

  35. Recommendation 5 Findings Recommendation The ongoing discussions regarding the development of a ‘sustainability strategy’ for COASTAL should continue. However, a focus on addressing issues relating to the delivery of the current project must be maintained. Any discussions should be undertaken in light of the findings of the evaluation. • Many of the changes in service provision being promoted / facilitated by COASTAL are long-term. • The COASTAL experience is that setting up new services / projects can be a slow process • There is a risk that staff can have a negative perception of a focus on a successor to the current project.

  36. Next steps for the evaluation • A greater focus on the individual Local Authority areas • A longitudinal survey of a sample of participants (i.e. tracking a sample of participants as they progress within / outside the project) • Analysis of data captured via the Work Star process • An annual survey (snap-shot) of a sample of participants identified by Work Star as having progressed to different extents (average, below-average and above-average) • Group discussion with participants attending the COASTAL Conference (annual) • Repeat the interviews with strategic and delivery level staff

  37. Endaf Griffiths Lead consultant for the evaluation Tel: 01545 571711 Mob: 07810 544169 Email: endaf.griffiths@wavehill.com www.wavehill.com

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