With that in mind, Connexions West Yorkshire decided to try a new way of dealing with the most immediate financial needs of young people. Grants such as Care to Learn, the Government's scheme to help young mothers into education, can take time to come through and if young people cannot pay for childcare they may miss the chance to go back to school when offered a place. In its Participation Trial pilot, Connexions West Yorkshire supplies key workers with credit cards that they can use to buy products and services for their young clients up to the value of 100. They need management permission for more expensive purchases.
The pilot, in common with other Connexions initiatives, has been designed with the aim of offering young people a wide range of support to help them back into education, training or employment. Key workers provide practical help as well as emotional and personal support and immediate financial assistance when needed.
James Purdie, the project manager for the Participation Trial, believes the credit cards enable key workers to react to young people's problems in a timely manner. But he emphasises that money alone is not enough to do a good job. "The financial support is just one element of our work," he explains. "We are trying to support needy young people who are not in education or employment to access jobs, education and training. Some young people's economic disadvantage is a barrier to them achieving their potential, and we are trying to take away some of those financial hurdles."
The scheme, which is funded by West Yorkshire Learning and Skills Council and the European Social Fund, involves little bureaucracy. Key workers draft personal action plans with the young people and, if a financial problem emerges, they address it. But they need to explain in the action plan how their spending will help the young person achieve his or her goals.
Financial flexibility
The amount of funding available to each young person depends on their personal circumstances and ranges from 200 to 600. "We have careful procedures in place to enable us to keep a fairly tight rein on how the money is spent while giving us sufficient flexibility to respond to young people when we need to," says Purdie.
By giving key workers some financial power, the project manages to fill the gaps where no help is currently available. Key workers have stepped in to help pay for transport, course fees, childcare, accommodation and safety equipment for those attending motor vehicle courses or job training in the construction industry. "We are not looking to replicate or take the place of what is already available. Often the practical support we give involves helping young people access the benefits that are there for them," says Purdie.
Key worker Caroline Hemingway (pictured p18, right) says the pilot has been effective because of the immediate financial support it can provide and says it is not about spending money needlessly. "Some young people do not have the financial means to achieve what they want. Without that financial support they would be stuck," she says.
That is how 19-year-old Roisin Rules (pictured p18, left) felt before she entered the Participation Trial. Roisin, a single mother, did not know what to do with her life. A few months later, having started an NVQ Level 1 in childcare, she is now juggling studying for her qualification with looking after her two children aged six months and two-and-a-half years.
A route into education
"Roisin was interested in working with children, so we got her to attend an eight-week course for one day a week, where she could learn about all areas of childcare and decide if it was what she really wanted," says Hemingway. "To see her now is amazing. She has done really well, whereas before she didn't believe she could do anything. The financial help was significant. We paid for her books, childcare, travel expenses and a change of clothes before Care to Learn started."
Roisin agrees. "Caroline helped me because she put choices in front of me so I could decide what I wanted to do," she says. "I fell pregnant when I was at college and got bullied. I was bored at school and didn't get any qualifications. Without this help I wouldn't have achieved what I have."
Similar stories abound. A young woman who could not afford to buy the bus pass that would enable her to volunteer as a mentor has managed to get an interview for a full-time job.
"We got her a bus pass and she was able to volunteer as a mentor with the youth offending team and get some in-house training," explains Purdie.
Another young person approached Connexions saying she wanted a job as a cleaner, but she is now on a training course in hair and beauty. Her key worker paid for the course materials. "She didn't want to be a cleaner at all but she thought it was the only option available to her," says Purdie.
It is by encouraging and empowering young people to change their lives that the pilot endeavours to achieve the best results. Although there is no repayment involved, key workers try to make sure the young people fulfil their part of the bargain by committing themselves to completing courses, researching career options, working on their CVs and applying for jobs. "We ask them to help themselves and expect them to take some ownership and be committed to the programme," says Purdie.
Since June last year, the pilot has helped 373 young people, with 187 already back on track. Of those, 103 went into education, 46 into training and 38 into employment. But more young people are being recruited and these numbers are expected to go up. The project is forecast to cost about 900,000 for one year. With its funding ending in May, the Participation Trial is keen to use its positive results to attract more money. Hemingway believes the experience could be replicated by other Connexions partnerships around the country. "This programme has been proven to work and I hope other agencies will be able to adopt similar methods of working," she says.
Life-changing experiences
Nicky Peck, head of performance and development at Connexions Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, approves of the idea. She says it is important for personal advisers or key workers to have access to instant cash to deal with the financial barriers that can prevent young people from improving their lives. "It is an interesting idea and I'm looking forward to the evaluation so all of us can learn from it," she says.
Others are more sceptical. Ian Cruise-Taylor, chief executive of Connexions Black Country, says: "We would treat this approach with caution and would be very interested to see the results of this pilot. We have to recognise the need for advisers to bring swift action for clients who may need urgent help so they can take up an opportunity. But providing them with a credit card may put the adviser in the position of being seen as a provider rather than a broker or facilitator."
Roisin is clear that the pilot has changed her life. "I have more confidence in myself now," she says. "I wouldn't have been able to pay for any of this. I don't know what I would be doing if I hadn't met Caroline."
WAYNE'S STORY
Nine months ago, 18-year-old Wayne Taylor thought he had nothing to look forward to in life. He was estranged from his family and, with no job and no qualifications to help him get one, he used to spend his days inside the house.
Now he has a job with a scaffolding company and, having received a certificate in health and safety, is looking forward to the next challenge - getting a truck-driving licence.
"All I want to do is to carry on with my job, get lots of qualifications and make lots of money," says Wayne. "When I look at myself, it is not the same person I was before. It is so strange. I didn't have anything. Now it is a completely different life."
Howard Naylor, a key worker at Connexions West Yorkshire, helped Wayne through this life-changing transformation. With Naylor's support, Wayne decided he wanted to do courses in maths and English. In order to do this, Wayne needed some clothes and help with travel expenses, which were bought using Naylor's credit card.
"When I first met Howard I had no money and didn't work. I had only one change of clothes," says Wayne. "I couldn't handle people. I wanted to stay on my own. I was shy and didn't have any confidence in myself at all. Howard helped me a lot with my confidence. I wouldn't be where I am if it wasn't for Howard - I'd still be signing on."
SHOPPING LIST
Bus passes and photographs for photo-cards are the most popular items bought by the pilot's key workers. It can be difficult for young people to get where they need to be when they have no money for transport.
The project has shown that a little money can go a long way in tackling this problem. Key workers have also paid for courses, books, clothes for job interviews and even childcare for young mothers who are waiting for Care to Learn grants to be processed.
One young man is now working as a door supervisor in a club in Leeds.
Connexions paid for his course - he needed a licence to get the job - and also provided him with a bow tie and jacket so he could get started.
