Background and Methodology | Overview | Birmingham | Bradford | Bristol | Gateshead | Greenwich | Hackney | Leicester | Liverpool | Manchester | Norwich | Sheffield | Slough M: The Slough Project Project context M1 Slough has the largest number of jobs available - but also the highest levels of unemployment - in the region. This is due, in part, to an acute skills mismatch. The area selected for the project was Chalvey, which has a large ethnic minority population, the highest level of unemployment amongst wards in Slough, and a general problem with drugs and violence. Another difficulty faced by many Chalvey residents is the need for English language support; families with an Asian origin make up 34% of the population. Levels of achievement within local schools are also extremely low. M2 Slough has a history of collaborative working, particularly in connection with SRB- funded projects, which operate with the assistance of a network of nineteen partners. The Borough Council has hitherto approached disaffection issues from a strategic level, but have just recruited a number of community development workers, some of whom have a local focus in the Chalvey area. It has been an aim of the council to build up provision in the area as it has had little community activity, despite the many agencies at work there; this project forms part of this strategy. M3 Research in the area has shown that local young people have been becoming disaffected with multi-site provision of information, feeling they are being 'passed from pillar to post'. The need was expressed for a 'one stop shop', especially since residents are unwilling to leave the area to access information services. Project objectives M4 The decision was made to invest in a shop front site in the main shopping area of Chalvey in order to complement existing provision and allow those who are unlikely to visit more formal establishments to access information. The main target groups were to be the unemployed, those who are under employed, and ethnic minorities (Asian women in particular). M5 The shop aims to provide the following services:- information on training and education courses in English and other languages, presented in a professional way; guidance on a one-to-one basis from individuals who can provide referrals to specific providers; access to information technology. M6 Outreach work was to complement the activities of the shop by encouraging people to take advantage of the opportunities on offer. The shop opened for 22 ½ hours a week initially and was staffed by sessional and voluntary workers. Management arrangements M7 Slough Borough Council were the contract holders for the project. The project co-ordinator was also an existing member of staff at the council, with experience of working on council funded projects. The other major partners in the project were:- Thames Valley Enterprise Thames Careers Guidance Thames Valley University Slough SRB Partnership East Berkshire College. M8 The project co-ordinator was responsible for the management of the steering group and attendance at meetings was good. In addition to the above partners, a number of other organisations were represented including the race equality council, schools and multi-cultural services. The group has been involved in most of the major decision making surrounding the project and the project co-ordinator has taken steps to maintain regular contact with partners throughout. M9 Central to the success of the partnership working within the project has been the existence of truly shared objectives. For example, the University has a mission to work within the local community and hopes to use the results of the research to enable them to secure funding for further community projects. The University provided computers for the shop from their Community Education Budget; this allows users to access a range of facilities such as Adult Directions and word processing packages from which users can design and print their own CVs. The existence of strong networks from previous projects has helped to cut down the lead time for the project and to cut costs. There is a high level of commitment from all the key partners and partnership is central to all aspects of the project. Progress against objectives M10 The progress made so far is described under the following headings:- initial research; finding the right premises; marketing; recruiting staff from the community; the client group and their needs. Initial research M11 The main task in preparing the way for the shop front site was to conduct a research project which would provide not only the baseline data for evaluation, but also detail the needs of the individuals who were likely to use it. This research was been conducted with the support of Thames Valley University which provided IT and administrative resources for the project co-ordinator and a sessional worker who took on the research responsibilities. M12 The collection tool for the research data was a verbally delivered questionnaire, which was adapted from one used in a previous project in the Gateshead area. To ensure ease of use, the number of questions was cut down from 70 to 44 and the questionnaire was translated into Urdu and Punjabi. It was administered at a variety of community venues including the Youth and Community Centre, the YMCA and a number of local schools where teachers provided additional help. Pakistani and Indian groups and the Racial Equality Council were also involved in its administration. M13 The results raised a number of issues for the shop including the fact that many respondents required personal advice and counselling, alerting staff to the need for a private area to be used for confidential discussions. Another issue was the importance of childcare; in response staff set up a small and informal crèche facility in the community. More general issues emerging included the lack of suitable transport in the area, and a major finding was that as many as 75% of respondents felt the provision of training and learning opportunities in the area was inadequate. Finding the right premises M14 Rented premises were chosen for the shop, but there were some delays in converting the site, which needed extensive renovations in order to meet the standards required. The shop itself is located on a busy street along with a number of other small businesses. The actual site is quite small and would ideally be bigger, but was the only one available in the Chalvey area at the time. There is currently no access for disabled individuals but unfortunately the modifications required to make the shop 'wheelchair friendly' could not be completed within the budget. M15 Resources in the shop, in addition to the IT facilities provided by Thames Valley University, include:- literature, information and resources from Thames Valley Careers; literature and resources provided in community languages by Thames Valley Enterprise, including information on starting up a business; community information provided by local voluntary, statutory and private organisations. M16 The shop was officially opened with a launch day in April, attended by the local MP. Refreshments were supplied by Multi-cultural Services, prepared by students taking an Asian cooking class, and Thames Valley University catering made a cake in the shape of shop. The event was a tremendous success with 58 people attending. Marketing M17 The shop aimed to reach a diverse range of people (eg. women, the unemployed, under-employed workers and those on probation), making effective marketing a difficult task. A marketing campaign was constructed which emphasised the message of a good quality service, provided in an informal way that was non-judgemental and open to everyone. Many of the materials were reproduced in three community languages; this, in particular, provoked a positive reaction from local people. Slough Young People's Centre were responsible for the production of many of the materials. M18 Elements of the campaign included placing inserts in the local papers, posters at local venues and more targeted aspects such as a stand at a local college 'freshers' day. Schools also played an important role with advertisements placed in school newsletters and open days held at schools. There was also a good response from a campaign on a local radio station designed in partnership with Multi-cultural Services. Recruiting staff from the community M19 The project recruited six sessional workers; adverts were placed in the council staff bulletin (which is circulated to community agencies) and were also placed in centres and shops in the Chalvey area. Workers have been drawn from Pakistani, Arabic, Indian and white sections of the community (one worker is a tutor in Arabic and can speak five community languages); all are local people. One worker is disabled and due to the lack of access to the shop could only be taken on as a remote worker, working through Thames Valley University and Slough Council Voluntary Services. M20 All workers were offered training on a variety of issues, each one writing an individual mission statement reflecting their own needs and ambitions. Training sessions were facilitated by the Chalvey Opportunity Shop and run by local colleges, Thames Valley University and (in the case of training on the voluntary sector) tutors brought down from Newcastle. Other topics included health and safety training, IT skills, customer care, signposting and cultural awareness. Schedules were drawn up individually to reflect the needs of the individual workers concerned. Most of the training was accredited through the University or local college; accreditation was felt to increase the motivation of the workers and to give them something positive to take away from the project. M21 The hours of the workers have had to be carefully monitored to ensure that those on benefits did not lose out. One worker increased their hours to exceed sixteen in order to become eligible for Family Credit, whilst another kept their hours under sixteen in order to continue to claim Income Support. One worker was able to leave benefits altogether by taking on another two part-time jobs. Shop users and their needs M22 By communicating the independent nature of the project, it has been possible to build good community relations, although this has taken time. The shop aims to act as an intermediary body, helping people access larger, more intimidating institutions. It has been important to assert that there are no overriding objectives driven by one organisation; the shop is genuinely a community resource. M23 Asian women were a specific target for the shop and it has been successful in drawing them in. Most have entered as a result of personal contact either through the outreach work of the project, or through other community organisations. Influential organisations such as the Pakistani Welfare Organisation were initially concerned by the issue of a women's group, so a course was designed with the help of Thames Valley University to reflect the needs of the women, without appearing as a cultural threat. A health and fitness course was selected, but this also incorporates confidence building and the development of oral and written skills which it is hoped will help the women in gaining employment in a health related area. M24 Users of the shop have been around 50% male, however. This success in attracting male users is thought to be partly attributable to cultural expectations, in certain sections of the community, concerning the male role. Unemployed or underemployed men from these groups tend to be more open to new approaches as they feel under pressure to maximise the family income. Young people have also used the shop, referred through schools or youth centres. Overall those using the shop are thought to be reflective of the community as a whole, in compliance with the shop's original aims. Next steps M25 The council is committed to continuing to run the shop, in the light of the success of the project so far and the compatibility of the shop objectives with those of the borough as a whole. Funding has already been secured to continue to operate the shop until March 1999, as the council's community services funded the first few months of the project. The DfEE funding will therefore cover running costs until that date. This allows time for either further funding to be secured, or a proper six-month exit strategy to be followed. Due to extreme budget pressures the council will be unlikely to provide further funding itself, but the Adult and Community Learning Fund is one option for further funding. M26 Other outcomes include the set-up of a Moslem women's group, established by two members of staff from the shop. The group aims to provide training for its members and already has a management committee. Before working at the shop it is doubtful if these individuals would have been able to confidently take on such a responsibility. They plan to apply for funding themselves. Principal learning points M27 Some of the learning points and recommendations to emerge from the project are summarised below:- a large steering group may need extra effort in involving all partners but helps to promote understanding and commitment. The use of sub-groups to assist with specific issues can also be helpful; partnerships can exist at the operational and not just strategic level. Working with joint objectives at grass roots level can result in the sharing of resources, making life easier for everyone; local research can be invaluable in assessing the needs of clients. Once this information is collected other organisations are also likely to find it useful; when working in a multi-cultural community, people really appreciate the opportunity to read information and marketing in their own languages; it has been helpful throughout the project to take time out to consider next steps. By standing back from the project, and not attempting to do everything at once, it has been possible to operate flexibly, responding to needs as they arise.