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Good Practice
Progression Pathways
Developing clear progression pathways
Training and induction as a route to career progression
Personal development plans
General

Developing clear progression pathways

01 Home-start Leeds: Progression into further training or employment

Home Start actively encourages volunteers to progress into further training and/or employment. A structured link has been developed with Leeds Metropolitan University that enables those that want to use the 10-week induction process and associated NVQ accreditation as a stepping stone to a degree in Social Work at Leeds Metropolitan University. 8 volunteers have successfully completed this route. Home-Start Leeds also encourages progression on to further training through other routes, as illustrated by the case study below.

Mary is a 39-year-old mother with twin children. She became a volunteer about four years and through volunteering with Home-Start Leeds has progressed to university undertaking a social work degree.

After undertaking extensive training through Home-Start Leeds and completion of a two-year access to social work course through Thomas Danby College, she is now coming up to finishing her first year as a Social Work student at Bradford University. Mary decided to go to Bradford because it was the best place for her, given child care responsibilities at the time. She commented “And all this is through Home-Start”.

Mary identified her motivation for undertaking the course as “helping people. I thought if I could just help somebody on a voluntary basis, just on a couple of hours a week, what could I do if I was to do that full time”

“You can go out there, you can make a difference, you can make a change”

She identifies her volunteering experiences with Home-Start Leeds as critical to progression on to her current course. She commented:

“Without being a Home-Start volunteer I would never have had the courage to do this” “The confidence that I have gained in the last four years is tremendous”

Before Mary started volunteering she had no qualifications. She attributes getting on to her access social work access course at least in part to experience of volunteering at Home-Start, commenting:

“Getting on that I think it helped that I had the experience through Home-Start”.

Some practical experience with Home-Start in relation to issues such as child protection is also identified by Mary as of help in terms of her current course.

One of the most important aspects of these experiences has been an increase in her confidence. She indicted that previously “I really lacked in confidence”.

Her future aspirations are to become a qualified social worker in two years time and hopefully still have the volunteering role at Home-Start Leeds.

02 Communities United Project (CUP)_Clear pathways for volunteers

CUP provides clear pathways for both young people and adults to gain a range of experiences and opportunities through participation in the various CUP programmes and projects.

Communities United Project recognises that local residents have an abundance of untapped skills and knowledge, which can be harnessed to meet broader community development objectives beyond stimulating the constructive use of leisure time of disadvantaged young people.

The majority of volunteers are non-traditional learners, so they don’t have many, or often, no formal qualifications. CUP offers training & support to volunteers to enable them to achieve & aspire to things maybe they once thought were out of their reach. Many adult volunteers will have had poor expereinces through mainstream education, which are often reflected in levels of qualification attainment. CUP serves to reintroduce adult volunteers to learning. CUP’s previous success in achieving this has been demonstrated through a high proportion of volunteers going on to access further training and obtaining employment.

Lesley Steel, the Manager of the Communities United Project emphasised that every effort is made to provide volunteers with progression pathways:

“We have now an arrangement with Young People Service where they run a Gateway to Youth Work course, which then follows on to a Certificate in Youth Work course, which counts as credit if people want to go on and do a degree. They will now allow our volunteers to go through the training. At the minute we have three people going through that process…they get the experience whilst they are volunteering so it’s portfolio building and accounting for hours, which they get whilst they are volunteering.”

Currently 5 members of staff are ex volunteers that have progressed to paid employment.

Working with the wider community, local adult volunteers are supported in the development of new community led initiatives targeting, in particular, young people within areas expereincing high levels of crime and anti-social behaviour. CUP provides a critical enabling role, supporting adults in a non threatening environment, whilst they acquire or re-learn the skills nescesary to enable them to develop and run activities for young people in their communites. CUP provides training such as Football Association Coaching Awards, Working with Children, mentoring Young People, First Aid, Meeting and Communication Skills and Community Sports Leader Award. The project does not duplicate the coaching activities of mainstream junior football leagues but focuses instead on breaking down the barriers to personal and social development and building bridges within and between communities. The ownership and long term management of each initiative lies with the host community, which is supported by CUP.

A CUP volunteer can be anyone over the age of 16. This diverse range of ages, as well as circumstances, which exists amongst volunteers, is accommodated through CUP’s commitment to provide individual approaches to training and development. This includes significant lead in time and confidence building before referring volunteers to more formal training processes.

03Gateshead Access Panel: The importance of progression routes built into volunteer placements

The essential need to have progression routes built into volunteer placements is considered particularly important to disabled people some of whom face very severe barriers to work/career progression. The Project ensures each volunteer has an individual progression route built into their placement, measuring not only new skills, but also personal development. The individual’s progression route is written up and kept on file. This provides a useful measurement tool for both the volunteer and the organisation to chart progress but also provides a record of training and achievements for the volunteer to use on a CV when applying for courses or employment.

The organisation ensures that volunteers are offered regular support and supervision sessions and that their development needs and information requests are made using the Volunteers Review Form.

The review assessment process has been used by Volunteer England as a best practice example.

The latest Gateshead Access Panel Annual Report indicated that at the time of publication (December 2005):

 

02 The Latin American Women's Rights Service’s (LAWRS): Pathways to employment

The Latin American Women's Rights Service’s (LAWRS) volunteering project was created in recognition of the difficulties that Latin American women face in entering the labour market in the UK.  The project targets refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, offering unpaid (voluntary), work experience in advice and guidance, interpreting, outreach and other areas identified by volunteers to match their skills.

A key focus of activity undertaken by LAWRS is in the creation of realistic pathways to employment and breaking down the barriers that prevent LA women from improving their employment opportunities. The volunteering project gives LA women opportunities to become familiar with the world of work (other than cleaning/services) and gain work experience in a supportive environment. Particular features of this area of good practice include:

To date, 56% of former volunteers have moved on to bigger and better opportunities, evidencing that this approach is effective in bringing about improved life chances.

 

Training and induction as a route to career progression

 

01 Multiple Choice - Case Study 1  

C arrived at our service in 2001, having recently completed a self detox from heroin, to access our structured day care programme. He had had no problem in the past at detoxing from heroin from had always struggled to remain drug free. He successfully completed our treatment programme and then started to look for other things to fill his time.

At this time Multiple Choice has very little capacity to support or utilize volunteers but after much badgering and cajoling he managed to persuade us that he would be an excellent resource and that we should ‘give him a go’.

C then began volunteering, starting with easy admin tasks and progressing onto supporting group workers. He soon excelled at this too and within a year had become a skilled volunteer. Also during this time we secured support for C’s dyslexia and he underwent a series of one-on-one training/support sessions to resolve some of these issues that had held him back for so long. C has also had a lifelong passion for art and during his time as a volunteer began to encourage clients to engage in art work in general. C also held two exhibitions at this time – one in a trendy bar and the other in a very large exhibition space at Leeds Central Library.

As luck should have it in 2003, Multiple Choice had decided to take the plunge and invest in two part-time trainee drug workers. C applied for one of these posts and was successful.

The trainee post was part-time and involved a lot of intensive training from the start coupled with practical, hands-on experience with the client group. C was also required to complete a portfolio of evidence and successfully achieved this.

On completion of his traineeship, Multiple Choice was expanding and the possibility of a full-time post arose. Again C applied and successfully secured one of two group worker posts. This was in 2004. C has remained on the staff team of Multiple Choice since then and is the main staff member responsible fro our treatment programme for voluntary clients.

Multiple Choice - Case Study 2

P was a client of Multiple Choice in 2003/04, seeking help with a stimulant use problem. She soon became drug free and successfully completed treatment. She then returned to work.

In the summer of 2004 P applied to do voluntary work at Multiple Choice but before this came about she started an Access to Social Work course at Thomas Danby College. Part of this course needed 300+ hours voluntary work in a care setting to support the theory learnt at college.

At this point Multiple Choice became one of the agencies providing opportunities to students on this course. At the Open Day P was pleased and enthusiastic about Multiple Choice’s involvement. Following this P signed up to be a volunteer with us through this programme. She began when Multiple Choice’s premises were still very small, so the beginning of her placement involved training off-site and homework that included writing group work sessions.

In January 2005 Multiple Choice moved to our new premises at Eastgate and P began to attend every Wednesday to support the DTTO orders that we were running at that time. She soon became a competent volunteer and was given extra responsibilities such as taking the group register, leading the facilitation of the group sessions and undertaking triage assessments.

P continued to be successful as a volunteer and as a student, gaining her English and Maths qualifications for University and completing her Access course successfully. Unfortunately, due to an error by the University she was actually ineligible for their Social Work degree course. P was not put off by this and instead registered for a Criminology degree. This was perfect as her experience within Multiple Choice was based within the Criminal Justice System. P started her degree in the autumn of 2005.

At the same time Multiple Choice began to introduce mentors for our newer volunteers. P took up one of these positions and successfully supported several volunteers through their training and induction, whilst still continuing to both study and volunteer. At the end of her first year she had completed assignments to a 2(i) standard.

P is currently back working over the summer to support her studies during 2006/07. We have missed her support for the last few weeks but she will return in the autumn to provide Mentoring support for our volunteers and to support the DRR order clients.

Multiple Choice - Case Study 3

S was a client of Multiple Choice in 2002 until 2004 and had had a serious heroin and crack problem. She struggled to bring up her baby girl but successfully joined a methadone programme and her future began to look more settled.

In January 2005 she heard that Mutliple Choice was looking for more volunteers. She had recently finished her methadone programme 9one week previously) and was keen to continue to move forward. She saw voluntary work as a way of doing this and wanted to undertake this at Multiple Choice as we had more understanding of her past issues, having been an agency that supported her with her drug problem.

S was a participant in the first structured intake of volunteers in Multiple Choice’s new volunteering programme. She attended the six week training programme and still remained drug free. On completion of the course she was accepted into the programme and asked to undertake a group work rols as this was her favourite part of treatment when at Multiple Choice as a client. Due to child care issues her time was limited to two sessions per week, with Multiple Choice providing the fees for nursery.

S soon became a popular volunteer and she began to do other small tasks when she had the time, such as admin. After a few months she was also facilitating groupwork with the staff member being her support, rather that the other way round.

Time passed quickly and in the summer S became a mentor for new volunteers. She had also completed some accredited training by this time including short, residential courses at Northern College.

In November 2005 the trainee drug worker posts were up for renewal and S applied for one of these. She successfully secured an interview and at interview impressed the panel with her commitment and enthusiasm for the post.

S is now 7 months into this post and is already thinking about her next step – ie full-time paid work. She has completed several training courses including a City and Guilds in Community Training (C&G 7302). S should complete this post in the summer of 2007 and can look forward to prosperous future.

Multiple Choice - Case Study 4

R was referred to Multiple Choice in 2004 by The Grove. She was a young, single parent looking for work experience to enable her to get into work. She was extremely interested reception and admin duties. On meeting R it was obvious that she was mature for her age and with proper support and training would become an excellent reception worker. Initially R agreed to 10 weeks work experience.

R was taken on and soon we recruited a paid receptionist who began to support her on a daily basis. They are of a similar age and therefore the partnership grew to a friendship and eased R’s transition into the workplace.

R soon completed her induction and began to take an active part in reception work three days a week. Once the initial 10 weeks had been completed, it was mutually agreed that R would benefit from remaining with us and she transferred from ‘work experience’ to ‘volunteer’. This continuation was supported by college courses for IT skills and R began to transform before our very eyes.

R’s confidence built slowly but surely and soon she felt confident to cover the phones on her own. She also built rapport with the clients, the majority of whom were older than her and male. These differences did not hinder R in becoming popular with the clients and this professional relationship gave her further transferable skills.

It soon became evident that we would not be able to hold to R for long. Her skills and training were sufficient enough for her to consider paid work. Eventually she took the plunge in September 2005 when her daughter began school and secured a part-time post with a Management Consultancy firm as a receptionist. We were sorry to see her go but pleased to have played such a large part in her development from single mum to paid employee; the goal she had originally set her self the year before.

We still remain in contact with R. She meets our receptionist regularly for lunch and swings by to say ‘Hi’ to all the staff before or after. The latest news is that R is now employed full-time and has already moved up the pay scales within her firm. We are proud to have supported R and hope that her experience with us continues to support her further progression in employment.

Personal development plans

01CAN Footsteps: Individual Development Plans

Both mentors and mentees have Individual Development Plans [IDP] in order to monitor, assess and review their progress.

Implementation of the Mentee Individual Development Plan comes after the mentee has been matched to a mentor.

At this stage any personal goals that the mentee may have should have been identified. Individual Development Plans exist in order that these goals can be written down and a path plotted towards achieving them. It is suggested that the majority of mentees will benefit from these personally tailored plans.

However, at this stage in their recovery the mentee may not have a clear idea of where they want to go. The desire to move away from the past should be great, but it’s possible that they have not yet identified their goals. Where the mentee does not have existing goals, or is unclear as to their nature, the very first task of the Individual Development Plan (IDP)process is to establish these.

This will require an open and honest conversation between the mentee and mentor and may not be achieved in the very first session. All avenues should be explored along with their consequences, good or bad, and any possible sacrifices required, should be examined.

Having established the mentees aims, the next, and equally important step is to create a means of achieving them. In effect this means mapping a route from ‘here to there’.

In many cases the mentee’s overall aims can seem distant and the prospect of accomplishing them can be daunting. By outlining objectives that have to be met along the way, the mentee can reduce the enormity of the task and see the journey as a series of small and achievable steps

During the first few months of any recovery process, change is constant and rapid. This change may well give rise to a shift in focus on the part of the mentee. It is of great importance that such adjustments in direction should not be viewed as failure or lack of commitment to original goals, but that these changes are to be expected and are often a positive result of reflection or evaluation. When they arise a new IDP may be started and new objectives set. The preceding IDP should be kept on file and the reasons for the change, as well as an outline of thought processes, should be recorded on the mentees Record of Progress.


General

 

01Cheetham Hill Advice Centre: Contributing to the diversity of the wider workforce

Cheetham Hill Advice Centre (CHAC) operates within an ethnically diverse locality of Manchester, with about 20 different languages spoken locally. This presents particular challenges, with a significant resource devoted by CHAC to interpreters. However, Rob Clarke the CHAC Manager has underlined that it was far better to have volunteers who speak different languages to fulfil this role. He also emphasises how the Advice Centre has worked very hard to reach those communities represented locally to ensure this diversity is reflected in the volunteer base. The local area has an established Asian community, but also a more transient population with a high proportion of refugees and asylum seekers.

By attracting volunteers from BME (including refugee) communities and speakers of other community languages, the Volunteer Development Project has had the impact of contributing to the diversity of the workforce in providing advice services to Manchester residents. Rob Clarke, the project manager at CHAC commented

“In terms of the way we select volunteers, its not based on academic achievement which would be very easy for us to do…we do prioritise people who come from black and minority ethnic communities, or live locally or have local parents and so on because they are the target groups that we want to help and better reflect the client group that we serve.”

The project so far has been able to provide the advice sector in Manchester with experienced advisers, who have taken on paid positions as advice workers in the Manchester City Council’s Manchester Advice, SureStart, Refugee Action Manchester and Manchester Refugee Support Network. Within Manchester City Council’s Advice Service CHAC are recognised as one of the main providers of new advisers to the sector, particularly from BME communities and speakers of other community languages. In this way the Volunteer Development Project has had the impact of contributing to the diversity of the workforce in providing advice services to Manchester residents. It has also helped to alleviate recruitment problems that the advice sector has experienced over recent years, as identified by the Manchester Community Legal Service Partnership.

The Volunteer Development Project has always had much wider aims than merely training people for advice jobs, but an increasing trend of the Project has been to attract people interested in securing paid work in advice or related fields as a consequence of their volunteering. This is welcomed by the Project, but they are also careful that in selecting volunteers a mix of people volunteering for different reasons is ensured, including some who wish to help others and give something back to the community without looking for a career at the end of it.

 

01 Groundwork Rossendale: Progression of Young People through Volunteering

Groundwork Rossendale is an organisation whose purpose is to "build sustainable communities in areas of need through joint environmental action". With this in mind Groundwork believes that young people are part of the solution to improving quality of life in local areas, and helps them to participate in their communities.

Groundwork's Youth Works programme has proven the link between harnessing the energy of young people and dealing with issues connected with crime and criminality because involvement in the programme allows young people to develop greater self esteem and confidence, which help to reduce the risk of involvement in crime and anti-social behaviour. The establishment of Action Teams Rossendale as part of the Youth Works Programme will give opportunities for the young people to progress further into volunteering, training and work, a process that is seen as a good practice with the following features:

 

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