LDAN Employment Pathways ProjectMany drug and alcohol services in London are working with training and employment support services to create positive pathways to employment for their service users. However, to date this work has not been significantly highlighted or promoted within London. LDAN has been funded by the City Parochial Foundation over two years to identify and collate good practice, to start building an evidence base on what works in employment support for people with drug and alcohol problems, to disseminate this to LDAN members and to influence pan-London and national policy and strategy in this area.
LDAN has set up a pan-London Employment Expert Group to advise on this project. The group is made up from Key service providers, service user representatives, JobCentre Plus, NTA, LDPF and the UKDPC among others. LDAN, with support from the expert group, are holding a series of events/workshops in 2010-11 on employment pathways for people with drug or alcohol problems in London.
LDAN Employment Event on Building Links with Employers, 1st March 2011, The Resource Centre
An LDAN employment event on working with employers was held on 1st March 2011, at The Resource Centre, Holloway Road. The first session included a presentation by Bob Grove, Joint Chief Executive of the Centre for Mental Health who discussed what could be learnt from the mental health sector in regards to employment support. Sue Kenten, Chief Executive of DASL presented with Colm Whitty from their project partner Air Football, and showed a DVD of how they help young service users move towards employment. Mark Lunn, Remploy’s Regional Director highlighted the range of employers that they work with. In a later session, Peter Jackson from LDAPF discussed the need for companies to develop a policy addressing drug and alcohol in the workplace, whilst Val Lowman from BeOnsite and Helen Averill from Marriott Hotels presented on the employment opportunities they can provide to service users.
Bob Grove, Joint Chief Executive of the Centre for Mental Health (PPT 347KB)
Mark Lunn, Remploy Regional Director (PPT)
Helen Averill from Marriott Hotels (PPT)
The meeting ended with a service user panel, where current or former service users discussed what had worked for them when trying to access employment and what support is needed from employers.
LDAN Employment Event on What Works in Employment Support? 11th November 2009, City Hall
The first event on ‘What works in employment support?’ was held on 11th November 2009 at City Hall. The meeting was extremely well attended and had a focus on both developing internal employment support services within drug and alcohol organisations and making links to external providers. The group work discussions from the day can be accessed here. (PDF) Please also find presentations below:
Internal education training & employment services within drug/alcohol organisations
Blenheim CDP/Service User Drug Reference Group – Laraine Start/Tim Sampey
Phoenix Futures - Adele Duncan Harvey
Creating partnerships with external employment support providers
Job Centre Plus - Carol Adams
NTA – Jo Roebuck
Red Kite Learning – Evet King
Off the Streets and into Work (OSW) - Michael Fothergill
The above event informed the November/December Employment Special Edition of LDAN News (PDF 1.2MB)
LDAN Employment Event on Welfare Reform, 10th March 2010, The Resource Centre
On 10th March LDAN held an event on Welfare Reform and its implications for drug and alcohol services and service users. Colin Wilke-Jones, Head of the Drugs & Alcohol Policy Unit at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) outlined the current DWP strategy and also the proposed welfare reform pilots to be introduced in October this year (including central London).
DWP presentation on Welfare Reform (PPT 281KB)
The event included group work on working with the new Drug Coordinators in London, introduced by Carol Adams, Regional Drugs Lead, JobCentre Plus and facilitated by the London Drug Coordinators Emma Jarnell, Chris Holborough and Geoff Randall. The write up of the group work responses can be accessed here (PDF 41KB)
The event also involved a Welfare Benefits Surgery session in which the audience posed questions on benefits to a panel of experts including Jo Gloster from JobCentre Plus, Lee Healy from Income Max and Shonagh Dodd from Camden Welfare Rights Team.
LDAN Employment Event on Training and Skills Development, 23rd July, City Hall
On 23rd July LDAN held an event on training and skills development for drug and alcohol service users. The event included policy presentations, group work facilitated by drug sector ETE providers and a service user panel.
Please see links to the policy presentations below:
Mike Stewart, Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion, Policy/practice overview
Michael Heanue, Skills Funding Agency – The Adult Career Service, Offender Learning and Skills Accounts
Marcus Roberts, DrugScope, Learning from training/employment support in the Mental Health sector
Mark Lunn, Remploy, Training and skills development and employment pathways
The event included group work on training and skills development facilitated by drug sector ETE service managers Satya McBirnie (Foundation66), Laraine Start (Blenheim CDP), Bruce Robertson (Phoenix Futures), Kyriacos Colocassis (CNWL). The groups discussed a number of case studies and the write up can be accessed here (PDF)
The event also involved a service user panel session in which the audience heard from and posed questions to Simon Barnett (Waltham Forest Joint Commissioning Representative) and Andrea Woodside (Wellbeing and Mental Health at Work Consultant).
To join the mailing list, or to find out more about the LDAN Employment Project, please contact Esther Sample, LDAN Policy Officer, esthers.ldan@drugscope.org.uk
Related link:
Pathways to employment in London: A guide for drug and alcohol services
Simonson P., LDAN/DrugScope, 2010
Many drug and alcohol services in London are working with training and employment support services to create positive pathways to employment for their service users. However, to date this work has not been significantly highlighted or promoted within London. LDAN has been funded by the Trust for London over two years to identify and collate good practice, to start building an evidence base on what works in employment support for people with drug and alcohol problems. This report brings together our research work so far. The report is structured into a review of current issues and evidence, followed by a range of resources including a directory of employment support providers for drug and alcohol service users in London. Also included is a list of all Job Centre Plus District Partnership Managers. This is the first report and directory of this kind for London.
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