Helping people like Steven isn’t easy, but it’s not impossible. Sometimes it takes more specialised support, which is why the Work Programme is designed to include a variety of organisations, from the private, public and third sectors, which have the skills to help people into work. This year, Steven had a proper Christmas dinner because he finally got a job, and one that he loves. And this is because of the specialist support he received through Bootstrap, a charity based in Lancashire who have been delivering social inclusion programmes for over 20 years – just like A4e.

Bootstrap is just one of the 96 Third Sector partners A4e works with under the Work Programme – more than 51% of all our partners. We have worked with partner suppliers for over 10 years delivering services like these. But a recent report by the National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) indicated a more general worry – a sense of concern experienced by a number of charities who have been sub-contracted to deliver the Work Programme, particularly with regard to what they see as exposure to financial risk which is unshielded by the prime provider they are contracted with.

Being exposed to financial risk is something A4e is well versed in managing. We first started pioneering this approach in 1992. By delivering the Work Programme under a Payment by Results (PBR) framework – something we actively championed – we are absorbing risk on behalf of Government and taxpayers, and taking it on ourselves. We do this because we combine commercial skills with social values. I have learned from more than two decades of building a business that tackles challenging – and often new – public services with outcome funding commercial models how to plan for the risk and cash requirements of these types of contracts. It is difficult to model and fully evidence the finance you need to run a ‘new’ programme, particularly on the scale of the Work Programme, but that’s the nature of PBR markets. It is the direction we are going in – our public finances means there is not an option – so we have to learn and learn quickly.

As a ‘Prime contractor’, we take very significant headline financial risk, but this is different to ‘shielding suppliers from risk’, which the NCVO asserts is lacking. When we talk about suppliers, the picture is more complex than simply ‘third sector’ and ‘other’. We have some suppliers who provide the full range of services required to help get someone into work (what we call an ‘End to End’ partner).

These make up 17% of our supply chain. We have other suppliers who have specialist skills to support someone with a specific problem, like drug addiction, homelessness or a criminal conviction, either through short interventions or during their entire journey into work (what we called ‘Specialist Intervention’ and ‘Specialist End to End’ partners). These make up 83% of our supply chain. Some suppliers are local to an area, and some have a national footprint, some are third sector, some are public and some are private. In some areas, A4e is sub-contracted to another Prime provider. Between us all we support hugely diverse groups of people, such as particular ethnic groups, older people, lone parents, under 25s, people with health difficulties, very long term unemployed people, graduates, executives, ex-offenders, faith based programmes and so on. Very few suppliers have dealt with such a diverse range of customer groups and we have actively sought to develop these skills over the last 20 years. Public, private and third sector organisations all bring a rich diversity of talent and experience and we need all parties to make Work Programme successful. No one group has a monopoly on expertise.

The common thread is that all of us have had to build complex models to assess the finance we require to deliver our programmes effectively. We have done this on historical UK welfare programmes and in international markets in France, Israel and India. What many people fail to see is that we directly protect our Specialist Intervention partners by removing PBR requirements. These partners are brilliant at support on specific and challenging issues but they are not ‘back to work’ suppliers. We do not create contract models which link their payment to employment – that is our job. They help customers with particular barriers preventing their progress into work. It is hard to predict how many customers will need their services until we receive referrals from JCP but they do not have to manage ‘outcome payment risk’. Out of these service partners, 54% are from the third sector – the largest single partner group we have.

When we consider financial risk, the nub of the issue is why some partners on the Work Programme are not receiving the referrals – and therefore the payment potential – they anticipated. It is a concern A4e shares, and it is a risk we have to take too. For a national programme of this magnitude, referral systems are working better than I have seen in many programmes in the past. At the last count, our partners are now receiving 33% of the total overall referrals to A4e. We expect that to continue to rise as long as we all hit our performance targets. There isn’t a single third sector End to End or Specialist End to End partner on our books who isn’t receiving referrals, and we work closely with them to manage fluctuations and variations. We also ensure partners get referrals that reflect their expertise and location – we do not send ‘harder to help’ to suppliers and ‘deal with the easier customers’ ourselves.

In five and half months of the Work Programme running, a lot has happened. JCP and Primes are working hard to get referrals working across all customer groups. Already thousands of people have moved into work – the focus is on making sure this is sustained. We continue to move referrals to our supply chain – voluntary, charitable, public sector and private. Very large sums of capital have been raised with banks to ensure the finance is available for the programme and massive investment is going to fund the services for the harder to help. We communicate openly and honestly with our partners and we listen when they have ideas and suggestions. We feed all of this back to the DWP, helping, where we can, smaller charities and suppliers get their message directly to Government.

We always knew it would be tough. I would be surprised if anyone who bid for a Work Programme contract would say otherwise. As early as 2010, we spent a considerable amount of time consulting with more than 1,000 third and public sector organisations ahead of the Work Programme, to prepare for the anticipated impact and to develop business plans accordingly. No one should have gone into this with their eyes shut and we worked hard with our partners to capacity build. To suggest that all charities are suddenly concerned about the level of financial risk they have been exposed to does a huge disservice to the business planning I know countless numbers of them have done.

Tenacity, determination and iteration will be needed to make the Work Programme effective. I know A4e and our supplier partners are doing everything we can to make the Work Programme work for the people who need it the most. At the end of the day, it’s about the people who come to our branches and those of our partners looking for help. It’s about people just like Steven.

Her earliest emails, sent after A4e trainer Diane arranged for Debra to attend a free English and Maths course at a college in Alton, Hampshire last September, betray her nerves.

“I have to have an interview before I can start which is a nightmare as I am not confident in them,” Debra wrote.

However, just a month later, Debra had already begun to flourish, telling Diane: “I am flying through my Maths work and even helping other people in the class.”

By the following month, excited Debra told Diane: “There is a lot changing in my life just now and it is all for the better. I can’t thank you enough.”

And just before Christmas, unable to contain her happiness, she wrote again. “I am being entered at the highest level for both English and maths. Both are level 2.”

Speaking about her journey, Debra said: “I am a different person today – and I owe that to my A4e trainer. When I first came onto JCPSC, I was feeling pretty low. I was working as a cleaner in Surrey but moved to Andover to live with my cousin when I was promised a job there. When I arrived, the address I’d been given for the job turned out to be fake. The whole thing was a hoax.

“Diane helped me put together a CV and enrolled me on a course doing maths and English. I take my exams in June. Things have changed so much for me. Along with the course, I started going to zumba classes – it’s a fitness class with Latin dance – and that has improved my confidence no end.”

And to prove her point, Debra revealed her latest triumph – a new job.

She said: “I’m a supervisor for the Original Factory Shop in Alton. We sell everything from clothes to dog accessories, stationary and toys. I couldn’t have done it without the CV Diane made for me.”

Debra added: “People who speak to me now say that I come across as cheerful and confident, so I must have changed – but you wouldn’t have said that about me three months ago.”

JCPSC is delivered in Hampshire, Isle of White, Bucks, Berks and Oxfordshire by A4e trainers and also Partners. Diane works in Bracknell and Guildford, an area which also covers Aldershot, Alton, Bordon, Farnborough and Petersfield.

One of the latest emails in the on-going correspondence between Debra and Diane confirms Debra’s transformation.

From Diane, it reads: “Hi Debs, When all is done you will wonder why you felt so worried. Marvellous news that you are helping others in your class and now have a job too! Keep having faith in yourself. Diane.”

• 33% of JSA claimants have a criminal record;
• 26% of all claimants (just under 5m) have been cautioned or convicted in the last decade;
• 75% of people convicted in 2008 had claimed out of work benefits during the last two years;
• 50% of those released in 2008 were still claiming benefit two years later.

In addition, analysis of re-offending rates continue to show more than 50% of offenders reoffend and end up back in prison. If we are going to tackle this problem – and other public service challenges – this ‘joined up’ data and analysis across departments is essential. Only by considering the total system are we are going to get better public services, delivering better outcomes, at higher quality and lower cost.

Prevention of reoffending is an issue that is important to me. As A4e has developed, we have often employed people who have criminal records. Six years ago, when we started working on education initiatives in prisons, we wanted to employ an ex-offender on the team but due to the security requirements of the contract with the government, could not. I understand the risks but if we cannot show through public programmes how ex-offenders can re-engage with business, what example do we set to other employers?

More needs to be done and last year when I was at the Koestler Awards I talked frankly with a manager there about her problems in finding work with a record for white collar crime. The challenges she faced were significant. The links between stable employment and the impact on reoffending have been understood for a while. In 2002, the Social Exclusion Unit produced a study indicating that stable employment reduced reoffending by 30-50%. However, ‘stable employment’ requires a number of other support structures around the individual to assist in meeting that objective.

The media often focused on the willingness of employers – or lack of – to consider ex-offenders in various employment opportunities. This is a barrier that can be overcome. Many businesses will actively engage to work with ex-offenders – sure it needs more work yet, but some of the UK government’s reforms will enable that. I want to highlight some other issues which need to be part of the UK ‘rehabilitation revolution’ if we are going to reduce recidivism significantly and for the long term.

Many departments/agencies of local and central government impact on the lives of an offender on their journey out of prison and back into society. My experience of A4e’s work in providing employment and skills services to offenders on release as well as being a provider of education (not employment) services inside prison has highlighted a number of areas where various problems manifest in trying to develop coherent approaches to preventing reoffending. If we are going to introduce payment by results models, based on reducing re-offending – and we should – then we also need to find a way to commission services that will allow these issues to be addressed.

• Employer access: enabling employers who are willing to do so (and there are plenty) to come into prison to meet prospective employees and ensure training meets their needs. Similarly, prisoners need to be escorted by a guard to meet employers within the prison structure and, as resources reduce, this makes another potential barrier to supporting rehabilitation.

• Housing: given the movement of prisoners around prison estate throughout their sentence (which could see a London offender moved 200 miles away to the North West, then a week later shipped 100 miles east), finding them a secure place to live close to a prospective job is incredibly difficult. The reality is that an offender’s ‘home’ location is, in the majority of cases, many miles from the prison they are held in. Therefore, the join up of housing benefit, finding somewhere, securing any other benefits pre-employment start and interfacing with probation services and other services is overly complex. It can also means that there is very little incentive for ‘local’ providers delivering with any proximity to a prison to provide in-reach support – the vast majority will be dispersed all over the country on release.

• Health needs: mental health difficulties in particular continue to be a very significant barrier to employment for many ex-offenders. The support in prison and the support on release requires much more coherent integration. Tackling mental health problems can be crucial in supporting people back into work- and more importantly sustaining it -so we must do more on this.

• Finance and debt support: the scale to which debt problems get worse for offenders whilst in prison and the challenges in dealing with finance on release are still very much underestimated. There are many ways to support this from current initiatives but agencies are insufficiently joined up and prisons are often unaware or unable to take advantage of plentiful available support.

• Social networks and family support: a key part of rehabilitation focuses on social networks and family engagement (often reengagement) to enable changes to previous behaviour. There is a proven and positive correlation between the number of social visits an offender receives whilst in custody and their outcomes on release. Again, this is an activity that is fragmented across the geographies of local government, service providers and the prison estate.

• Demand led training and employment in prisons: the activities in prison are too often focused on ‘productive activity’ – keeping people busy and not sufficiently aligned to the labour market prisoners will face on release. Much more needs to be done here. However, the reforms to prison education which will begin taking effect in Summer 2012 should finally address this.

A4e delivers a range of these services inside and outside prison. However, even with that expertise, trying to join this up for prisoners and ex-offenders we have worked with is incredibly difficult. The requirement to work across multiple agencies in government, who are not tasked with integrating their service as part of a more holistic approach to keeping an ex-offender out of prison, means organisations in this space fail to make enough sustainable impact.

The implications of this are obvious. The longer it takes to sort out benefits or financial problems, the more likely the risk that someone might reoffend to resolve that issue. Similarly, with no stable housing or family support, and with the tendency to fall back into the same social networks which resulted in the original crime, the risk of reoffending increases. If mental health issues remain untreated or undiagnosed, this impacts on any chance of getting back to work and again, falling back into old habits of offending can easily happen.

So, what can we do?

The ‘rehabilitation revolution’ is the right strategic direction. Payment by results is the right direction, with providers and partnerships measured and rewarded on the impact they make in reducing reoffending. Joint working between MoJ and DWP is a great start, as is structured, focused work on early entry into employment & training programmes for offenders on release.

This ‘join up’ is only the start. I know it is hard – I have worked across more than 20 departments and agencies trying to deliver a coherent service to the same consumers. However, the issues I have touched on above cut across many agencies. The costs are high – to society, to the public purse and in human terms. Whilst social investment approaches – such as the Bond in Peterborough – provide the freedom to tackle these issues, they do not yet provide a framework for joining up existing services more effectively or reducing the system wide costs of offending. Most importantly, we are still a long way from integrating the support needed to fundamentally shifting the scale of reoffending.

The initiatives launched by the MOJ and DWP are an excellent start. However, we must explore how to better engage with other agencies and spending departments, for example via things like Community Budgets. This needs more innovation, more research, more pilots and we will have to take some risks in order to radically reduce reoffending. Make significant inroads in the UK and many other countries are keen to learn from our experience.

I’ve been looking at the statistics on employment for older people, to understand more about the current situation. With the national employment rate around 8%, nearly one in ten people are out of work – but for over 50s this figure is nearly one in three. Relatively, people over 50 are moving into employment at the same rate as other age groups, but in smaller relative percentages to date than those under-25 and between 25 and 50. This is to be expected in some respects, given that experience shows longer term unemployed people over 50 often require relatively more support for an extended period of time before they move into work. 

In one of the meetings I was in, an expert writer on the subject of active older age told me about the high number of older people who write to her explaining the problems they face finding both employment and volunteer work. The latter was new to me – in volunteer services people were saying they were getting turned down in favour of someone younger, whereas I had always known it to be that volunteering had often been the domain of the older person. In addition to this, across all the correspondence, the writer told me, there was a common theme; anecdotally, older people felt that leaving their age off their CV led to them getting more interviews and opportunities.

More positively, many employers are focused on providing specific opportunities for older people separate to their policies on younger people. B&Q are well known for their positive employment practice, crafting roles where older people’s skills complement the service and others where younger people can best suit. There needs to be a focus on encouraging businesses to look at positive employment practices for people over 50, in the same vein as the government’s ‘Business Compact’ on young people which was revealed last week. It is possible to identify and craft specific opportunities lending themselves to older workers and the lifetime of skills they have acquired. This is part of the work welfare providers need to address in tackling unemployment, and it is part of the responsibility society takes for older people.

For older people out of work, there are often a number of ‘myths’ that it can be helpful to debunk with regards to supporting those over the age of 50 as they search for work. Far from the stereotypes I see bandied around, research shows that older workers are:

•  not ‘blocking’ jobs for younger people;
• as flexible and adaptive in their approach as any other age group;
• well versed and interested in using new technology;
• keen and able to learn new skills for the next phase of their careers

I know all of these positive attributes to be true, because I have seen them in my own families’ experiences. As we live longer, and more people seek out varied careers instead of ‘a job for life’ we tend to have more goals in life and employers are beginning to adjust their approaches to recognize the positive impact older workers can have on their business. A recent careers survey showed that over half of 50 plus workers felt they were at the right phase in life to pursue a new direction in their career and find their dream job!

And, of course, with wisdom and experience comes confidence. Although hunting for jobs whilst you are out of work can be demoralizing there are many older people who are opting to become self employed and start their own business, because they feel they’ve got the life experience to really forge ahead with such an exciting opportunity. The New Enterprise Allowance scheme (NEA) and Work Programme both offer direct support, in addition to advice and guidance through organisations such as the PRIME, Business Link and InspireMe (whose website is worth a look if you are thinking about this). In the work A4e has done through the NEA, 23% of those starting their own businesses are over 50. Moreover, enterprises headed up by people in this age range tend to have better survival rates than those started by younger entrepreneurs, and older people sometimes have more experience gaining access to start-up capital too.

As with everyone out of work, finding ways to maintain your enthusiasm and self confidence can be hard. You have to continue to market yourself to prospective employers, clients, customers and funders. We all have to challenge the preconceptions people may have about us, our experience and backgrounds, and this is no different for over 50s. As our societies get older, proportionally, the world of employment and career development for older people has to evolve to meet the needs we face. And as we emerge from the recession, we must increase the pace of this recalibration.

Lyn, who is married with two boys, said: I was made redundant from my job with a design company which designed soft furnishings. I had been there for five years. I had an idea it was coming because one of the directors retired. I actually had been thinking about setting up my own business for some time and probably would have done it, but it was nice having the back-up that A4enterprise provided. Pat helped me doing my business plan, and with having a mentor, I know I can call at any time if I need help. I knew I could do the job because I’ve been doing it a long time, but it’s the other aspects of it. I’ve never done a business plan in my life and, as time goes on, I know Ive now got someone to help me with tax and insurance.

My new business is called Lyn’s Curtains. It was officially launched on the 28 November and at the moment most of my work is for a couple of designers. I am hoping to get some of my own customers as well. I do anything to do with soft furnishings. All my curtains and blinds are hand-sewn. I can even work from a picture.

The money from the NEA helps me with paying for my business cards or buying small materials. Its just a little bit of a safety net. If I need anything, I’ve got the money and anything I earn goes into the business.

It is hard being unemployed. I looked for loads of jobs on the internet and for what I do there isn’t much out there. I really feel for young people. It must be very frustrating.

I love my business. I love that I can work from home. I run it from the top floor of my house. Ive got a cutting room on one side and a sewing room on the other. It’s lovely and peaceful. I don’t have to be going backwards and forwards, commuting, so I can put that time into work. I time myself so I start at 9, I take all the breaks I used to and then finish at the same time as I would when I was at work.

And if the TV is boring one night, I can pop upstairs and do a little bit of sewing.
If it goes well, I wouldn’t rule out having an apprentice one day. I do love teaching people how to sew.

We gave people a range of issues to rank in terms of their personal concerns in the coming year covering health, finances, family and work. It isn’t a surprise that the top three were all finance related:

1.    Being able to pay bills especially utilities;
2.    Finding money to pay for emergencies;
3.    Coping with travel costs to work.

Interestingly, there was little difference in responses between people out of work and in work, although people out of work were relatively more worried about travel costs. Managing debt was sixth on the list of issues, with the same level of concern across employed and unemployed respondents.

Utilities in particular continue to be a big concern. I have talked in the past about the disparity of cost between someone who has access to a bank account which enables payment by direct debit, with those who cannot access or do not want an account because their financial circumstances do not allow it. This form of discrimination between consumers on payment really disadvantages the financially excluded, and people on lower incomes. Often these are the very people who would most benefit from lower costs on their bills.

The survey also shows how people’s ability to ‘save for a rainy day’ is being hit by the current economic climate. Increasing concern over where money can be found for emergencies reflects a challenge hitting all income groups. Lower interest rates hit savers, but also the withdrawal of incentives like the Savings Gateway means we need to find better ways of getting financial products into the market to support this behaviour, particularly amongst those least inclined or relatively less able to put some money away.

We also asked people what their view was on their household financial situation. This painted a more optimistic picture of 2012 where respondents felt this would be a better year:

•    49 per cent felt their finances would be a bit or a lot better;
•    29 per cent felt their financial situation would say the same;
•    22 per cent were of the view the finances would be a bit or a lot worse.

So, many of the consumers who are on much lower incomes enter 2012 with a brighter view of the coming year than the last. However, managing bills for gas and electricity and concerns about how to cope with emergency financial needs dominated people’s ‘worry list’. The need for better integrated financial services and products which support those on lower incomes is more acute than ever. Let’s hope 2012 sees some new organisations and products coming to market with appropriate pricing and approaches to the consumer; those which are more enlightened than the dominant financial services players currently in the market.

The course was run by Diane Andrews (JCPSC Trainer), over 8 weeks; 4 weeks were in training and development for 16 hours per week and the other 4 weeks in work placement for 16 hours per week. It was a course was aimed at preparing people for work and included elements such as, how to find vacancies, be aware of the mental and physical demands of juggling home and work, fill in application forms, create a CV and answer interview questions. The course also helped to clear out the barriers to work, raise self esteem and confidence and most importantly realise their transferrable skills.

This Launch Pad had a high ratio of women to men and subsequently the guys took a bit of ribbing but all in good fun, and they were good sports. All clients were advised that we would offer work placements but if there was anything they particularly wanted to do they may have to source themselves. The group gelled as a team and were soon very supportive of each other. All the clients managed to get work placements.

Read their stories below:

Terry and Amanda Cander got a work placement at Stokenchurch Dog Rescue. They both love animals and enjoyed caring cleaning and walking the dogs and the responsibility of being key holders. It transpired that these lucky dogs get the 5 star treatments and get their bedding laundered every day!! They both enjoyed their experience and hope this will help them in their quest for work.

Tina, Ian and Fanny all completed their work placements in Charity environments. Fanny enjoyed the work so much she is continuing until she returns to care work. Whilst Tina was on work placement she managed to take her final theory exam to become a driving instructor, being female and speaking both Punjabi and Gujarati will really give her the edge plus the support of a growing family who have already made recommendations for driving lessons to friends.

Amanda Lee really wanted some administration work and so sent out her speculative emails and eventually got a reply from Wycombe Council. After her work placement she received a glowing reference which will help with her job seeking.

Nicola was already a volunteer at Barnardo’s. She really wanted to work with children, and because she was already CRB checked this really helped in getting her work placement. Nicola’s JCP advisor noticed her increased confidence.

Charlie had her mind set on changing people’s views on helping children cope at school. She is a great advocate for Resilience training. This is help given to children to prepare and arm them for dealing with tricky situations instead of waiting until children have problems, it is to try and avoid this. Charlie successfully gained her own work placement and hopefully in the New Year this will progress to her position of her dreams.

Deborah Thomas wanted desperately to return to a PA role but due to family commitments and the scarcity of suitable part-time positions she decided that perhaps a transfer of skills should be considered.  Her obstacles as she saw them were firstly, her age and secondly, as a lone parent she had to ensure that appropriate childcare were in place.  As part of the Launch Pad programme Deborah decided to complete her work placement as a volunteer with one of the South Bucks Hospice shops.  Within a couple of weeks of starting, she was interviewed for the position of Relief Manager and was subsequently appointed to their Beaconsfield branch. 

Read Deborah’s email

Just to let you know, all is going well and I’m enjoying working at the South Bucks Hospice shop.  All the volunteers are great people and so far we’ve all been able to have a laugh together.  Working alongside the manager, I’m able to experience all the different aspects of how a shop runs and have a new found admiration for people who do this type of work.  The days are varied and it is never boring.  I have been very fortunate and am glad that I made the decision to go there for my ‘work placement’.

I officially started on 21st November as Relief Manager to the Beaconsfield branch of the South Bucks Hospice shop.  Closed down my claim today with the Job Centre and am in the throes of sorting out the rest of the paperwork.

Finally, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and believe that a better future is now possible for myself and my children.  I have regained my confidence and am now able to move on with my life.  There is only looking forwards, not backwards.“

It just leaves me to say a big thank you to Karen Ainsworth (A4e Advisor) for helping with the work placements and to the main JCP Lone Parent Advisors who made the majority of the referrals, Claudine Haywood, Val Williams and Harriett Ellis. The team effort has been fantastic. Best wishes to all and watch this space for further progress.

Here are my top tips for making the most of the festive period to energise job hunting for the New Year:

1.  Reflect and learn: what went well and what didn’t in the search for work over the last few months? It’s often easy to move from one application to another without stopping to think about what is working and what isn’t. Firing off loads of applications and getting no responses? Go for a smaller range and research each one better. Getting interviews but not getting the final offer? Make sure you are pressing people hiring for constructive feedback on why not and learn from that, adjusting your approach.

2. Think about widening search: sometimes it can be easy to be too narrow in the search for work. Are there different occupations that you might be interested in considering? Could you look at different locations or a wider geography to pursue a career you’re interested in? Could you consider taking a lower entry level salary to get into a career opportunity and build your role from there? Not all these options suit everyone but often people underestimate their transferable skills and miss opportunities due to only looking locally. Even asking these questions – and then deciding not to change your approach – is useful because it reaffirms your commitment to what your want to want to do.

3. Networking over the festive period: with no money, it can be hard to get out but most people will meet lots of others at one event or another. Family parties, or a night out over the period – it doesn’t matter. Use it as an opportunity to talk about where you want to be and seek out anyone that might help. Christmas is a good time for meeting people in different types of networks – they may work, have jobs or know people in an area you are interested in. Use any opportunity to collect up ideas or contacts that support you in getting the job you want. Don’t focus on where you are now or looking back, visualize the job you want and how you might get there and see if anyone you meet can assist.

4. Different approaches to increase your chance of success: if you have thought about the points above it can also be useful to think about new ways of getting to where you want to be. If you have not worked for a long time, volunteering and work experience can be good ways of showing your commitment and work ethic. Ditto, if you are looking for a particular job or career which you have not done before, finding a way to volunteer or get experience in that area could be helpful. If you have feedback that you need a deeper set of skills then focusing on training or education might be best to address this.

5. Other barriers preventing you getting into work: are there other things that are getting in your way? Do you worry about debts so much that focusing on work is not possible because you are so distracted? Is childcare a challenge? Is the cost of travel preventing you looking elsewhere for work? Is securing finance for education a problem? Do friends or family discourage you? Are health issues a difficulty? Again, reflecting on these points can be useful but be specific. What is the health issue? What travel is possible and what isn’t? By looking at specific barriers you can begin to find solutions or alternative approaches. Most importantly you can begin to get support on the areas that will help you get back on the road to work.

6. Plan – but be open to alternatives: use the time over Christmas and some of the approaches above to refresh your plan to find work. There will be more negative media coverage of the economy but jobs are being created and vacancies filled. Having a plan will maximize your chances. One key tip though – keep your plan flexible enough to cope with new ideas, challenge and different opportunities. Being too prescriptive can be counter-productive.

Most of all, work hard to keep positive. Christmas and New Year is a slow time to jobs. It can be very difficult when you are out of work and money is tight. It takes a lot of mettle to find a way to keep motivated and focused but knowing it is like that, use the time effectively to plan for your career in the New Year.

One of the tweets from a customer made a very good point. I have often talked about ‘financial capability’ and changing financial ‘behaviours’ in these blogs. I have not spent as much time talking about how it feels when you are in this position.  

The tweet made the point that, as a consumer, you often feel like the first person you come across who will offer to lend you some money is the only choice.  This is true of so many of the people I come across. Many know they are in difficulty. As a result, they grasp the first opportunity for cash that comes their way.  

Many people in this position also suffer mental health problems as a result of debt. A lot of people are not familiar with how mental health issues inhibit your ability to make sensible decisions. Depression is not just about being down but losing many of the abilities and capabilities you had before. I have seen it in my family. So not only do people feel ‘desperate’ for a financial solution but their ability to make ‘good’ decisions is diminished. 

A few things from me then: 

• There is always a choice – it might not be obvious, it might not be something you want to do, but there are always options. So when you put pressure on yourself to take that option, make sure you stop and think. Look for alternatives. Shop around.
• If you read this and think you recognize the symptoms of depression or mental fatigue, make sure you get some help. So many bad decisions are made on financial matters when you are stressed or depressed – it is vital you sort this out as it is the best way of getting back on top of your finances. 
• One of the key things on short term debt is keeping on top of the repayment of capital. When you borrow, you are charged interest. Sometimes, if you are in really difficult circumstances, a lender will roll over the loan or just take an interest payment. Whilst this can help your short term ‘cash flow’, it defers the problem to another day. Recognise this. If this is where you are, you need to start urgently sorting your financial situation.   

Everyone has borrowed more than they should at some point and especially during the Christmas period. A short term injection of cash can help – if you have a plan to repay that it can be a useful way to get over a short term problem. But make sure you get the best deal. If you have deeper problems, be self-aware and look out for the signs.  

We do need new competition and services on the market. In 2012 I hope we will begin to see some of these being developed and offering a broad range of financial products to lower income consumers. At the moment choices are too limited and linear – short term loan products; poor functioning basic bank accounts; specialized savings products. Providers offering all these services to lower income consumers are few and far between. But there are some starting to tackle this. 

One of the areas we are exploring is whether a mutual bank could be developed in the UK. They are much more prevalent on the continent but the idea – like building societies – of consumers being a member is appealing to me. Especially if the focus of the bank is in developing ethical, appropriate, well designed and transparent products for lower income consumers. It would be great to get people’s views on this so feel free to drop me a line. 

Have a good Christmas – if you do have financial challenges, don’t wait until the New Year to tackle them. Start now. And seek out the support and help you need to address the problem. 

Wendy immediately quit her job as a carer to help her daughter. When Emma was charged in 2009 with possession of class A drugs with intent to supply, one of the conditions of her being spared jail was that she live with her mother. Wendy also took on the role of legal guardian for her youngest grandchild, who had spent time in intensive care after drugs Emma took during her pregnancy went into his system. It meant that Wendy had to get up with Emma and monitor the night feeds.

As a result of Wendy’s perseverance and care, which often strained her relationship with her daughter, drugs tests in October 2010 showed that Emma was clean of drugs, and she has since moved into her own flat, with her children joining her.

However, the enormous effort of dealing with Emma’s drug addiction and helping her kick her habit, took its toll on Wendy. When her two grandchildren had been taken into care, Wendy had found it hard to sleep or eat and ended up on anti-depressants.

Out of work for three years, she had lost her confidence and felt very low when she was referred to the Work Programme at A4e Oxford.

Wendy said: “When Emma was well enough to move out, I was suddenly faced with an empty schedule.

“I was in my late forties and didn’t know where to look to get back into work.

“I didn’t think many people would want me and my confidence was at an all time low.

“When I first arrived at A4e I didn’t know what to expect.

“But the advisors were so friendly and at our initial chat seemed so confident that they could help me.

“We talked about what skills I had and after caring for my family as well as some experience of being a carer a number of years ago we decided that was the path I should be put on.

“As I began to relax in their company a few calls were made on my behalf – and I was shocked to discover they had arranged an interview with Allied Healthcare for the very next day.

“I was nervous but my advisor, Allan, went through how to get the best out of an interview and he seemed to make the working future I so wanted seem possible.

“It was such a relief to have someone behind me all the way, supporting me.”

Wendy was offered the position with full training to take place before she started. Wendy said: “During the months I was training to be a carer A4e kept a close eye on me and constantly helped me develop my confidence, both in myself and on computers, which I had never really been very adept at.

“I visited their offices regularly and was given all the support I needed, both emotionally and with any paperwork I was struggling with.”

Wendy unfortunately failed her CRB for a start at Allied healthcare. The caution on the CRB related to a family incident at the time of her divorce, but due to the strict measures at Allied they were unable to overlook this.

A4e then looked at sourcing other roles where Wendy may be accepted. Her advisor Allan Potter set up an interview with a local care home which was keen to offer Wendy a position. However, Wendy managed to source a role working as a carer to a disabled couple in Oxford and began her new job at the beginning of December.