Careers information, advice and
guidance delivered by Skills
Development Scotland
in Clackmannanshire
23 January 2015
A report by HM Inspectors
Full report
The external review process
HM Inspectors undertake an independent review of the quality of provision of careers
information, advice and guidance (CIAG) delivered by Skills Development Scotland
(SDS) on behalf of the Scottish Government under a service level agreement between
the Scottish Government and Education Scotland. External review teams include HM
Inspectors and associate assessors.
During external reviews, members of the review teams observe group activities and hold
discussions with customers, staff and stakeholders. They consider information on the
quality of careers information, advice and guidance. They meet with recipients of the
service and obtain feedback from groups, partners and staff who work for SDS.
The purpose of this report is to convey the main outcomes arising from the external
review, to acknowledge service’s strengths and to provide a clear agenda for future
action to improve and enhance quality.
This external review results in judgements of grades that express the external review
team’s overall evaluation of Outcome and Impact, Service Delivery and Leadership and
quality culture and a judgement on capacity to improve based on the evidence from all
key areas, in particular Outcomes, Impact and Leadership.
The report also uses the following terms to describe
numbers and proportions:
almost all
most
majority
less than half
few
over 90%
75-90%
50-74%
15-49%
up to 15%
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Contents
1.
Page
Introduction
1
The external review
1
2.
Policy context
The role of Skills Development Scotland
Curriculum for Excellence
Data sharing
2
2
2
2
3.
The service area and its context
3
4.
Background information
5
5.
Outcomes of external review
Judgement of grades
7
7
Section A:
Section B:
Section C:
Section D:
6.
Grades
Areas of positive practice
Areas for development
Main points for action
7
7
8
8
Outcome and Impact
How well are customers progressing and achieving relevant
high quality outcomes?
How well does the service meet the needs of stakeholders?
9
7.
Service Delivery
How good is delivery of key services?
How good is management of key services?
12
12
14
8
Leadership and quality culture
How good is strategic leadership?
16
16
9.
Capacity to improve based on evidence from Outcomes and
impact, Service delivery and Strategic leadership
19
10.
What happens next?
20
11
Further information
20
12.
How can you contact us?
21
9
10
Appendices
22
Glossary of terms
22
1. Introduction
The external review
The external review by Education Scotland took place during the week beginning
3 November 2014. The review focused on careers information, advice and guidance
(CIAG) services delivered by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) in Clackmannanshire.
We examined activities that impact on the quality of customer experience. We
evaluated these against the three key principles of Outcomes and Impact, Service
Delivery and Leadership and Quality Culture using the 19 reference quality indicators
outlined in External quality arrangements for the review of Careers Information Advice
and Guidance services delivered by Skills Development Scotland, published in
March 2014.
The external review team talked with customers, staff at all levels in the organisation,
external agencies and other users of the service.
1
2. Policy Context
The role of Skills Development Scotland
SDS all-age careers information, advice and guidance services aim to support young
people and adults to make a positive transition into continued education, training or the
world of work upon leaving school. SDS achieves this by supporting customers in their
development of career management skills (CMS) which lay the foundations for success
in their future careers.
The services provided by SDS in schools are driven by the ambitions of Curriculum for
Excellence. Accordingly there are significant interdependencies between the roles and
responsibilities of schools and wider partners, the design and delivery of school
curriculum and the services provided by SDS. Planning for successful service delivery
through School Partnership Agreements requires effective collaboration between SDS
and its partners.
In March 2011, the Scottish Government published a framework for the redesign and
improvement of CIAG services. As the largest provider of CIAG services in Scotland,
SDS has a lead role in implementing this change. This change has been implemented
through an integrated service involving face to face meetings, communication through
contact centre and an online CMS environment, My World of Work (MyWoW).
Currently, this service is delivered on-site in Scotland’s 364 secondary schools.
Services include a blend of one-to-one careers coaching support, facilitated group
sessions, drop in sessions, and supported access to MyWoW. The level of intensity of
support is determined by an assessment of pupil needs made in discussion with
schools. The greatest proportion of careers coach support is provided to those young
people deemed at ‘medium or maximum risk’ of not securing and sustaining a place in
education, training or work.
Underpinning service delivery is the commitment of SDS to work with partners in
schools, local authorities and Education Scotland to build capacity to deliver the
ambitions of Curriculum for Excellence - Building the Curriculum 4, in particular
development of CMS. This partnership approach supports schools to deliver this
component of Curriculum for Excellence, whilst creating a learning context for young
people that is compatible with and builds upon the service delivery commitments of
SDS. As a result, much of the work of SDS requires effective collaboration with a range
of partners at national and local levels.
SDS has a key role to play in the delivery of the Scottish Government’s Opportunities for
All initiative, under which all 16-19 year olds will receive an offer of a place in learning or
training. SDS work in this area has been reinforced with the passage of legislation
allowing SDS and key partners, including Local Authorities, schools and Further
Education Institutions to share data on all the young people they work with. The Post
16 Education (Scotland) Act 2013 and the statutory guidance mandate SDS and key
partners to share data in order to support young people in their post school transitions.
2
3.
The service area and its context
In carrying out the external review of services delivered in Clackmannanshire, Education
Scotland took the following area context fully into account.
SDS CIAG services in Clackmannanshire are delivered from the SDS Centre in Bank
Street, Alloa and a range of partners’ premises throughout the area, including
Community Access Points and libraries. Thirteen staff are employed in the SDS Centre
to deliver CIAG services to customers and partners.
Clackmannanshire has undergone significant change in the past decade, following the
demise of traditional industries of mining, textiles and brewing. Financial investment in
the area has supported a number of economic developments, including:




a railway link between Stirling, Alloa and Kincardine;
the construction of the Clackmannanshire Bridge;
quality housing and retail developments; and
newbuild campuses for three secondary schools and a new college campus in
Alloa.
The Imagine Alloa project has focused on developments to enhance the local area,
through improved road signage, street lighting and the installation of public art works.
From its central geographical location, Clackmannanshire has a very distinctive
economy. In comparison to the UK, 55 industries employ more than twice as many
employees and six industries employ more than ten times as many employees as the
UK average. These industries are mainly connected to the production of alcoholic
drinks. Glass-making, packaging and logistics in Clackmannanshire provide a large
proportion of the UK bottle-industry capacity. Other main industries include clothing and
upholstery, retailing and construction.
The impact of the recession on the Clackmannanshire economy, as measured by Gross
Value Added was faster and more extensive than in neighbouring areas and twice as
deep as Scotland as a whole. In 2009, Clackmannanshire was gauged the fourth worst
local authority area for jobs density in Scotland. The most recent data in 2012 showed
a further decrease in jobs density, with 4104 jobs for every 10,000 working age people.
This has resulted in the local authority area being placed third worst in Scotland for jobs
density.
The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) in 2012, showed that 14 (22%) of
Clackmannanshire’s 64 datazones were in the 15% most deprived datazones in
Scotland. 16% of the population of Clackmannanshire were income deprived,
compared to 13% across Scotland as a whole. Some areas in Alloa South and East are
amongst the 5% most income deprived areas in Scotland.
The unemployment rate, including youth unemployment in Clackmannanshire, shows
improvement over the last three years. However, unemployment rates remain
significantly higher than the national average. In November 2012, the unemployment
and job vacancy ratio indicated six claimants to four job vacancies. Over the last two
years a decrease in the number of claimants combined with an increase in the number
of job vacancies is consistent with the wider economic recovery and is proportionately
3
better than for Forth Valley. However, the unemployment and job vacancy ratio remains
higher than Forth Valley and Scotland as a whole.
SDS delivers services to Alloa Academy, Alva Academy, Lornshill Academy,
Clackmannanshire Secondary School Support Service and The New Struan School for
Autism. Career Coaches deliver the SDS School Offer based on a jointly-negotiated
School Partnership Agreement (SPA). Services are also delivered to the Alloa campus
of Forth Valley College. Each of the schools and the college has a lead SDS Career
Coach who works alongside a Personal Adviser and Work Coach to plan and deliver
services.
4
4
Background information
Terminologies used in this report.
The term ‘service area’ is used to describe the geographical area referred to in this
report. SDS uses a variety of approaches to deliver CIAG services. This is often
referred to as a blended service. SDS promotes a Universal Offer to support all
secondary school pupils. In addition, a Targeted Service Offer is aimed at pupils who
are at risk of not entering or sustaining a positive destination. SDS offers access to a
range of services for post-school customers. The different offers are shown below:
SDS School Universal Offer consists of:
o Access to My World of Work (MyWoW) web service
o Group-work sessions on:
 Introduction to MyWoW
 Introduction to career management skills (CMS)
 Introduction to labour market information (LMI)
o Drop-in clinics for career management and employability
o Opportunity for any pupil to request a face to face session
SDS School Targeted Service Offer consists of:
o
Structured programme of one-to-one career coaching
o Handover to dedicated work coach
SDS Post-school 16-19 Service Offer consists of:
o
o
o
o
o
Access to MyWoW web service
Structured programme of one-to-one career coaching
Dedicated work coach service for targeted young people
Telephone access to SDS contact centre
Open access to public centres (47 locations throughout Scotland)
SDS All age Service Offer (adults) consists of:
o
o
o
o
Access to MyWoW web service
Telephone access to SDS contact centre
Partnership action for continuing employment (PACE)
Integrated employment and skills (IES) – joint work activities with Job
Centre Plus
o Open access to public centres (47 locations throughout Scotland)
Further information on Skills Development Scotland’s services to individuals and
employers can be found at www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk. My World of Work
web service can be accessed at www.myworldofwork.co.uk
Staff roles
In Clackmannanshire, SDS uses a number of titles to describe the roles of the staff.
These include Career Coach, Work Coach and Personal Advisor. Throughout this
5
report, the term careers staff is used to refer to all staff involved in delivering CIAG
services.
One-to-one career coaching sessions
A major strand of SDS CIAG work is the delivery of one-to-one career coaching
sessions. However, the current arrangements for external review do not include
observation of one-to-one career coaching sessions and therefore this area of work is
not evaluated within this report.
6
5.
Outcomes of External Review
Judgement of Grades
Section A:
Grades
The review team awarded grades for each of the six key themes based on the following
criteria:
excellent:
very good:
good:
satisfactory:
weak:
unsatisfactory:
Outstanding and sector leading
Major strengths
Important strengths with some areas for improvement
Strengths just outweigh weaknesses
Important weaknesses
Major weaknesses
Key theme
Grade
Customer progression and achievement of
relevant high quality outcomes
very good
Meeting the needs of stakeholders
very good
Delivery of key services
excellent
Management of service delivery
excellent
Strategic leadership
excellent
Capacity for improvement
excellent
Section B:
Areas of positive practice
 The number of young people entering a positive destination in Clackmannanshire has
increased continuously over the last three years.
 All SDS staff are enthusiastic about their work and share a strong commitment to
developing and delivering services which best meet the needs of customers.
 Careers staff promote CIAG services well within local secondary schools and deliver
a comprehensive and appropriate range of services to pupils.
 Positive and supportive relationships between staff are ensuring productive team
working and effective communication and information sharing with partners.
 Managers and staff work well with local partners to ensure services are well-matched
to identified needs of customers, communities and key stakeholders.
7
 The range of services made available to customers and partners is well considered
and takes good account of national priorities and local needs.
 There are good arrangements in place to support vulnerable customers and
customers with different protected characteristics.
 When planning sessions outwith the SDS Centre, staff take care to ensure that
accommodation is of an appropriate standard and provides sufficient, reliable access
to information and communications technology (ICT).
 Staff provide forward-looking and responsive leadership within internal and external
forums.
 Staff apply their professional knowledge well and use appropriate labour market
information to support customers to achieve a positive destination.
 Managers provide staff with an appropriate balance of support, challenge and
autonomy to tailor CIAG approaches to meet the needs of customers and partners.
 Staff share a collective ownership for the quality of the provision and work well as a
team to initiate and make improvements to service delivery.
Section C:
Areas for development
 The Opportunities for All Group is not making use of available data-hub reports to
assist and inform strategic planning of destinations for young people.
 In schools the delivery of CIAG services is sometimes affected adversely by
unreliable access to ICT.
 Most school staff are not sufficiently aware of the drive and purpose of developing
CMS as a national strategy.
 Almost all school pupils are not sufficiently aware of the Scottish Credit Qualification
Framework (SCQF) and the levels of different types of qualifications to support
progression planning.
Section D:
Main points for action
 The Opportunities for All Group should make use of available data-hub reports to
assist and inform strategic planning of destinations for young people.
 SDS should continue to work with lead partners, including schools, to increase school
staff awareness of the drive and purpose of developing CMS as a national strategy.
 Schools and SDS should work together to incorporate CIAG within wider school
activities, including the use of MyWoW within subject areas to support career
planning and identify appropriate opportunities to embed this within Curriculum for
Excellence.
 SDS should continue to support schools to apply the SCQF to promote and assist
progression planning.
8
6.
Outcomes and Impact
How well are customers progressing and achieving relevant, high quality
outcomes?
How effective is the area team at achieving and maintaining high levels of service
delivery?
The area team makes effective use of national and locally-set targets to plan service
delivery. Managers and staff monitor progress regularly and benchmark performance
against previous years and national and regional performance. In 2013-14, the area
team met or exceeded all of its delivery targets and is on track to achieve similar
performance levels for 2014-15.
The number of young people entering a positive destination in Clackmannanshire has
increased continuously over the last three years. In 2012-13, the school leaver
destination return (SLDR) indicated positive destinations for 88% of school leavers.
However, this is below the national performance rate of 91%. Across
Clackmannanshire, the number of young people sustaining an initial positive destination
has increased over the last three years. However, the number of young people still in a
positive destination six months later has reduced in the last three years and is now
around 7% below the national average.
SDS careers staff who are linked to individual secondary schools, make effective use of
SPAs to identify and agree actions for annual service delivery. In 2012-13, most actions
were achieved within agreed timescales. SDS staff respond flexibly and responsively to
the changing priorities and needs of schools in supporting pupils. However, this is not
always fully captured within reviews of SPAs. A new SPA monitoring process is
currently being piloted to address this.
How well does the area team adhere to statutory principles and guidance?
Managers and staff take good account of legislation and relevant Scottish Government
directives which have an impact on CIAG services. They apply SDS national guidance
well to plan service delivery, deploy staff and allocate resources. Managers arrange
appropriate training for staff on key legislative requirements including child protection
and equality and diversity. Staff take good account of recent legislative changes,
including welfare reform and amendments to the retirement age, to advise and inform
customers.
All staff demonstrate a strong commitment to tackling inequality. Most staff proactively
undertake additional responsibilities and training to assist the wider team in working with
customers who have additional support needs. The Equality Champion provides useful
updates on national policy to inform the area team of developments which have an
impact on professional practice. All staff work productively to help customers overcome
additional barriers to employment including low self-confidence and weak literacy skills.
They make good use of partnership forums to engage partners in working together to
reduce barriers to customers achieving and sustaining employment. For example, SDS
staff on the Digital Literacies Partnership identified and initiated arrangements to
address the low level of ICT skills of customers.
9
How well does the service meet the needs of stakeholders?
How well do customers make progress and achieve individual outcomes?
The SDS Centre in Alloa conveys a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere and is
accessible to customers with restricted mobility. Staff work well together and with key
partners to meet the needs of individuals and specific customer groups. Customers are
very satisfied with the range and quality of services they receive from careers staff.
Feedback from school pupils, centre users, and stakeholders shows high levels of
satisfaction with the range and quality of services provided by careers staff.
Careers staff promote CIAG services well within local secondary schools. Career
Coaches deliver a comprehensive and appropriate range of services to pupils, including
group-work, one-to-one coaching, drop-in sessions and access to the MyWoW web
service. They use the SDS Career Management Skills Framework effectively to support
pupils to develop their CMS. Pupils in the senior phase are prepared well by SDS staff
for progression to further learning or employment. Some Career Coaches are working
collaboratively with secondary schools to promote development of CMS to all pupils.
Career Coaches update SPAs regularly to take account of new and emerging school
and area priorities. They work well with schools to plan and contribute to local and
national events which raise awareness of young people such as Learning Through Work
week. SDS staff work well with school staff to monitor and review progress towards
achievement of SPA targets and to evaluate the range of services delivered.
Careers staff support adult customers well to develop CMS. They provide helpful,
on-going engagement and almost all adult customers develop confidence and
motivation as a result of the support they receive. SDS staff have established effective
referral arrangements with Alloa Jobcentre Plus. They use these arrangements well to
provide adult customers with appropriate advice, assistance and referral to other
support agencies when required. Adult customers value highly the help and support
they receive from SDS staff.
How motivated, supported and enabled are staff?
All careers staff in the Clackmannanshire SDS team are enthusiastic about their work
and share a strong commitment to developing and delivering services which best meet
the needs of customers. They have clear knowledge and understanding of SDS CIAG
aims and objectives and make good use of SDS facilities and resources to support
customers and partners. Managers support and empower staff well to devise
approaches and arrangements to meet the needs of individuals, groups and
communities. All staff respond effectively to the autonomy given to them by managers
to plan, coordinate and deliver services. They confidently propose new ideas and
proactively tailor approaches and materials to meet changing customer needs. This
includes initiating and setting up a local CIAG Facebook page to enhance the promotion
of CIAG services in the service area.
Staff engage productively in regular opportunities to reflect on their practice and learn
from each other. They work well together to share, adapt and adopt approaches and
resources to meet different customer needs. Team meetings, professional reflection
10
and peer-to-peer discussions are used well by staff to reflect on and inform service
delivery and individual practice.
Across the area team, positive and supportive relationships between staff are ensuring
productive team working and effective communication and information sharing with
partners. All careers staff hold appropriate professional qualifications and engage
regularly in continuous professional development (CPD) activities to update and
enhance their skills. Some staff are undertaking additional professional qualifications to
extend their knowledge of supporting customers with additional support needs including
autism and dyslexia.
How well do services meet the needs of relevant communities and other local and
national stakeholders?
SDS CIAG services take good account of the needs of the area and its communities.
Managers and staff work well with local partners to ensure services are well-matched to
identified needs of customers, communities and key stakeholders. Partners value the
accessibility and contribution of SDS staff in coordinating services and activities.
Careers staff arrange useful advice, support and information for customers who are
facing redundancy. Most customers who engage in Partnership Actions for Continuing
Employment (PACE) activities benefit from these experiences to explore and find
alternative employment or undertake learning opportunities.
Careers staff contribute well to the Opportunities for All Group and work effectively with
partners to plan transition arrangements and deliver positive initial destinations for
school leavers. However, the Opportunities for All Group is not making use of available
data-hub reports to assist and inform strategic planning of destinations for young
people. This is limiting the effectiveness of the group to plan and schedule provision to
increase the number of young people sustaining a positive destination.
The introduction of the Clackmannanshire CIAG Facebook page has extended the
reach and accessibility of the service offer. Proactive and creative SDS staff
continuously adapt the webpage to make it more engaging and informative for
customers. This facility is promoted actively by careers staff in schools and is accessed
regularly by school pupils and parents. All careers staff promote MyWoW effectively to
partners. There are good examples of Personal Advisers delivering high quality
workshops to partners to raise awareness of the use of MyWoW within community
settings, such as community access points.
11
7.
Service Delivery
How good is delivery of key services?
How well do services meet the needs of all customers?
A main characteristic of the area team is the commitment of all staff to deliver CIAG
services which meet the specific needs of the people of Clackmannanshire. Staff make
good use of their sound knowledge of local communities to deliver services which are
inclusive and to reduce barriers to engagement for customers. They tailor services
sensitively to meet individual needs and adjust the pace and timing of activities to make
services accessible to all customers. These approaches support customers well to
develop skills and self-confidence in making informed decisions about their career
choices.
SDS staff use blended approaches effectively to deliver CIAG services. They carefully
combine activities and approaches to enable customers, partners and communities to
access services in ways which best meet their specific needs. The range of CIAG
services supports customers well to develop CMS and progress into and sustain
positive destinations. Staff make good use of the SDS risk matrix to provide
appropriate targeted support to customers who are most at risk of not achieving a
positive destination. They review priority needs on a regular basis to ensure the service
offer to individuals is current and appropriate.
SDS staff provide an appropriate range of CIAG services to school pupils. Career
Coaches in schools promote their services well and pupils and staff have a good
understanding of the range of services available and how to access individual support.
There are many examples of Career Coaches working collaboratively with schools to
incorporate development of CMS as part of Curriculum for Excellence. Career
Coaches and Work Coaches work well together to plan and deliver services which
support the transition of vulnerable young people.
How effective are relationships with customers?
Across the service area, SDS staff form positive and productive relationships with
customers and partners. Centre staff providing reception services are welcoming and
friendly and quickly establish good relationships with new customers. Careers staff
working in schools create helpful and positive relationships with young people, parents
and school staff. Staff working within local communities take care and time to learn
about the needs of specific customer groups and use this well to develop purposeful
relationships with adult customers. These approaches are particularly beneficial to
customers who require additional support to achieve a positive outcome.
Positive relationships with the Community Planning Partnership (CPP), local authority
and community organisations at strategic and operational levels are ensuring
purposeful, joint approaches to supporting customers in Clackmannanshire. Local
authority staff are praiseworthy of the services they receive from SDS to support young
people and adults to progress into learning or employment.
12
How accessible, flexible and inclusive are services?
Staff are knowledgeable about, and take good account of, the potential barriers to
customer engagement. They proactively make arrangements to ease and widen access
to CIAG services. Staff frequently deliver services from partner agencies to enable
customers to access support within their local community. There are many examples of
staff working with partners to raise aspirations of individuals and groups. These include
coordinating group sessions to engage customers from workless households in
exploring work options, and delivering motivational workshops to support looked-after
young people to develop confidence in applying CMS. There are good arrangements in
place to support vulnerable customers and those with different protected characteristics.
Carers and parents of young people who have additional support needs receive good
assistance from Career Coaches to identify progression pathways.
Staff make good use of frequent and on-going communication with partners to promote
and explain the range of CIAG services available to customers. They use national and
locally produced resources including MyWoW and Facebook effectively to engage with
customers and other stakeholders.
How well are services delivered?
Managers and staff plan provision well. The range of services made available to
customers and partners is well considered and takes good account of national priorities
and local needs. Staff make good use of local partnerships and forums to collaborate
and agree joint initiatives and approaches to engage and support customers. They
willingly customise and adapt services to meet identified needs of specific individuals
and groups, including, community volunteers, council staff working in community access
points, young parents and ex-offenders.
All staff apply their professional knowledge well and use appropriate labour market
information to support customers to achieve a positive destination. Staff draw on their
up-to-date knowledge of opportunities available in the area to negotiate individualised
career plans with customers. They make good use of this process to help customers to
develop skills, confidence and independence in making informed decisions. Career
Coaches work well with individual schools to widen pupil and parental knowledge of the
progression pathways available. For example, the Learning Through Work week helped
inform young people about the structure and content of modern apprenticeships.
The SDS Centre in Alloa provides customers and staff with good access to SDS
resources. However, the Centre is unable to accommodate large groups and staff
frequently use partners’ premises including schools and community centres to deliver
group work. When planning sessions outwith the Centre, staff take care to ensure that
accommodation is of a sufficient standard, is appropriate to the size and needs of the
group and provides sufficient, reliable access to ICT. During group sessions staff work
quickly to establish a rapport with customers and use interactive approaches well to
engage and sustain the interest customers. These arrangements contribute positively
and importantly to the quality of the services delivered by staff.
In schools, the delivery of CIAG services is sometimes adversely affected by unreliable
access to ICT. This disadvantages young people who have no access to ICT in the
13
home and depend on accessing the internet within school. Relevant agencies are
taking action to address this.
How well do staff reflect on service delivery to improve services?
Across the area team, staff demonstrate a willingness to ensure that the services they
deliver are meeting the needs of the people of Clackmannanshire. As a result, all staff
engage well in activities to reflect on their individual and team contribution to
developing, delivering and improving provision and services. They participate actively in
team meetings to discuss and reflect on the impact of their services on customers and
are open and constructive when giving and receiving feedback. Careers staff draw well
on professional and supportive feedback from colleagues and CPD to reflect on practice
and extend their knowledge and skills.
Staff value being empowered to develop and enhance professional practice and make
good use of team working opportunities to share ideas and adopt new approaches.
Staff contribute productively to the Business Excellence Self Assessment and Journey
to Excellence Review processes. They elicit informal, daily feedback from customers
and draw on the findings to affirm what is working well and identify what could work
better. Staff use formal feedback well to initiate team discussions and inform future
actions for improvement. Career Coaches work well with schools to review SPA and
plan future activities. There are many examples of staff adapting and improving
services as a direct result of feedback from customers and partners.
How well do stakeholders and customers participate in the development and
planning of services?
Collectively, team members take an active role in developing and planning services
across Clackmannanshire. Managers and individual team members participate on a
wide range of local and area forums. They draw well on their interaction and
collaboration with partners to develop services which support identified local needs and
priorities. Staff make good use of feedback from customers to influence approaches to
providing Opportunities for All and to inform Single Outcome Agreements (SOA).
Career Coaches work well with schools to adapt SPAs to reflect school needs and
priorities. SDS staff are increasingly engaging school staff in discussions to plan
services which take account of national developments including Developing the Young
Workforce (DYW). The local authority and secondary schools recognise and value the
potential role of SDS staff to build the capacity of schools staff and other partners to
respond to DYW. They cite the potential of SPAs to guide and direct activities to ensure
progression pathways are impartially and equitably explained and promoted to teaching
staff, pupils and parents.
How good is management of key services?
How well does the organisation work with partners to improve outcomes for
customers?
SDS staff have established very effective links with a wide range of partners across
Clackmannanshire to improve outcomes for customers. They collaborate well with
partner organisations to provide a cohesive and seamless service. SDS staff and
14
partners use partnership meetings well to align community services to the context of the
geographical area. There are good examples of SDS staff and partners working
collaboratively to maximise resources to meet community needs.
The Clackmannanshire Skills Map and Adult Compass booklets are assisting partner
agencies to work more closely with each other. They are encouraging better
inter-agency referral to support the diverse, and often complex, needs of customers to
enter and sustain employment. SDS staff and partners work well together to support
customers make transition to employment. Where the transition is outwith the
Clackmannanshire area, staff collaborate effectively with colleagues in relevant SDS
Centres to facilitate an effective handover.
SDS staff respond well to government priorities and understand the requirements and
constraints of other agencies. They contribute enthusiastically to new opportunities for
sharing and applying their skills for the benefit of others. This includes sharing
knowledge of emerging customer needs with partners to inform future planning.
How effective is the organisation’s knowledge and information management in
supporting service delivery?
Staff adhere to statutory requirements and make good use of national guidelines to plan
activities. They use SDS standard operating procedures (SOP) appropriately as a basis
for planning delivery of CIAG services. They regularly and effectively adapt
presentations and resources to better meet the needs and specific interests of
customers.
National and local management information is used effectively by SDS managers and
staff to evaluate the impact of CIAG services and to inform future planning and targeting
of resources. Staff use nationally collated statistical information at a local authority level
to analyse effectiveness of delivery and inform actions for improvement.
SDS staff have established helpful arrangements with partners to share appropriate
information on individual customers. They use this information responsibly and
responsively to assist customers to overcome barriers to achieving a positive outcome.
Improved arrangements for collating information electronically in Clackmannanshire are
resulting in partners making more regular and effective use of the data-hub to share
information about the needs and destinations of young people.
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8.
Leadership and quality culture
How good is strategic leadership?
How appropriate and influential are the organisation’s visions, values and aims?
Managers are committed to the vision and aims of SDS and lead their team well to
develop and deliver CIAG services which reflect SDS priorities. They take good account
of the national strategy and Scottish Government directives including Careers
Information, Advice and Guidance in Scotland: A framework for services redesign and
improvement; Curriculum for Excellence; Opportunities for All and more recently
Developing the Young Workforce. Managers support staff well to interpret these
directives and policies within the context of the local area. As a result, staff are
knowledgeable about current directives and use this well to develop approaches to meet
the needs of people in Clackmannanshire.
The area manager and team leader take good account of the area’s economic and
social profile to influence how services are designed and delivered to partners and
customers across Clackmannanshire. They are highly aware of the challenges and
opportunities within the area and use this well to drive forward and support
developments. Managers share a clear understanding of the specific challenges within
local communities including, joblessness, low jobs density, social mobility, transport
issues and child poverty. At strategic and operational forums, they use their extensive
knowledge of the local area and industries effectively and positively to inform and
influence decision making. As a result, managers are well respected and valued for
their contribution by all key partners.
How effective is leadership for partnership working and service delivery?
SDS managers deploy staff appropriately to meet the needs of key partners. They work
well with the local authority, the CPP and community projects and organisations to
contribute to joint initiatives and area priorities. Managers and staff provide
forward-looking and responsive leadership within internal and external forums and are
valued by partners for their supportive and inclusive approaches. They respond
productively to new and emerging developments, including DYW, to further improve
engagement with CIAG services.
Community partners value the SDS Alloa team for continuously highlighting and driving
forward arrangements to support customers most in need of support. This includes
coordinating provision to assist young people in Throughcare and Aftercare and
establishing effective referral arrangements for customers who require literacy support
to enter the job market. Staff make good use of their regular communication and
involvement with a wide range of partner organisations to coordinate inter-agency
collaboration. This is helping partners to minimise duplication of services and maximise
use of skills, expertise and resources.
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How well do leaders develop and lead people?
Managers provide staff with an appropriate balance of support, challenge and
autonomy. They empower staff to use their creativity, skills and judgement to tailor
CIAG approaches to meet the needs of customers and partners. They support staff well
to meet the needs of specific groups, particularly those who are most at risk of not
achieving a positive outcome.
Managers deploy staff effectively to deliver a range of services and provide them with
good opportunities to extend and develop their skills further. The Observation
Framework and Aspire are used effectively to engage staff in discussing their role and
responsibilities and to identify ideas for improvements. The Team Leader encourages
staff to draw on their strengths and provides them with useful, purposeful feedback on
their performance and contribution to the wider team and organisational priorities. As a
result team members feel valued and understand how their strengths and skills
contribute to the work of the whole team.
Weekly team meetings are used purposefully and productively by managers to support
and direct the team in reflecting on their delivery. Meetings are led well and provide
good opportunities for staff to add additional relevant agenda items. Team Time is used
effectively by staff to further explore and resolve issues identified in team meetings.
How effective is leadership for innovation and change?
Managers lead and support staff well to explore new opportunities for improving the
delivery of services and working with partners. Across the team, staff share a
commitment to continuously review and improve arrangements for customers. They
engage enthusiastically in new activities and support each other well to overcome
barriers to secure improvements. There are examples of the Alloa team leading
initiatives in response to identified community needs.
Staff at all levels contribute willingly to new challenges and opportunities. Managers
support staff well to undertake additional lead roles to assist the wider team in
responding to new developments. Almost all staff take responsibility for leading on a
specific issue, such as equalities, health and safety and reflective practice to build the
capacity of the team to take forward new ideas. Staff value these roles to learn from
and with each other and to support the work of the wider team.
How well do leaders secure improvement of quality and impact of services?
Managers continuously and effectively engage staff in reviewing the impact of services.
Together, they share a collective ownership for the quality of the provision and work well
as a team to initiate and make improvements to service delivery. The area team makes
good use of quality processes and action plans to support a culture of continuous
improvement. Staff take good account of formal and informal customer and partner
feedback to determine areas for improvement and enhancement.
There are many examples of staff drawing on reflective practice to improve the quality
and impact of services. Career Coaches make good use of the rescheduling of SPAs to
better align CIAG activities with school planning processes. Staff review targets
regularly and monitor progress against achievement of yearly targets. This includes
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adapting nationally-produced materials to reflect further the principles and themes of
Curriculum for Excellence. However, most school staff are not sufficiently aware of the
drive and purpose of developing CMS as a national strategy and the opportunities to
embed this within Curriculum for Excellence. This results in missed opportunities for
incorporating CIAG within wider school activities, including the use of MyWoW within
subject areas to support career planning. Almost all school pupils are insufficiently
aware of the SCQF levels of different types of qualifications to support progression
planning.
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9.
Capacity to improve based on evidence from Outcomes and
impact, Service delivery and Strategic leadership
All staff are enthusiastic about their work and share a strong commitment to developing
and delivering services which best meet the needs of customers. They have clear
knowledge and understanding of SDS CIAG aims and objectives and make good use of
SDS facilities and resources to support customers and partners. Across the team,
positive and supportive relationships between staff are ensuring productive team
working and effective communication and information sharing with partners. Managers
and staff work well with local partners to ensure services are well-matched to identified
needs of customers, communities and key stakeholders.
The range of services made available to customers and partners is well-considered and
takes good account of national priorities and local needs. Managers and staff provide
forward-looking and responsive leadership within internal and external forums and are
valued by partners for their supportive and inclusive approaches. Managers provide
staff with an appropriate balance of support, challenge and autonomy. They empower
staff to use their creativity, skills and judgement to tailor CIAG approaches to meet the
needs of customers and partners. They support staff well to meet the needs of specific
groups, particularly those who are most at risk of not achieving a positive outcome.
Managers continuously engage staff in reviewing the impact of services. Together, they
share a collective ownership for the quality of the provision and work well as team to
initiate and make improvements to service delivery.
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10. What happens next?
Following publication of this report, SDS is expected to produce an action plan to
address the main points for action and/or areas for development in the report and other
quality assurance and enhancement activities.
Karen Corbett
HM Inspector
11. Further information
The review and judgements relate to the service area as a whole. For further
information about Education Scotland, the external review methodologies, or other
information about reviews, see www.educationscotland.gov.uk
For further information about Skills Development Scotland, see
http://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/
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12. How can you contact us?
This report has been produced as a web-only publication and is available on our
website at
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/inspectionandreview/reports/othersectors/careerss
ervices/index.asp .
If you would like to receive this report in a different format, for example, in a translation
please contact the administration team on 01506 600381.
If you want to give us feedback or make a complaint about our work, please contact us
by telephone on 0141 282 5000, or email: complaints@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk or
write to us addressing your letter to The Complaints Manager, Denholm House,
Almondvale Business Park, Livingston, EH54 6GA.
Text phone users can contact us on 01506 600236. This is a service for deaf users.
Please do not use this number for voice calls as the line will not connect you to a
member of staff.
Crown Copyright 2015
Education Scotland
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Appendix 1
Glossary of terms
CIAG
CPD
CMS
CPP
DYW
ICT
MyWoW
PACE
SCQF
SDS
SLDR
SOA
SOP
SPA
Careers Information, Advice and Guidance
Continuous professional development
Career Management Skills
Community Planning Partnership
Developing the Young Workforce
Information and Communications Technology
My World of Work
Partnership Actions for Continuing Employment
Scottish Credit Qualification Framework
Skills Development Scotland
School leaver destination return
Single outcome agreement
Standard Operating Procedure
School Partnership Agreement
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