ANNEX B: EXAMPLE TOPIC GUIDES
Evaluation of Job Retention programmes for Lone Parents and Other Groups
Client Topic Guide
June 2006
Objectives
- To explore clients' views and experiences of the job retention
- To establish reasons for participation, and expectations of
- To explore experiences of the programme services and support
- To explore and identify impacts and outcomes of programme employment and retention), from the perspective of the clients
- To identify areas of good practice and improvement.
1. INTRODUCTION
- About BMG Research, independent evaluators etc
- Research funded by SE
- Confidentiality/permission to record
- Any questions?
2 . RESPONDENT BACKGROUND
- Personal circumstances - current situation, household circs etc
- Employment history
- Overview of barriers to work (ie, reason for being unemployed/out of the labour market)
3. BRIEF OVERVIEW OF CURRENT ACTIVITY
- Current involvement in OnePlus/Wise Group
- Current activities undertaken (eg, in work, training, job search etc)
4. EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
- Overview of education and employment history
- Type of employment sought - reasons for
- Other types of work in the past
- Nature of skills/education/training
- Length of time away from labour market
5. EXPERIENCE OF PROGRAMME
- How heard about programme
- Reasons for participation - expectations of programme
- Understanding of programme
- Work with adviser - type, purpose, who/how decided, action plan?
- Progress to date
- Experience of programme - eg, job search/applications, confidence building, better off calculation, benefits entitlement, ILM, work experience, mentoring, basic skills, financial help etc (tailor according to services provided by organisation).
- Appropriate of support - levels, intensity, frequency, access to adviser, mode of delivery (eg, face to face, telephone, email, at office/other place etc)
- View of staff - knowledge, experience, availability, responsiveness, importance of continuity of 'case worker'
- Location of delivery/offices - views on accessibility etc
6. EXPERIENCES OF OTHER PROGRAMMES/INITIATIVES TO HELP EMPLOYMENT
- Experience of other programmes/initiatives to help you get back to work (eg, Jobcentre Plus advisers, New Deal)
- Advantages/disadvantages, progress made
- How compare to OnePlus/Wise Group
7. IF CURRENTLY IN WORK
- How got current job, role of provider, whether would have got job otherwise
- Type of work, terms/conditions, views/satisfaction
- Assessment of longer term prospects - whether likely to stay/leave, progress - why?
- Barriers to retention (if any)
- Opportunities for progression
- Role of provider in sustainability of employment
- What might affect whether they remain in job/in work?
- Kinds of difficulties/challenges encountered in adjusting to work? (probe for whether personal, employer/workplace, practical difficulties etc)
- Support needs (extent to which these were met, and by who?)
- Any other inwork help received (inc role of tax credits etc)
8. IF CURRENTLY SEEKING WORK/MOVING TOWARDS WORK
- Kind of work looking for
- Expectations, eg, what stage they feel they are at, progress made, jobs applied for etc
- Views on job retention, exploration of factors likely to affect staying in work (probe for whether personal, employer/workplace, practical difficulties etc)
- Anticipated support needs - who will/should provide (eg, provider, family, employer)
9. IF LEFT WORK (IE, DURING/AFTER PROGRAMME PARTICIPATION)
- How got job, type of work, terms/conditions
- Role of provider - in getting work, in supporting client
- Reasons for leaving (probe for whether personal, employer/workplace, practical difficulties etc)
- Whether job exit could have been prevented
- Subsequent role of provider (eg, did they get back in touch with them? Why/why not?)
10. ASSESSMENT OF IMPACT
- What impact has participation had (explore for tangible outcomes eg, got job, as well as more qualitative outcomes, eg, improved confidence)
- What worked well for them? What didn't?
- Gaps in delivery - any services/support needed that programme didn't'/couldn't provide? Any areas for improvement?
- Would they recommend the programme to others?
- What other difficulties does client face in getting back to work/retaining work
- How could these be minimised, and by who?
- Where would they be if they hadn't received help/support
11. OVERVIEW
- What has been the most valuable/useful part of the programme for them?
- What has been the least useful
- What else could be done to help people like them get a job and remain in work
12. FUTURE
- What are their plans for future?
- Future support needs (if any)
- any other comments/thoughts
CHECK consent to follow-up at a later stage, for research purposes?
Thank, and remind of confidentiality
Evaluation of Job Retention programmes for Lone Parents and Other Groups
Provider Manager Topic Guide
June 2006
Objectives
- to explore implementation and organisation of project at strategic level
- to explore resources supporting project, any gaps or areas of insufficiency
- to explore what has worked well / less well
- to explore evolution of services/arrangements, changes being considered
- to explore views about overall impacts, aspects of good practice and key lessons for future
1. BACKGROUND
- post, job title, responsibilities
- place in management structure (of service and organisation overall)
- the organisation: role of programme within overall organisation
- genesis of retention programme, other similar programmes run
2. THE JOB RETENTION PROGRAMME - OVERVIEW
- why organisation decided to bid for funding
- what hoped to achieve from it [and what they feel they've achieved to date]
- how project fits within rest of organisation's activities:
- update/expansion on previously provided information (eg current registrations, patterns of registration)
- description of how the programme operates
- what changes have been made re delivery etc [Probe how and why these changes came about - client led/staff led].
- how is programme promoted - marketing activity
3. FUNDING REGIME
- Funding from SE - is the programme self-funding, does it need to be subsidised from elsewhere? What constraints does the current funding regime have in terms of what the organisation is able to deliver?
- Whether need to lever in funding from elsewhere
- Views on funding arrangement with SE
4. RELATIONSHIP WITH SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
- What has been your general experience of the SE's management of the programme?
- Effectiveness of support, requirements for anything different?
- Anything more SE could do to help support the programme and its clients?
5. STAFFING
- staffing - staff numbers (right amount?) staff responsibilities (any specialisms or particular focus?)
- staff backgrounds - types of staff, whether already in organisation, kinds of skills needed, how recruited, background.
- caseload size (is there a maximum) - how clients allocated?
- views on how model/current arrangement works - how could be improved?
- future changes?
6. PROGRAMME ELEMENTS
- activities/services provided [maybe get some further in-sight on why they focused on these particular activities/services].
- 'target' client group, any groups excluded [reasons behind focusing on this particular client group; reasons why they didn't focus on others].
- how work with clients: nature and level of support provided, ability to meet needs
- services/support most demanded, how demand met
- demand for financial help - nature and extent
- whether/how are able to meet
7. PARTNERS
- any formal partnership with other organisations in delivery - who, what? why? [explore the benefits and limitations of such partnerships].
- any informal partnerships or arrangements with other organisations - who? What? Why? [as above].
- any use made of other (local) providers of services for job retention? (eg DEAs, Jobcentre Plus, other voluntary orgs, other statutory orgs) - who, nature of activity, scale of activity, experiences of collaboration/competition
8. REFERRALS AND REGISTRATIONS
- how are referrals made, and from who - how many
- role of work-focused interviews / Jobcentre Plus (where relevant)
- other referral sources
- do they register all of them - how assess eligibility/suitability
- are they happy with the referral process? Do they think it could be improved?
9. PARTICIPANTS
- expectations re registrations (eg, numbers, types of participants, type of need) - to what extent has this matched the reality?
- patterns re 'type' of participant
- comparisons with clients on any other programmes/services provided by organisation - effects and implications
- what do participants expect from the programme?
- any client requirements they find particularly easy / difficult to meet
- how responding to this
10. IMPACTS AND OUTCOMES
- what impact does the programme have on participants
- how does this compare with outcomes, with reference to proximity to the labour market, retention/progression in employment etc
- wider impacts - eg, on organisation, on staff, on employers, on local provision
- who does the programme work well for? Who does it work less well for and why?
- what would happen without this programme?
- which features of the job retention programme have been particularly effective and how/why
11. LESSONS LEARNT/GOOD PRACTICE
- what elements of the programme have been most successful/least successful
- what would do differently with hindsight
- what are key factors or considerations to support effective job retention/advancement service
- what gaps are their in terms of what services/support the programme currently provides, and demand from clients.
- What hinders their provision, eg, cost, staffing, not something that organisation would normally provide.
12. FUTURE
- plans for future
- any other comments/thoughts