Career information, advice and guidance delivered by Skills Development Scotland in Glasgow 4 December 2015 A report by HM Inspectors 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% This report is Crown Copyright. You may re-use this publication (not including agency logos) free of charge in any format for research, private study or internal circulation within an organisation. You must re-use it accurately and not use it in a misleading context. The material must be acknowledged as Crown Copyright and you must give the title of the source document/publication. For any other use of this material please apply for a Click-Use Licence for core material at: www.hmso.gov.uk/copyright/licences/click-use-home.htm or by writing to: HMSO Licensing, St Clements House, 2-16 Colegate, Norwich, NR3 1BQ Fax: 01603 723000 E-mail: hmsolicensing@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk Contents Page 1. Introduction The external review 1 1 2. Policy context 2 3. The service 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 9 Outcomes and Impact How well are customers progressing and achieving relevant high quality outcomes? How well does the service meet the needs of stakeholders? 10 7. Service Delivery How good is delivery of key services? 12 12 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 18 10 10 10. What happens next? 19 11. Further information 19 12. How can you contact us? 20 Appendices 21 Glossary of terms 21 1. Introduction The external review The external review by Education Scotland took place between 5 October 2015 and 9 October 2015. The review focused on career information, advice and guidance (CIAG) services delivered by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) in the Glasgow area. 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 14 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 May 2015. 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 career 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. 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 (SPAs) 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 Glasgow, Education Scotland took the following area context fully into account. CIAG services in Glasgow are delivered from four main centres. These are, The Adelphi, Byres Road, George Square and Parkhead. Services are delivered from 63 delivery points across the city including schools, part-time centres such as Saracen Street and outreach premises, including the Easterhouse Campus of Glasgow Kevin College. The Adelphi centre services the South Side of Glasgow, including Castlemilk, Gorbals, Govan, Pollokshields, and Langside. The Byres Road centre services the West End of the city, stretching from Anderston, close to the city centre out to Drumchapel on the border with West Dunbartonshire. The George Square centre is adjacent to the City chambers and covers the north of the city, including areas such as Possilpark, Springburn and Robroyston. The Parkhead centre services the area from the Merchant City through to the east end of Glasgow and the borders of North and South Lanarkshire. It includes areas such as Parkhead, Shettleston, Bridgeton and Dalmarnock. A new outreach centre has recently opened in Saracen Street to make services more readily available for customers in the north of the city. Glasgow has the largest economy in Scotland and the third highest Gross Domestic Product per capital behind London and Edinburgh. It is now one of the 16 top cities for financial services and the international financial services district is located on the Broomielaw close to the city centre. The new South Glasgow Hospital and associated medical laboratories are generating opportunities for employment in the areas of health care, medical sciences and administration. Shipbuilding is set to continue in Glasgow through recent contracting for the building of ships. Glasgow is the UK’s second largest shopping destination with £2.55 billion spent per annum. Many Scottish creative media companies are based in the Glasgow region. Glasgow has a population of 596,550. Relative to Scotland as a whole, however, the city has above average levels of deprivation. In 2012, 42% (289) of all the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation datazones considered to be within the 15% most deprived areas of Scotland were within the boundaries of Glasgow. Recent figures indicate that Glasgow accounts for 18% of all workless benefit claimants in Scotland. Tackling youth unemployment is one of the three key priorities outlined in the Glasgow Single Outcome Agreement. Glasgow has a number of key challenges including a skills deficit, literacy/numeracy and social skills (Source: Youth Employment Review, November 2014). The diversity of cultures in Glasgow is one of its strengths. However, this also presents challenges in ensuring that services meet the needs of a wide range of clients from countries where English is not their first language. There are 31 mainstream secondary schools, 20 Additional Support Needs (ASN) schools or units and three regional colleges across the city all of which have at least one assigned member of the Glasgow CIAG team. Customers aged 16 and over are served by SDS post-school career coaches who offer services from each of the four main centres and from various outreach facilities. SDS staff work within Job Centre Plus (JCP) locations to deliver Integrated Employment and Skills (IES) and to provide careers guidance to adult customers. CIAG services in Glasgow are managed by a 3 comparatively new leadership team. Two area managers have been in post for one year and one and a half years respectively. At the time of the review three team leaders had been in post for under a year. 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 young people 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 o o Access to MyWoW web service Access to one-to-one career coaching Telephone access to SDS contact centre Partnership action for continuing employment (PACE) Integrated employment and skills (IES) – joint work activities with JCP. 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 5 Staff roles In Glasgow, SDS uses a number of titles to describe the roles of the staff. These include Career Coach, Work Coach and Personal Advisor. Throughout this 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 Meeting the needs of stakeholders very good Delivery of key services very good Management of service delivery very good Strategic leadership very good Capacity for improvement very good Section B: good Areas of positive practice SDS CIAG staff engage proactively with a wide range of partners and agencies to plan approaches to deliver positive outcomes for customers. Careers staff provide a well-considered and appropriate range of services to meet the needs of communities, stakeholders and customers. Careers staff engage well with an extensive range of partners to coordinate and contribute to the co-delivery of services to improve outcomes for customers. Careers staff engage well with all customers, particularly those who are most vulnerable. Career Coaches work collaboratively with school staff to plan and deliver services that enable young people to make informed choices and almost all young people value highly the support they receive from careers staff. 7 The local management team (LMT) and staff plan the delivery of CIAG services well and respond flexibly to adjust provision to meet the needs of stakeholders. CIAG staff support each other well and have established effective internal and external teamworking with partners to support customers to achieve a sustainable destination. Across all centres partnership working is very strong at both strategic and operational levels. Staff have a sound understanding of national priorities including DYW and have responded well by implementing strategies to meet these priorities. Over the last 18 months the CIAG LMT has worked very effectively to provide a more contextualised, responsive and flexible service. Partners are very positive about the improved relationship with SDS CIAG staff. Managers lead their teams well and encourage staff to influence and contribute to improvements to service delivery. Section C: Areas for development Partners have worked collaboratively to improve school leaver destinations over the last three years, however the results are below the national average and the number of young people sustaining a positive destination is currently the lowest in Scotland. In some schools CMS is not embedded within the wider curriculum. Some schools are not yet aware of the full range of opportunities available to young people. The content and delivery of a few group-work sessions are not always sufficiently engaging and do not always meet the needs of all customers. Overall SPAs do not reflect fully the range of flexible and responsive services delivered by SDS staff. However it is recognized that the recently introduced SPA monitoring process will address this. The full range of data from the data-hub is not accessed and used effectively by all partners to review performance and plan for improvements. Methods to gain customer feedback on the impact of group activities are not always sufficiently engaging for customers. 8 Section D: Main points for action SDS should continue to work with partners to improve the destinations of young people in Glasgow. Schools should continue to work with SDS to incorporate CMS within wider school activities. SDS should continue to work with schools to raise awareness of the full range of current and future opportunities available to young people. SDS should continue to review materials and delivery approaches used in group-work sessions to ensure they meet the needs of all customers. Partners should ensure the full range of data from the data-hub is accessed and used effectively to review performance and plan for improvements. SDS should ensure methods to gain customer feedback on the impact of group activities are engaging for customers. 9 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 good use of nationally set targets to plan CIAG services. Targets are set annually and the LMT reviews progress towards them on a monthly basis. In 2014-15 most of the nationally set targets were met. Progress towards achievement of remaining targets reflects changes in the unemployment profile across the city and therefore is variable within individual centres. For example, one centre exceeded targets for engagement with adult customers. Good progress is being made towards the achievement of targets for the current year. SDS staff and partners have worked collaboratively to improve the number of young people entering a positive destination on leaving school in Glasgow. Over the past three years School Leaver Destination Return has improved by two percentage points to 89.7%. Sixteen of the 31 schools are performing above or equal to the national average. However, overall the number of school leavers entering a positive destination is below the national average of 92.3%. The number of young people still in a positive destination six months after leaving school is 5.2% below the national average of 91.5% and is currently the lowest in Scotland. SDS CIAG staff engage proactively with a wide range of partners and agencies to plan approaches to deliver positive outcomes for customers. The LMT works well with partner organisations including local secondary schools across the city to ensure resources are targeted at customers who need them most. They make good use of SPAs to monitor progress and ensure appropriate strategies are in place to drive improvements. How well does the service meet the needs of stakeholders? How well do customers make progress and achieve individual outcomes? Careers staff deliver CIAG services from a wide range of locations across Glasgow. All SDS centres are welcoming, modern and appropriately resourced. Centre facilities can be accessed easily by customers with restricted mobility. Careers staff use a range of flexible approaches to meet the needs of individual customers. For example Work Coaches and Personal Advisors deliver services in partner premises including local Job Centres to enable customers to access services within their communities. In all secondary schools SDS Career Coaches are highly visible and easily accessible to young people and school staff. School staff value highly the input of Career Coaches in supporting young people to make informed choices. In some schools Career Coaches and schools staff work well together and collaboratively to support young people to develop their CMS as part of a Personal and Social Education (PSE) programme. In a few schools Career Coaches incorporate and deliver CMS activities to enhance and support the delivery of employability qualifications. These arrangements support school-age customers well to make informed choices about future employment 10 opportunities or further learning. However, in a few schools collaborative arrangements to support young people to develop CMS are not well developed. In the majority of schools, careers staff work productively with school managers to ensure that progression pathways are promoted to young people, parents and carers. However, some schools are not yet aware of the full range of opportunities available to young people. Careers staff support customers well to develop CMS. Almost all customers are able to identify the progress they have made in developing and applying these skills. These include building CVs, developing interview skills, and gaining confidence in preparing letters and applications. There are many examples of young people drawing on CMS activities to recognise their individual strengths and make subject and career choices. These arrangements support customers well to make a successful transition to employment, further learning or training opportunities. All customers report high levels of satisfaction with the level of CIAG services they receive from careers staff. They value individual support and can describe how this has helped them to make positive choices. How well do services meet the needs of relevant communities and other local and national stakeholders? Across Glasgow careers staff provide a well-considered and appropriate range of services to meet the needs of communities, stakeholders and customers. These services take good account of the needs of a diverse range of customers and partners. The area team has developed a wide range of productive partnerships across the city and supports partners well to make use of their combined skills and expertise to deliver the best outcomes for customers. Careers staff engage well with an extensive range of partners to coordinate and contribute to the co-delivery of services. There are many examples of these arrangements helping young people and adults to develop confidence and skills to enter and re-engage in the world of work. Careers staff make good use of their knowledge of and links with partner agencies to coordinate Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) activities and negotiate bespoke arrangements with employers. A member of CIAG staff chairs the local PACE group and the area team works responsively and effectively with a wide range of partners and agencies to respond to identified needs. CIAG staff provide customers at risk of redundancy with an appropriate range of support and advice. Customers value the support they receive to gain access to alternative employment or training. 11 7. Service Delivery How good is delivery of key services? How well do services meet the needs of all customers? All CIAG staff are highly committed to improving outcomes for customers across Glasgow. They make good use of their detailed knowledge of Glasgow’s context and the specific needs of local communities to plan and deliver services. Careers staff engage well with all customers, particularly those who are most vulnerable. They take good account of individual and group needs to plan and deliver services which are inclusive and reduce barriers to engagement. Staff use their knowledge of different cultures to support customers from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds to access CIAG services. Career Coaches work collaboratively with school staff. They make good use of the needs matrix to plan targeted support for young people who are most at risk to help them to achieve a positive destination on leaving school. MyWoW is used well by careers staff to support the development of CMS. Career Coaches make good use of MyWoW to introduce young people to a range of on-line resources to support them to make informed decisions. Almost all young people value highly the support they receive from careers staff and are able to describe how engagement with a Career Coach has helped them to make choices about next steps on leaving school. Most young people can identify how the development of CMS has helped them to identify progression pathways which meet their individual needs and circumstances. Careers staff work well in partnership with staff in local colleges to identify and target delivery of services to meet the needs of learners on full-time non-advanced programmes. They have recently re-established links with the Careers Advisers Further Education group to ensure college staff are kept up-to-date with the SDS service offer and their approach to developing CMS. Almost all adult customers are very satisfied with the services they receive from CIAG staff. They report they have been supported well by careers staff to develop CMS and make informed choices about their future employment and study options. CIAG staff have access to nationally-produced materials to deliver CIAG services and group-work activities. These materials were reviewed over the summer months by CIAG staff and the new materials are currently being rolled out. Some staff proactively adapt these materials to meet the needs of specific customer groups. However, the content and delivery of a few group-work sessions are not always sufficiently engaging and do not always meet the needs of all customers. How effective are relationships with customers? Careers staff are well-regarded by customers and key partners for the quality of services and support they provide. They establish proactive and productive relationships with customers and encourage them to develop confidence and independence in making choices about their career options. This helps customers to raise their aspirations and aids progression to work or further learning. Across the 12 service area, customer and stakeholder feedback regarding the quality of relationships with staff is positive. SDS Career Coaches are very visible within secondary schools. School managers describe the range of services made available by Career Coaches as an integral part of pastoral and on-going support of young people. Close working between Career and Work Coaches is helping to ensure that young people, who are most in need, receive on-going, coordinated support on leaving school. How accessible, flexible and inclusive are services? CIAG staff across Glasgow work well with a broad range of partners across the city to identify the needs of customers. They take good account of the barriers which inhibit access to CIAG services and take steps to help customers to overcome them. This includes providing services for customers within their local communities and using social media and web-based materials to increase accessibility. The LMT and staff take appropriate action to raise awareness and aspirations of customers, parents and local communities. They make good use of posters, resource materials, school assemblies, and workshops to promote the types of support available to young people, parents and school staff. Career Coaches offer and provide useful support to help parents and young people broaden their understanding of the range of work and study opportunities available. In some schools Career Coaches arrange helpful one-to one meetings with parents of young people from minority ethnic groups and those recently arrived in Scotland. These activities support parents and young people well to develop appropriate aspirations. CIAG staff support each other well and have established effective internal and external team-working with partners to support customers to achieve a positive sustainable destination. The LMT makes good use of monthly, multi-agency planning meetings to coordinate support and referral arrangements. Career Coaches support young people with Additional Support Needs (ASN) well to engage with CIAG services and to develop their CMS. They use an appropriate range of activities and materials to support vulnerable young people to make choices about next steps. How well are services delivered? The LMT and staff plan the delivery of CIAG services well. They take good account of national priorities and local needs and respond flexibly to adjust provision to meet the needs of stakeholders. Labour market information is used well by staff to inform the local work plan. The LMT takes good account of the individual expertise of staff when planning service delivery. There are many examples of staff applying specialist knowledge to meet the needs of specific customer groups, including those with additional barriers to learning and looked-after young people. For example, a team member with particular expertise in ASN has contributed to the development and piloting of materials to support the development of CMS for customers who have additional barriers. In the majority of schools, careers staff engage effectively with school staff to ensure that CMS is embedded within wider school activities including PSE programmes. A few 13 schools have plans in place to engage curriculum teams in embedding CMS within the delivery of subjects. However, in some schools CMS is not embedded within the wider curriculum. There are some examples of group-work activities being well-linked to other school activities. However, in many instances the delivery of group-work is not linked to a wider programme of learning within schools. This reduces significantly the effectiveness of group-work activities for young people. Career Coaches promote and deliver an appropriate range of CIAG services to school pupils. These include introducing MyWoW, delivering CMS group-work sessions and providing one-to-one coaching support. Most group-work sessions are delivered in well-resourced environments. However, in some group-work sessions inappropriate accommodation and lack of access to reliable (information and communications technology) ICT reduces significantly the effect of group-work sessions. Career Coaches use ICT well to engage young people in developing their CMS. However, in a few group-work sessions the pace of activities is not matched sufficiently to the needs of customers. Most staff adapt nationally-developed materials proactively to reflect the needs of pupils more appropriately. However, in a few group-work sessions, national materials are not adapted and do not engage pupils sufficiently. . How well do staff reflect on service delivery to improve services? The LMT engages staff in all centres effectively in reviewing the quality of service delivery to inform improvements. They use a range of informal and formal methods to support the use of the Business Excellence Approach to identify and plan improvements to CIAG services. Staff engage well in team-time and pan-Glasgow meetings to contribute their ideas and provide feedback to the LMT. These arrangements support staff well to influence changes in practice to better meet the needs of customers. Staff representation on the Regional Continuous Improvement Group is contributing positively to the sharing of effective practice within area teams and the wider region. The use of reflective practice is leading to a range of improvements. These include a more structured approach to the use of team-time and opportunities for staff to contribute to and set agenda items. Arrangements are in place to ensure that a wide range of customer feedback is available to teams to support evaluation of their services. Across all centres staff make good use of feedback from stakeholders to plan for improvement and further develop productive partnerships. There are many examples of centre staff networking with other CIAG teams across the region and drawing on these activities to improve and enhance services. This has resulted in a range of improvements including better tracking and case management of customers aged 15-19 years in partnership with Jobs and Business Glasgow. How well does the organisation work with partners to improve outcomes for customers? Across all centres partnership working is very strong at both strategic and operational levels. Staff respond well to local and national initiatives to provide opportunities for customers to progress to positive destinations. The LMT has established productive and purposeful relationships with a wide range of partners across the city. These relationships have led to increased partnership working and effective referral 14 arrangements between and across partners. This includes, for example, joint arrangements between SDS CIAG and Jobs and Business Glasgow (JBG) staff to deliver services from shared premises in a newly opened centre in Saracen Street. Careers staff collaborate well with a range of partners including JCP and JBG to offer a range of services that enable adults to gain employability skills through helpful workshops and activities. There are good examples of Career Coaches responding proactively and effectively to the needs of young people from different cultural backgrounds. This includes working with specific community organisations to reach out to, and engage with, young people from minority groups and to challenge gender stereotyping. SPAs are in place for all secondary schools in Glasgow. Career Coaches work well with school managers to develop and agree the content of SPAs. There are some examples of careers and schools staff drawing productively on these processes to plan approaches to deliver group sessions to young people. These include arrangements for careers and schools staff to jointly deliver group sessions to enhance the learning experience. However, overall SPAs do not reflect fully the range of flexible and responsive services delivered by SDS staff. It is recognised that the recently introduced SPA monitoring process will address this. A few schools are involved in the new universal offer for younger pupils and planning is well underway to extend this offer across all schools by June 2016. How effective is the organisation’s knowledge and information management in supporting service delivery? The LMT makes effective use of a range of national, regional and local data to inform strategic and operational planning at area and local levels. Standard Operating Procedures are used well to inform the delivery of services. Staff draw productively on their on-going communication with partners to gain and share intelligence. Managers ensure staff are kept up-to-date with local developments and share information regularly and effectively within teams and across the region. These arrangements help staff and teams to identify current and projected customer needs and to plan approaches to meet identified needs. Career Coaches use relevant information well to identify and target the delivery of services for young people. Careers and school staff work well together to regularly review and update the needs matrix. Pupil profiles are reviewed and revised on a regular basis. This helps to ensure that the needs of young people are monitored, identified and responded to as appropriate. However, the full range of data from the data-hub is not accessed and used effectively by all partners to review performance and plan for improvements. This is limiting the ability of SDS and partners to work together to forward plan the delivery of CIAG services. The LMT proactively encourage staff to gain qualitative feedback from customers and partners to provide greater insight into the quality of provision. This is being used productively and is resulting in improvements being made to the planning and scheduling of group-work activities. 15 8. Leadership and quality culture How good is strategic leadership? How effective is leadership for partnership working and service delivery? All careers staff are committed to the vision of SDS for the delivery of CIAG services in Glasgow. They have a sound understanding of national priorities including Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) and have responded well by implementing strategies to meet these priorities. Over the last 18 months, the LMT has worked very effectively to provide a more contextualised, responsive and flexible service that is better aligned to the needs of the area and local communities. The new management team has established open and trusting relationships with key strategic partners. Partners are very positive about the improved relationship with SDS CIAG staff and some describe the shift in culture and relationship as transformational. Careers staff are highly motivated to improve the opportunities for their customers and work very well with partners to introduce and implement improvements. All members of the LMT have responsibility for liaising with specific delivery partners. This provides a clear point of contact for partners and staff. The LMT arranges regular presentations to staff by partner agencies. This has increased staff awareness of opportunities for customers. Over the last year, attendance by CIAG managers at Head Teacher forums and team leaders at Depute Head Teacher forums, has strengthened strategic collaboration between SDS and schools. Careers staff working in partnership with schools, have responded well to the increasing cultural diversity within the city’s school population to ensure that all young people have access to appropriate services. There is a clear and shared understanding by the LMT of organisational priorities. This has led to a range of initiatives including the development of action plans for colleges and arrangements for engaging more systematically with local authority employability support teams. How well do leaders develop and lead people? Across Glasgow CIAG managers lead their teams well. They support staff effectively to develop their skills and knowledge through engagement with national developments and the ASPIRE process. Managers actively encourage staff to engage in team activities, including team-time, to influence and contribute to improvements to service delivery. These activities are used well by staff to share and adopt effective practice. CIAG managers communicate priorities and points from LMT and Extended Regional Management Team meetings effectively and regularly to staff. They encourage team leaders to be flexible in their deployment of staff to maintain high quality service delivery. Careers staff are willing to work outwith their role and area to support customers. Managers are involved actively in expanding their knowledge and skills. There are many examples of members of the LMT taking opportunities to deliver presentations to peers and staff on areas of their work and providing opportunities to staff to widen their understanding of the wider work of SDS CIAG. For example, they encourage staff to contribute to team meeting agendas and share areas of interest, concern and effective practice. Team leaders meet staff individually on a regular basis to discuss aspects of 16 their work and identify any support requirements. Strong teamwork is a major feature across all centres and is helping to support the delivery of an effective range of services. Staff are well-supported and empowered to differentiate the service offer to meet the needs of partners and customers All members of the LMT are accessible to staff and encourage open dialogue about practice and service delivery. They provide regular feedback to staff on their performance and encourage staff to reflect honestly on their contribution. Area managers and team leaders have introduced systems for gaining feedback from staff regarding how well they are managed. They make good use of this process to inform approaches for improving service delivery. Staff value the support they receive from their line managers and the Regional Management Team. They feel consulted and involved in the work of the organisation. How well do leaders secure improvement of quality and impact of services? CIAG area managers and team leaders take good account of the Glasgow context to plan and deliver services. There are clear linkages between strategic planning across Glasgow and operational planning at local centre level. Area teams are supported well to contribute to meeting Glasgow’s priorities. The LMT and staff review performance regularly and effectively. They work well with partners to identify and respond to areas for improvement and monitor the effectiveness of actions taken. Careers staff engage regularly with partners to review and evaluate services and plan and design future arrangements. They take good account of formal and informal feedback to review and adapt approaches to service delivery to better meet customer needs. However, methods to gain customer feedback on the impact of group activities are not always sufficiently engaging for customers. This can reduce the value and impact of these arrangements. Staff contribute well to the Business Excellence Approach to identify strategies for improvement and key priorities for the area. All CIAG staff engage in regular reflection on practice, both informal and formal. This supports action-planning for improvement at local level well and contributes to changes in practice or service delivery to better meet the needs of customers. 17 9. Capacity to improve based on evidence from Outcomes and impact, Service delivery and Strategic leadership All CIAG staff are highly committed to improving outcomes for customers across Glasgow. They make good use of their detailed knowledge of Glasgow’s context and the specific needs of local communities to plan and deliver services. Careers staff engage well with all customers, particularly those who are most vulnerable. They take good account of individual and group needs to plan and deliver services which are inclusive and reduce barriers to engagement. Staff use their knowledge of different cultures to support customers from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds to access CIAG services. Staff have a sound understanding of national priorities including DYW and have responded well by implementing strategies to meet these priorities. Over the last 18 months, the LMT has worked very effectively to provide a more contextualised, responsive and flexible service that is better aligned to the needs of the area and local communities. The new management team has established open and trusting relationships with key strategic partners. Partners are very positive about the improved relationship with SDS CIAG staff and some describe the shift in culture and relationship as transformational. SDS Career Coaches are highly visible within schools and school staff value their input to support young people make informed choices. In some schools Career Coaches and schools staff work well together and collaboratively to support young people to develop their CMS as part of a PSE programme. A few schools have plans in place to engage curriculum teams in embedding CMS within the delivery of subjects. School managers describe the range of services made available by Career Coaches as an integral part of pastoral and on-going support of young people. Across Glasgow, careers staff provide a well-considered and appropriate range of services to meet the needs of communities, stakeholders and customers. These services take good account of the needs of a diverse range of customers and partners. Staff provide customers at risk of redundancy with an appropriate range of support and advice and customers value the support they receive to gain access to alternative employment or training. The LMT and staff review performance regularly and effectively. They work well with partners to identify and respond to areas for improvement and monitor the effectiveness of actions taken. Careers staff engage regularly with partners to review and evaluate services and plan and design future arrangements. They take good account of formal and informal feedback to review and adapt approaches to service delivery to better meet customer needs. 18 10. What happens next? Following publication of this report, SDS and partners are 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. A follow up visit will be carried out involving SDS and partners 18 months after the initial review to determine if satisfactory progress has been made towards the main points for action. 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/ 19 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 0131 244 5684. If you want to give us feedback or make a complaint about our work, please contact us by telephone on 0131 244 4330, 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. Crown Copyright 2015 Education Scotland 20 Appendix 1 Glossary of terms ASN CIAG CMS DYW ICT IES JCP LMI LMT MyWoW PACE PSE SDS SIMD SPA Additional Support Needs Career Information, Advice and Guidance Career Management Skills Developing the Young Workforce Information and Communications Technology Integrated Employment and Skills Job Centre Plus Labour Market Information Local Management Team My World of Work Partnership Action for Continuing Employment Personal & Social Education Skills Development Scotland Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation School Partnership Agreement 21