Strategic Performance Framework - Latest Performance Results for Employability
North Lanarkshire Council · 12 May 2023
Back to Enterprise and Fair Work Committee — 12 May 2023 and its agenda
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-North Lanarkshire Council Report Enterprise and Fair Work Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref SL/JON Date 12/05/23 Strategic Performance Framework - latest performance results for Employability From Janie O’Neill, Chief Officer (Education, South) E-mail ONeillJa@northlan.gov.uk Telephone Executive Summary With the Strategic Performance Framework being stood back up in accordance with Council and service recovery plans, this report continues the arrangements implemented across service committees in 2019 and 2020 in terms of reporting performance in line with the Strategic Performance Framework. It reaffirms the responsibilities of the Enterprise & Fair Work Committee in this respect and sets out the latest performance results for Employability related performance measures. Trends from previous years performance results are presented to enable an assessment of the impact of the pandemic on the delivery of council services over time. Latest results, based on available information at the time of reporting, are also included to provide as live a picture of performance as possible. Members will recall as one of five inter-related corporate frameworks - which are key to assessing the success of The Plan for North Lanarkshire and monitoring delivery of the Programme of Work (while ensuring each stage of delivery towards achieving the overall ambitions is appropriately planned, guided, implemented, and governed) - the Strategic Performance Framework enables progress against strategic priorities and day to day operations to be regularly reported to service committees. This allows Elected Members to monitor, assess, and scrutinise performance to identify areas requiring improvement and inform future decision making. Recommendations It is recommended that the Enterprise and Fair Work Committee: (1) Review the high-level performance overview presented in Appendix 1, and the supporting data contained within the linked Excel spreadsheet, and identify where further information is required to understand or investigate performance further. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities Ambition statement All ambition statements
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1. Background 1.1 There are six inter-related strategic frameworks which are key to assessing the success of The Plan for North Lanarkshire and monitoring delivery towards achieving the overall vision by ensuring each stage is appropriately planned, guided, implemented, and governed. 1.2 The six frameworks focus on ensuring a corporate one council approach in respect of Policy, Governance, Performance, Self- Evaluation, Project Management, and Demonstrating Improved Outcomes for Communities. 1.3 The Strategic Performance Framework comprises performance measurement at three levels (as per the diagram on the right). This aims to collectively provide an overview of performance to help understand the impact of Council activities on improving services and outcomes for the people and communities of North Lanarkshire. The measures in this Framework allow for day to day activities, and progress towards achieving the long-term vision set out in The Plan for North Lanarkshire, to be regularly monitored, reported, assessed, and scrutinised. 1.4 The Strategic Performance Framework is aligned to the Accounts Commission statutory direction which places a requirement on councils to report a range of information in terms of (1) improving local services and outcomes, and (2) demonstrating Best Value. Key points of note in this respect are that the Accounts Commission also expect to see: (a) A balance in reporting areas of improvement that have been achieved and not achieved. (b) Reporting that is undertaken in a timely manner. (c) Easy access to performance information for all citizens and communities. 1.5 A Performance Reporting Schedule supports the timely submission of a range of performance information that facilitates Elected Members and senior management to undertake regular performance reviews that inform scrutiny, challenge, and decision making processes. This Schedule, endorsed by the Audit and Scrutiny Panel in February 2023, includes Chief Officer’s individual six monthly Performance Reviews at Service Committees in line with the Strategic Performance Framework. 1.6 This report therefore presents the Enterprise and Fair Work Committee with the latest performance results for a range of Employability measures for Members’ further review and scrutiny. 2. Strategic Performance Framework Enterprise and Fair Work Committee responsibilities 2.1 In line with the terms of reference outlined in the Scheme of Administration, the Enterprise and Fair Work Committee is responsible for monitoring and reviewing performance information for the following Ambition Statements from The Plan for North Lanarkshire: 5. Grow and improve the sustainability and diversity of North Lanarkshire’s economy.
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6. Raise attainment and skills for learning, life, and work to enhance opportunities and choices. 2.2 The high-level performance overview in Appendix 1 presents Members with a summary of the latest results for each performance indicator within the remit of the Chief Officer (Education, South) relating to a range of Employability measures. 2.3 The information in Appendix 1 comprises the following: • An ideal direction arrow - this indicates whether a higher or lower figure is the preferred direction of travel. • Measurement unit - for example whether the result is a %, a number, a unit cost (in £), or a ratio. • Performance results for the last four financial years (depending on availability of data) along with the latest year’s target and corresponding RAG status (for indicators where it is appropriate to set targets). • The most recent monthly or quarterly results, along with the corresponding target and RAG status. Note the inclusion of this information is dependent on the measurement frequency of the indicator and availability of data as at the time of reporting. • A trend graph - this captures the direction of travel achieved over the four financial years and includes the most recent monthly or quarterly results where available. • Comments - narrative summarising the current position and providing an explanation for any significant variations in performance. Where applicable, this narrative also highlights the effect of the pandemic on service delivery, e.g. any increase or decrease in the volume of transactions or enquiries processed. 2.4 A large volume of data supports the high-level performance overview in Appendix 1. This is outlined in the latest performance results for Employability Excel spreadsheet which is available through the following link for Members to carry out a deep dive and review and scrutinise each performance indicator further. The Menu on the second tab of the spreadsheet contains built in hyperlinks that automatically take the user to a tab for each performance indicator and therefore provides a useful navigation aid to review the contents of the file. • Latest performance results for Employability.xlsx Current context 2.5 The labour market in North Lanarkshire has significantly changed in the post pandemic period with several positive trends emerging. These include low unemployment, increases in average pay and sustained levels of participation in the labour market for young people. The key challenge that has emerged in the wake of the pandemic is the increase in economic inactivity, particularly in the numbers classified as long-term sick in North Lanarkshire which has risen from 16,500 in March 2020 to 28,400 in September 2022. A combination of these factors has also led to some local employers and sectors finding it difficult to recruit and retain employees. Also within the context of employability is the challenge of persuading unemployed and economically inactive residents that they can be better off in work and the current cost of living crisis has A higher figure is better A lower figure is better Key to RAG status Performance is on target and/or within acceptable thresholds Performance does not meet target and is outwith acceptable thresholds Performance surpasses the target and exceeds expectations
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intensified that challenge. Therefore, the existing cross service work with the Tackling Poverty team and other services will continue to be integral to the work of the employability team. 2.6 North Lanarkshire Council funded employability programmes have always been adept at aligning any sources of external funding available to Council plans and strategies and to increase their scale and reach. The current external funding environment has been considerably bolstered in recent years by additional resources from the Scottish Government to support their No One Left Behind policy and Young Person’s Guarantee in order to alleviate the impact of the pandemic restrictions on the labour market. These sources have been used alongside the long term support the Council has gained from the European Social Fund. The external funding environment is now changing with the end of EU funding and the introduction of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. In parallel to this change, there is the introduction by the Scottish Government of significant funding in 2023/24 for local employability services to support parents into employment will create further opportunities. Therefore, work is underway to finalise contracts with current external funders and integrate and align new sources of funding into Council priorities and plans. For 2021/22 it is likely that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic affected the choices made by some young people with some impact on school leaver destinations resulting from the effect of alternative approaches to certification of SQA qualifications since 2020. In addition, school leaders have highlighted increased non-attendance and mental health issues as a result of the pandemic having an impact on post-school destinations. Whilst there was a percentage drop of 0.3% on previous year, a significantly higher number of young people left school and entered a positive destination. The percentage of young people entering Higher Education was above the national average, with Further Education and employment both higher than the previous year. Notwithstanding this, 130 young people left school and entered the negative destination of ‘unemployed and seeking employment’. Recent performance highlights 2.7 With respect to the numbers of unemployed residents accessing Council support these have grown in tandem with the increased external funding that was available in recent times. All Council funded programmes are targeted at people who are not only unemployed, but who have additional barriers to getting a job. Alongside this the numbers supported into employment have been high with the conversion from engagement to job entry remaining consistent, despite the fast-changing labour market. Most importantly, the percentage of people supported into employment that have sustained employment is 70% or over. This performance has consistently benchmarked North Lanarkshire Council programmes of support above the national and family group of similar councils. 2.8 In terms of the work to close the disability employment gap in North Lanarkshire, the Supported Employment team continued to work with over 200 disabled people every year using their person-centred model of support, with consistently higher rates of employment sustainability at 6 months after job entry than mainstream programmes. In recent years the team have expanded their work in the supporting the transition from school of young people who have additional support needs or who are care experienced, into long term work placements leading to employment. An example of this is the new Sunnyside Café based at the Volvo Trucks site in Newhouse Industrial Estate which offers work experience and training to these young people.
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2.9 In 2021/22, our nationally recognised Pathways Programme supported 145 S4-6 young people with multiple barriers to learning (including school non-attenders, care experience young people, young people with additional support needs and those living in areas of highest socio-economic deprivation) – those most at risk of entering a negative post-school destination. Of the 145, 134 are in a positive post school destination or remain in continued support. 54 are in employment with a further 39 in further education or training. Areas of performance requiring improvement 2.10 Together with the continued delivery of large-scale employability support to all unemployed and underemployed residents there is some evidence to suggest that programmes which are more targeted on thematic groups can be more effective, based on work undertaken with Routes to Work Ltd in the last 12 months. Therefore, within employability programmes funded by the Council there will be increased targeting of specific groups where employment levels or engagement with mainstream programmes is not reflective of their representation in our communities. Alongside this, an increased focus on supporting parents into employment or into better paid work will be undertaken as part of the drive to reduce child poverty. 2.11 Clearly the current demand for labour for some sectors and employers will not be met without additional measures. Therefore, new programmes to address the sharp increase in economic inactivity are planned for implementation, using a model piloted by Routes to Work Ltd in 2022 along with the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The aim of these is to draw economically inactive residents into or to return to the labour market. Next steps 2.12 As noted in paragraph 1.5, the Strategic Performance Framework is supported by a Performance Reporting Schedule. This sets out the arrangements for service, statutory, and Strategic Performance Framework reporting to committee. In this respect the relevant Committee can expect to receive the following in respect of Employability areas of work during 2023/24. Report Description Committee Committee cycle Routes to Work Routes to Work, established in 2002, is a company limited by guarantee with charitable status which is wholly owned by the council. The organisation provides a range of free employability services to North Lanarkshire residents and specialises in providing case worker support to unemployed residents as well as support with accessing vocational training and the short-term costs associated with moving from benefits to employment, such as childcare and travel. Enterprise and Fair Work Committee Cycles 2 and 4 in 2023 3. Measures of success 3.1 Measures of success include: • Regular oversight and monitoring of performance across the organisation to gain assurances in terms of governance and accountability.
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• Regular review and challenge processes to scrutinise the performance of the council to ensure effective use of resources and that resources are directed in accordance with agreed policy and according to priorities, while ensuring sound decision making and clear accountability for the use of resources in achieving improved outcomes for service users and the local community. • Performance monitoring, management, and reporting arrangements that support the demonstration of improved performance in local services and outcomes, and the delivery of Best Value. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Appendix 1 - High-level performance overview - Employability Chief Officer (Education, South)
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5. Impacts 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality- and-fairer-scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts have been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts have been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts have been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact?
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Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? Managing and monitoring service performance supports the ongoing monitoring of the service’s risk register. 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex- Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services.
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Appendix 1 Employability High-level performance overview - as at March 2023
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