Transcript Enabler Assessment Tool

Improving Employment
Prospects of blind and
partially sighted people
Alex Saunders, Enabler Project
Manager, Ruth Morrell,
Employment Advisor RNIB
Scotland, Glenn Paisley
Introduction
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The background to the Enabler Project
What is the Enabler Project?
The Assessment Toolkit
A clients viewpoint
Questions?
Next steps
Background to the Enabler
Project
• 66% of people with sight loss are
economically inactive
• 9 out of 10 employers rate it difficult or
impossible to employ someone with sight
loss.
• In 2010-2011 RNIB/Action for Blind People
supported 1164 people with sight loss to
remain in work or to gain employment
Background to the Enabler
Project
• The work Focus Project (2008-2010)
examined 350 people to ask what gets
people into work?
• Including basic skills gaps. Recognition of
the differences in customers, one size
doesn't fit all.
• Evaluation and providing bespoke training
for people with sight loss.
Enabler Project
• The Enabler Project emerged to address
these issues.
• Partnership between RNIB, Action for
Blind People, University of Birmingham
with support from Big Lottery.
• Three year project with two main aims and
objectives.
Two Objectives
• Develop a standardised assessment
model which would increase our
understanding of the needs and barriers
facing job seekers with sight loss.
• Supporting employment professionals
working with customers requiring a great
deal of support on their way into
employment, developing new ways of
working.
Key Objectives
• Formulating the assessment tool based on
good practice, working with employment
professionals in the field and blind and
partially sighted people, drawing on their
expertise to design, deliver and revise the
toolkit.
• Questions are designed to generate
information used to inform the assessment
• This can then be used to measure and
communicate distance travelled.
The Assessment Toolkit
• Testing the toolkit in the field within two
research phases, learning through practice
about what works and what doesn't work
• Some questions have a screening function
• These questions taken with the broader
questions can be used to give the
customer and employment professional an
indication of the level of support a client
requires.
Testing the Assessment
Toolkit
• Trialled with 14 clients
• 7 Employment professionals tested the
toolkit in the field
• Outside of contractual obligations
• 10 month trial of the toolkit in the field
• Testing of pre employment programme
Activity
• What do you think are important areas to
consider when assessing the back to work
support a person with sight loss would
require?
• How would you prioritise these areas?
What's in the toolkit?
• 7 areas of screening including:
Employment experience
Access to information
Computer skills
Independent Travel
Vision
Education and Training
Motivation and Focus
What's in the toolkit?
• On completion of the screening tool clients
can be placed in one of the following
levels of support, giving both clients and
employment professionals an opportunity
to track progress towards employment.
What's in the Toolkit?
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Level 1 - work ready
Level 2a - nearly work ready (closer)
Level 2b - nearly work ready (further)
Level 3- Longer term support needed
Level 4 - Foundation work required before
employment services
What's in the Toolkit?
• The screening tool also enables a
comprehensive action plan to be
developed with the client, identifying
barriers and how to overcome them
according to SMART goals.
• This is a interactive document which can
demonstrate progress and develops over
time with the client.
The results from the trial
• 12 out of 14 clients made progress to
employment
• 2 Enabler Clients attending a pre
employment course are now in paid work
• 3 participants secured full time education
courses
• 6 clients moved closer to employment
• 7 clients benefited from voluntary work as
the first step towards employment.
The results from the trial
• 1 person secured 10 hours support work
from local authority, moving him from a
situation of isolation into a position where
he was able to undertake voluntary work.
• Confidence and motivation levels have
increased for the majority of clients over
the ten month trial.
A clients viewpoint of the Enabler
Project
• Glenn Paisley
• Glenn has participated in the trial of the
toolkit, which included recording his
experiences, discussing with researchers
his experiences and thoughts to give a
detailed insight into his journey towards
employment.
The Next Steps
• Launched the Employment Assessment
Toolkit on 18 March 2013.
• Employment Assessment Toolkit launch
event on 18 June, aimed at prime
contractors. Presenting the toolkit and our
work with people furthest from the labour
market.
The ENABLER Project:
• www.rnib.org.uk/employmentservices
• www.actionforblindpeople.org.uk
• The DVD