GuideLine Career Services (Next Step East Midlands)

Published date 02 September 2011 Inspection Number 366757 Unique reference number: 58856

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Name of lead inspector: John Grimmer HMI

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Address:

159a Front Street Arnold Nottingham NG5 7EE

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Focused monitoring visit report

Focused monitoring visit: GuideLine Career Services Ltd (Next Step East Midlands), 28 July 2011 1 of 4

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Context and focus of visit

GuideLine Career Services (GCS) is the sister company of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Futures. It currently holds the national Skills Funding Agency contract for Next Step services in the East Midlands. This region includes the counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire. In addition to its Next Step contract GCS holds other contracts. This focused monitoring visit is of GCS’s Next Step provision only.

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Context and focus of visit

GCS employs 12 advisers delivering 7% of the contract mainly in Nottinghamshire and in redundancy situations right across the region. The remainder of the Next Step service is provided through the services of 34 subcontractors. They operate from 85 main sites as well as outreach locations such as Jobcentre Plus and community premises. GCS’s 12 main subcontractors are Derbyshire County Council Adult Community Education Service, Leicester Shire Connexions Trading Ltd., Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Future Ltd., OTR Ltd., PJT Employability Ltd., evolve your future Ltd., Options 2 Workplace Learning Ltd., TaylorITEX, Lincolnshire County Council, Business 2 Business UK Ltd., Lagat Training and Recruitment and Choose ICT Ltd.

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Context and focus of visit

At its previous inspection in October 2009, all aspects of the common inspection framework were judged to be satisfactory. This report focuses on the themes explored by inspectors during the visit.

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progress

At the previous inspection, self-assessment was judged to be concise and self- critical. The self-assessment process, considered to be inclusive, used feedback from a number of sources including subcontractors and customers. The related quality improvement plan was clear and succinct and contained appropriate challenging targets.

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Self-assessment continues to be used well to guide quality improvement plans and develop the services available to customers. The self-assessment process takes account of information from a range of sources that include quality monitoring activities of subcontractors and feedback from users of the service. The self- assessment report is thorough, concise and evaluative. Good use is made of subcontractor quality reviews to set detailed and challenging targets for improvement. Subcontractors contribute effectively to the GCS self assessment report. Managers communicate effectively with subcontractors and provide support Focused monitoring visit: GuideLine Career Services Ltd (Next Step East Midlands), 28 July 2011 2 of 4

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and clear guidance to help improve the quality of the Next Step services. The overall self-assessment report was delayed due to protracted contract negotiations and a key staff member leaving. However, GCS and its subcontractors are making reasonable progress in implementing the quality improvement plan derived from the latest self-assessment report.

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progress

GCS has maintained a good pace of improvement in its collection and use of outcome data. The rate of customer follow-up and positive outcomes for customers following an intervention is good. In addition, the proportion of customers who start a learning programme remains high. A significant number of the provider’s customers are unemployed. At the previous inspection, the rate customers entered employment was judged to be low. This rate has improved and is now satisfactory.

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The provider’s monthly monitoring of subcontractor performance effectively uses data to plan and implement developments that benefit customers. In addition, GCS uses data well to identify subcontractor under-performance and then deal with it. It has made good use of data analysis to identify under-represented customer groups including disabled people and ex-offenders and has implemented appropriate improvement strategies. GCS recognises the need to extend its analysis and use of data to monitor all advisers’ performance.

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Contractual targets for customer engagement are challenging. GCS has implemented strategies to address contract requirement shortfalls. However, it is too early to judge the effectiveness of these measures. As noted at the previous inspection, GCS set appropriate subcontractor targets for delivery and customer progression. However, customer progression targets do not fully reflect local circumstances.

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progress

Since the previous inspection, GCS has given appropriate priority to the reduction of low attendance at some sessions. The provider effectively shares good practice between subcontractors to facilitate improvements in attendance. Data relating to customer attendance rates including referrals from the telephone helpline are appropriately collected and analysed to monitor performance. The non attendance rate has substantially reduced across the region and is now low.

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GCS has only had sound and comprehensive data on attendance across all counties since January 2011. Prior to this attendance was checked during subcontractor reviews. However, this process failed to identify and rectify a trend of low attendance rates in Derbyshire and Lincolnshire. Currently GCS does not routinely set challenging subcontractor attendance targets. Focused monitoring visit: GuideLine Career Services Ltd (Next Step East Midlands), 28 July 2011 3 of 4

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At the previous inspection, insufficiently detailed action plans did not accurately define customers’ short, medium and long term plans.

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GCS has implemented a very thorough programme of audits on action plans. It monitors their quality carefully against a set of standards, grades the plans, and provides good, constructive feedback, guidance and training for advisers. It has been successful in making significant improvements in their quality. The action plans examined during the inspection included specific goals aimed at meeting customers’ immediate and longer-term learning and employment needs. They summarised the discussions effectively and provided good information for customers on how they could achieve these goals. Customers find the plans and actions identified helpful and motivating. GCS monitors its progress in improving the quality of action plans and early indications, based on the grades awarded for sessions, are that their quality is improving. However, in a small number of examples, plans gave insufficiently detailed information, for example on telephone numbers or locations,

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progress

for customers to refer to in taking action.

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At the previous inspection, an observation programme to assess and improve the quality of advice sessions had not been fully implemented.

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GCS has now introduced an observation programme that is thorough and effective in improving advisers’ performance. Advisers value their observations and the feedback they are given. It helps them to reflect on their practice and improve it. Observations are now focused on specific areas identified as needing development, such as improving action planning, and probing customers’ needs beyond those presented. The observation programme and feedback has made significant improvements to these aspects of advice sessions. GCS’ assessments of the advisers observed during the inspection closely matched those of inspectors. The well planned advice sessions integrated the completion of electronic records into the session very effectively. Advisers made good use of listening and questioning skills to identify customers’ broader skills and employment needs; they provided them with detailed information based on good knowledge of what was available. GCS provides helpful training and

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guidance to observers and moderates their work carefully. It has used this moderation to improve observers’ practice. GCS has identified that comments on the observation form were insufficiently evaluative and is taking action to improve this aspect of the observers’ performance. Focused monitoring visit: GuideLine Career Services Ltd (Next Step East Midlands), 28 July 2011 4 of 4

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At the previous inspection arrangements for referring customers for literacy, numeracy and language assessments were satisfactory. However, some advisers did not place sufficient emphasis on identifying and improving customers’ skills for life competencies.

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GCS has subsequently incorporated skills for life checks and information into many of its interactions with subcontractors to highlight its importance. For example, the observations of advisers working with customers require comments about the identification of skills for life needs and the arrangement of suitable referrals. Audits carried out on action plans check if there are actions to identify and remedy skills for life needs. The GCS induction for all new advisers includes a section on identifying needs, referral to suitable provision and suitable action planning to meet any needs. A recent training needs analysis, carried out with all advisors, highlights any training they may require in identifying customers’ skills for life levels and referring on to suitable provision. GCS arranged a skills for life training session for advisers at the provider’s annual conference in June 2011. However, this has been delayed until

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November 2011. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231 or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

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