Remploy's WORKSTEP delivery

Before Christmas I went to visit Remploy's Waterloo branch, where they deliver WORKSTEP. The organisation has changed and branched out a lot in the last few years, and it was interesting to see their welfare to work side in action first hand

An evolving company

Remploy has had to change a lot over its 60 year life, from setting up factories to create employment for injured soldiers, to moving into welfare to work as industry in the UK has slowed. 2007 was the real turning point for the company, which saw them forced to close a number of factories nationwide, and lose a lot of disabled staff. However, no forced redundancies were made, and the company moved more directly into welfare to work in part to ensure they did not let these people down.

Today, Remploy still has 54 factories open nationwide, creating products in as wide a range as furniture, electronics, and protective clothing. As their website proudly notes, 1 in 3 children sits on Remploy furniture, and 30,000 children in Africa learn on computers refurbished by them. In addition to their factories, Remploy now has 27 welfare to work branches open nationally, including in all major cities, and outreach field teams to back these up.

The organisation are currently on track to place more than10,000 people in work this year, and aim to help 20,000 people into work each year by 2012-13, with up to double that number of non disabled people helped into employment each year.

WORKSTEP delivery

Candidates are referred to Remploy either through Jobcentre Plus, or by other organisations who feel WORKSTEP is the right way to help certain individuals back into work. Advisers check the individual's eligibility, and then spend an hour and a half talking with them to discover their barriers, and work out whether they are 'job ready' or not.

Those who are considered job ready look for jobs straightaway, and are encouraged to do so independently where possible. Those who are not yet job ready go on a 2 week 'key skills' programme aimed at enhancing transferable skills for employment, such as confidence and CV building. Candidates either then join the job ready group if they have made the necessary progress, or can partake in a similar second programme, which can include further group work.

Candidates stay with the same adviser throughout, who will have a portfolio of individuals of mixed abilities. Those who are job ready come in around twice a week as part of the 'job action group', where their adviser facilitates job search, sees what they've applied for, and provides advice. Remploy focuses on group work, as they believe that group work facilitates candidates’ ability to work together and learn from each other. Additionally, individuals with a number of disabilities are used to having people around to support them, and so Remploy works to recreate this environment.

Provider partnerships

If individuals have specific training needs, such as IT competency, then they can be provided with those courses either in house, or with another organisation/provider. Remploy sees the needs of the individual as more important than just keeping someone on their books. In addition, if Remploy is aware of vacancies that their candidates are not right for, then they will happily pass them on to other providers to fill.

Nonetheless, advisers do continue to look for jobs for those in 'development', as there may still be a number of roles people can apply for without advanced IT skills, for example.

Vacancies are found by both advisers and candidates through various avenues, such as local papers, through local partners, agencies and accounts with companies. Remploy has a number of very useful accounts with major companies, including ASDA, BT, and Royal Mail. These companies not only sometimes guarantee interviews for candidates, but some have also carried out their interviews in Remploy's offices, to provide an element of familiarity.

Olympic success

Remploy has a growing team focused on the Olympic opportunity, which along with the large scale regeneration in East London represents a real opportunity for securing employment for our candidates, and are working closely with the Host Boroughs and the ODA to raise awareness of the opportunities available. In partnership with the Host Boroughs, Remploy has run five events around key employment opportunities, such as Security, logistics & Marshalling. Two further team members are also being recruited to be based in the Olympic Boroughs to mentor candidates into work, and assist ODA contractors to employ disabled candidates.

Long-term placements

Remploy do place their focus on finding candidates long-term work, but have found temporary contracts for individuals prove useful in helping increase confidence and provide people with more of the experience they need in order to find permanent employment. A recent example of this was during the Royal Mail postal strikes, where a number of candidates were recruited on temporary contracts to help out.

In work support

Remploy does place focus on finding candidates long-term work, but have found temporary placements for individuals prove useful in helping increase confidence and provide people with more of the experience they need in order to find permanent employment.

A key part of what Remploy thinks makes them stand out is their additional focus on employment related support. Once in employment, their candidates can have in work support from members of the team for up to 2 years. This support is also available for the employers as well as the new employees, and Remploy have contracts with a number of companies, including BT, to go in and provide help and support for any staff who need it.

They also have similar programmes elsewhere in the UK, and, for example, lead a 'wellbeing through work' scheme in Wales, providing pretty much what it says on the tag.

Pathways practicalities

As a whole, staff at this office see WORKSTEP as a successful programme, and advanced from Pathways which, as noted in previous articles, is currently suffering from a high number of incorrect referrals. Remploy delivers Pathways in a number of areas, and feel that the main challenge is engaging the customer group in a Mandatory programme. They choose to try and engage candidates as early as possible as a voluntary customer and engage them in the service in order to get more regular contact and activity, rather than purely the 5 appointments of the Mandatory Work Focused Regime.

FND

Remploy are a prime contractor for FND phase 1 in South Yorkshire and Derbyshire, and subcontracting in Greater Manchester and the Marches. They feel that by coming from a background helping people with disabilities and sometimes sizeable barriers, their WORKSTEP delivery model works well when applied to FND. They have also found numbers of candidates to be fairly slow coming through the door, adding to the general consensus that initial uptake of FND has been lower than expected. Remploy is also bidding for FND phase 2, and feel they offer a real niche service, even though they're up against some big industry names for the final tender.

DWP relationship

As a publically funded, arms-length public body, Remploy operates independently and make their own decisions, although they do have links to the DWP at a number of levels from the Board down. Jonathan Shaw is the Minister with responsibility for Remploy and he takes, what staff consider to be, an active interest in what they do highlighted by his numerous site visits in the past year.

In addition, there is a sense that the right move is being made in terms of recent government announcements to provide more help to those in work with mental health issues.

Accessibility

The Waterloo office has an open and friendly feel to it, and is neither too vast nor rigid in structure to feel daunting to candidates coming in for the first time. The company tries to employ staff who have disabilities, including a number of former candidates who can understand some of the issues and concerns that individuals walking in for the first time may have.

Additionally, the colourful walls are dotted with photos of well known public figures such as Jamie Oliver and Alastair Campbell, who have themselves struggled with either physical or psychological barriers in their lives (Jamie Oliver has dyslexia, and Alastair Campbell has talked publicly about his bouts of depression). These posters were originally put up the week before, to highlight the International Day of Disabled People, which was supported by a visit to their branch from Jonathan Shaw, Minister for Disabled People. Since then, they have remained as a way of highlighting that so many people from all walks of life come up against similar barriers to a number of Remploy's candidates.

Remploy's annual review is also very accessible, and copies of it can be found on tables in the waiting area when people come in. It not only gives examples of the successes of former candidates, but shows the sorts of companies individuals could work for, and explains a typical day in the Waterloo office. The effort Remploy goes to in order to relax, inform, and to empower their candidates is impressive.