Service Manager, ChoiceWorks, Community Safety & Regulatory Services, Neighbourhoods, Regeneration & Sustainability
We have brought you articles over the past few years on the ChoiceWorks programme – how it has evolved, and its success. These articles are still available, and I have posted links to them at the foot of this article – you can dip in and out of them for background and context if you wish. You can also find out more about the service on the Glasgow City Council Website.
ChoiceWorks is a European Social Fund (ESF) Employability Programme, which sits within Glasgow City Council’s, Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability Service.
Over 2023, our very much missed and well-respected Service Manager Derek Brown decided to take a well-deserved retirement, meaning that I have only recently come into post as the new Service Manager. In that vein, rather than repeat information about the service (which you can read in the previous articles), I have instead provided a case study below about David – there is nothing that says what a service is about and the impact that it can have, than the people who undertake the programme.
Figure 1 below shows the number of referrals on a year-to-year basis for the ChoiceWorks Programme. In 2022-23 there was a significant increase, taking referral numbers above the pre-Covid period.
David’s ChoiceWorks Journey (below) is just one of those referrals.
David is a 39-year-old male who resides in the North-West of Glasgow. He was referred to the ChoiceWorks service through Community Payback whilst completing a 120-hour Community Payback Order (a Community Sentence).
David had a sporadic history of various types of offending spanning from his youth. Upon engaging with the North-West Intervention Worker, he expressed a strong desire to desist from offending and establish a positive life for himself.
David engaged well with the intervention Worker and was fully committed to taking part in completing several offense-based intervention sessions. The intervention sessions are based on a cognitive behaviour therapy model and use a trauma informed approach. David would be reflective and contemplative during sessions and express regret and shame in relation to his previous offending. Upon attending his next session, he would often feedback ways in which the previous sessions had been helpful for him.
David scored high for Adverse Childhood Experiences and had also experienced several traumatic events in adulthood resulting in physical, mental, and emotional harm and disability. He was offered counselling from an external agency to help him begin to work through some of these difficult experiences and to provide him with ongoing support that would help him on his journey of desistance.
David was unemployed at the time of engagement but was very keen to obtain employment and showed a pro-active attitude towards this. In preparation for his engagement with a ChoiceWorks Employability Advisor, the Intervention Worker helped him to create a CV and gain qualifications in; Emergency First Aid, Health & Safety and Food Hygiene. He also attended a local job fair.
Throughout his time with ChoiceWorks, David was given support and guidance by the North-West Case Manager, who would arrange and coordinate additional wrap around support for him. During a period of financial difficulty, David requested specific support for food assistance. The Case Manager referred him to the Trussell Trust who provided him with shopping for several weeks until his financial circumstances improved. The Case Manager also arranged for David to receive bus tokens, to assist him with travel to and from appointments.
David made the most of his time engaging with the Intervention Worker and over the duration of the intervention sessions, David grew in confidence, belief, and ambition. He understood the full extent of the consequences of his actions and took responsibility. He developed a helpful understanding of his personality and specific behaviours and implemented intervention strategies to assist him on his journey going forward.
Alongside the offence-based work David worked with the employability/training officer to discuss and identify his career aims and objectives. David stated that he had previous work experience as a kitchen assistant and kitchen porter and that he wanted to pursue a career in the Hospitality/Cooking industry. His main objective was to gain qualifications to prove his knowledge and skills and we agreed that attending college would enable him to achieve his objectives and enhance his C.V. in preparation for future employment.
Research was undertaken and Careers advice and guidance given on Professional Cookery Level 5 Course to be held at Glasgow Kelvin College, East End Campus. David’s C.V. was perused and amended as required to transfer information to application. David covered interview skills and practise and attended an Open Evening to discuss the course curriculum and next steps. We worked together, completed a bursary application and David will stay on benefits whilst at college and be given £28 further assistance per week.
David’s application was successful, and the college has provided him with Chef whites required for the course. He is looking forward to commencing college and states that he hopes to gain part-time employment once he is settled at college.
David was also provided with the loan of an iPad and MiFi device from ChoiceWorks Programme to enable him to complete his studies at college. He is a pleasure to work with, reliable, conscientious and determined to succeed.
‘Since joining the ChoiceWorks Programme I have been encouraged by all staff and provided with advice and guidance to help me address personal issues. The support I have been given has motivated me and helped me turn my life around for the better. I am optimistic about my future and feel confident in my abilities. Starting College will be a big turnaround for me, giving me the opportunity to work hard and achieve my objectives. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support received from ChoiceWorks staff.’ (David June 2023)
