Evaluation of the COASTAL Project 2010 Annual Report – Key findings

Contents

1. Introduction and context2. Outputs, results and impacts to date3. Management and delivery to date4. Key findings and recommendations

Introduction and context

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

Objectives of ESF, Theme 1: Priority 2

• To increase employment and tackle economic inactivity by bringing more people into employment through:

a) Implementing active labour policies and supporting people to overcome a wide range of barriers to sustainable employment

b) Helping to address specific barriers faced by disadvantaged groups

Aims & objectives of the evaluation

• The evaluation will address four key questions:a) How have participants benefited from the support

provided?b) How effectively has the project been delivered?c) How has the project changed the way in which support is

provided in each area?d) 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)

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

Outputs, results and impact to date

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

Cumulative targets

Cumulative targets vs. achievementNumber of participants

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”

Changing economic conditions: Jobseekers in SW Wales 2007-2009

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

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

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.”

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.”

Management and delivery of the project to date

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

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

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

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)

The COASTAL process

The COASTAL process: the focus of work to date

The COASTAL process: achieving project targets

The COASTAL process: participants need to progress

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

Not thinking Self-relianceabout work In-work

Work readyParticipants at this point Participants at this pointneed in-depth support require less support

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

Achieving COASTAL targets

Not thinking Self-relianceabout work In-work

Work readyParticipants at this point Participants at this pointneed in-depth support require less support

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”.

Key findings and recommendations

Recommendation 1

Key findings• 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

Recommendation• The following should be

considered:a) The introduction of strategies

designed to ensure that targets are achieved; OR

b) Begin discussions with WEFO regarding the need to change the targets for COASTAL

Recommendation 2

Findings• 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.

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.

Recommendation 3

Findings• 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.

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.

Recommendation 4

Finding• Feedback from staff on the

level of bureaucracy within the project has been very negative.

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.

Recommendation 5

Findings• 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.

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.

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

Endaf GriffithsLead consultant for the evaluation

Tel: 01545 571711Mob: 07810 544169Email: endaf.griffiths@wavehill.com

www.wavehill.com