Background and Methodology | Overview | Birmingham | Bradford | Bristol | Gateshead | Greenwich | Hackney | Leicester | Liverpool | Manchester | Norwich | Sheffield | Slough H: The Liverpool Project Project context H1 The project was targeted at residents of the Norris Green estate. The estate itself is an old council estate in a state of general disrepair. Residents face problems associated with poor housing and a historically high level of unemployment; a large number of families have dependent children. The population is mainly white. H2 There are a number of barriers to learning; these include a lack of childcare provision on the estate and a general reluctance on the part of residents to leave their homes owing to the high risk of burglary (linked with the prevalent drugs culture). There is also great fear over any potential loss of benefits and a general distrust of 'schemes'. Residents tend to be disengaged from, and hostile towards, authority and authority figures, displaying cynicism towards measures perceived as originating from them. H3 Merseyside is an Objective One area in terms of the ESF; a significant proportion of this funding has been awarded to 'Pathways to Integration' projects and initiatives. These are fundamentally concerned with involving local residents at every stage in decision making via partnership groups which represent the views of people from within the Pathways areas. These partnership groups are hugely influential and it is essential for all guidance work in the area to secure their support. H4 It can be difficult for outside agencies to integrate successfully with these powerful community groups. The Norris Green (or Queens Pathways) area was selected for this project as it was thought that it would be particularly open to outside involvement. Project objectives H5 The objectives of the project were to: better prepare parents to help children's education and come forward to the point where they feel comfortable enough to learn themselves; help people understand the value of learning and encourage them to re-enter learning. H6 The project strategy was to employ one part-time local worker to act as the day-to-day manager who would work with four schools in the Norris Green catchment area to identify parents who have little contact with schools and little involvement in their child's education. H7 The original plan was to work closely with schools in targeting parents, who would then be contacted directly and encouraged to take up learning opportunities offered locally. The approach was planned to be extremely client centred, tactful and sensitive in order to encourage parents to be drawn into a base in the community where courses will be introduced. It was intended that confidence building would precede any approach to other learning opportunities. It was also hoped that the strategy would encourage a group dynamic, resulting in the group becoming increasingly self-supporting and able to progress to other options. Management arrangements H8 Overall responsibility for the project was in the hands of a senior manager of Career Decisions. The other partners on the project were:- City Council (represented by Liverpool Adult Guidance Service); Merseyside TEC. H9 The steering group still consists of the original partners although it is not always possible for representatives of the Council to attend. The TEC not only attends the meetings, but has allocated an additional £5000 to the project budget. In addition to the three main partners, representatives of a number of local organisations attend, including the Queens Pathways and the City of Liverpool College. Contributions from the Liverpool Adult Guidance Service (LAGS) have been principally through advice at steering group meetings. Some difficulties were experienced as a result of two agencies, who have similar targets and client groups, working together for the first time in a collaborative model, but these were kept to a minimum. H10 Overall the steering group has been supportive but there have been problems in communication with an 'operational group' established by the Pathways representative, originally to help with the direction of the project. The operational group believed themselves to be responsible for managing the project and the project co-ordinator was receiving confusing instructions from both groups. It was necessary to redefine the role of the operational group and it now serves as a networking facility for local workers. H11 The project has experienced problems with staff continuity. The initial recruitment of the local worker was successful and the post holder extremely effective; however, the post was only part-time and the individual was offered another, full-time, post. A replacement was recruited soon afterwards with advertisements placed in the Liverpool Echo. The successful individual was referred to the project by the previous post holder: they had met through networking. The applicant was already active in the voluntary sector on the estate and brought local knowledge and credibility to the project. Progress against objectives H12 Progress will be discussed under the following headings; networking; access to the target group; redefining the activities; outcomes. Networking H13 Both the part-time project managers have been successful in establishing extensive and co-operative networks with the many organisations operating within the area of Norris Green, and in securing their support. The four school heads had to be approached directly, since the Partnership had had little prior contact; building successful relationships was extremely important to the project objectives. Whilst all schools were initially responsive to the project and expressed an interest in the overall approach, only two schools made a significant contribution and were actually able to supply the names of parents to target. H14 The operational group which was set up during the life of the project (see paragraph H10) has proved useful in establishing networks, as all members of the group are involved in outreach at the grass roots level. The group has been so successful that it plans to run independently of the project and has re-christened itself LEARN (Local Education and Resources Network) at the suggestion of the project manager. LEARN is becoming increasingly influential within the partnership and there are plans to involve the group formally in decision making. Access to the target group H15 Each of the two schools identified the parents of year 10 and 11 children who showed poor attendance, and parents who had previously had little involvement with their children's education. The schools supplied the project manager with lists of the contact details of parents for the project manager to approach. H16 Before leaving the project, the first project manager had sent a letter out to parents and made some follow up visits. He had also produced a promotional leaflet with his name and contact details. When the second project manager took over, it was a critical period. Her approach was to send out a further letter or to ring parents up to explain the situation and to try and arrange a time to visit that was convenient for them. She also took the step of 'dropping in on' those people who didn't respond to letters or phone calls. H17 During the visits the project manager gave some details about the project and explained that the school had referred them as they felt it would be beneficial for their children if parents got more involved in their child's education. It was very important for parents not to feel singled out. To break the ice, the project manager would ask questions about their perceptions of their child's performance, their own education and the approachability of the school. H18 The response was extremely positive, in a normally hostile area. The project manger was already known locally through her voluntary work, and had lived on the estate for years, both of which helped in her work. The project manager carried an ID card but the level of trust she was able to establish was so high that she was rarely required to produce it. Through intensive contact the idea of learning was gently introduced. However, the project manager became more of a community resource, answering questions on a wide variety of topics ranging from information on how to get a school bus pass, to how to work for a voluntary organisation. H19 In addition to the original client group, the project manager, through the contacts she had formed from years of work in the field, was able to offer information to people with learning difficulties, the long term sick and carers. Redefining the objectives H20 After making a number of visits to parents in their homes, the project manger invited ten parents to attend a confidence and motivation class. All ten stated that they would attend. A set of four sessions was planned and a careers adviser from Career Decisions booked to attend, but on the day only one person turned up. When the project manager re-visited the parents they offered a number of explanations, but it was evident that a lack of confidence and self-esteem was responsible. It was therefore necessary to take stock and to redefine the objectives. H21 There were still funds left in the budget and it was therefore possible to plan more activities. The decision was also taken to extend the project manager post to a full-time basis. There are now three new activities:- work with a parent and toddler group encouraging them to take the confidence building courses; the production of a community directory; a photography competition with the theme of 'learning'. Progress in each of these is discussed separately below. Parent and toddler group H22 The project manager was aware of a number of parent and toddler groups running locally, two church based and one community based provision. As they were already felt to have a strong group identity, it was felt that they may have sufficient trust in one another to encourage attendance. It was also possible for the project manager to talk to a number of individuals during one session. Part of the rationale was to attempt to access parents before their children grow up and during a period where they are pre-occupied with their child's welfare. H23 The project manager attended a number of sessions at each of the three groups, taking along the careers adviser to meet people in an informal way in order to gain the confidence of the group. In addition to parents from the playgroups, parents with whom the project manager had been working, who did not attend originally, were also invited. A series of sessions have now been completed with an average attendance of seven. The series began with an initial exploratory session during which potential students were able to analyse their skills and needs. These results are extremely encouraging and reflect the hard work of the project manager. Community Directory H24 The project manager kept a detailed list of all the questions she was asked by parents. As she was already being used as a source of local information informally through her networking activities, the decision was taken to attempt to answer the questions posed by local residents by compiling a community directory. The directory will contain information on local organisations such as churches and colleges, lists of surgeries with women doctors, and times of CAB openings, including details of a named person who could be contacted for more information. H25 Local volunteers from the Community Federation on Norris Green have helped in compiling the directory and contacts from LEARN have also supplied relevant information. However, it has represented a lot of work for the project manager who has contacted many organisations and individuals herself. The volunteers are to be accredited for their work by the local college outreach worker. Demand for the directory is already high and is growing. The information is to be kept on computer to ensure that for any future editions the information can be updated. Photography Competition H26 The Partnership had already run a successful photography competition, which had succeeded in capturing the imagination of residents. The project manager hoped to build on this success by running a similar competition but with the theme of 'learning'. H27 A photographer will hold a workshop where disposable cameras will be distributed and training given in how to use them. Discussions will also be held about the theme for the competition and how to capture suitable images on film. People then have a fortnight to take their pictures before giving their camera back to the project manager who will have them developed. The photographer will then judge the photographs and the winning pictures will be used to publicise National Reading Year and in an awareness raising campaign for learning. Cash prizes were offered to the winners in order to draw people to the competition, and any child entering will receive a book token. H28 In addition to the main competition, a number of other activities are planned:- accreditation is being sought from the local college for participants in the competition; an additional prize is being awarded to the participant who best describes what the competition has taught them about learning; in an attempt to build links with the local college, participants will be encouraged to visit the college to help them take the first steps into learning. Outcomes H29 The project manager has kept in regular contact with parents including regularly sending them information through the post. She has also, with their permission, passed on the details of interested parents to other agencies in order for them to be contacted direct with relevant information about courses and other opportunities. At least three people have already enrolled on computer courses and a number of people have gone on to formal guidance sessions. H30 The reactions of the schools have been positive. One in particular feels that parental participation at the last parents' evening was improved through the project manager's efforts with particular parents. At the request of the two schools, individual reports detailing the contact and progress made with parents were prepared. Only one school has taken the time to give feedback, the other felt that they did not have time to meet with the project manager and as a result have not even received their report. This has given rise to some disappointment. H31 The project is now scheduled to run until December 1998 using the balance of DfEE funding. Realistically, it will not be until this date that the impact of the three new activities can be assessed. Next steps H32 As the project is continuing under existing funding, it is a little soon to be planning next steps. However, the contract manager is keen to pursue a grant from the Adult and Community Learning Fund. Principal learning points H33 There have been a number of learning points to emerge, some of which are outlined below:- schools are most receptive to schemes which can be seen to help not only adults but also their children; in any project where specific targeting of individuals is involved, it is very important to ensure they do not feel victimised, or embarrassed by their selection; adopting an informal and friendly approach to clients significantly enhances your chances of being accepted; leaflets won't work with people who lack confidence; they need far more support before they are ready to take up opportunities; whilst people may cite barriers such as a lack of childcare for their non-participation, the barriers are often more concerned with a lack of self-esteem and confidence. Even when offered childcare, residents did not take up the offer of courses.