What
we offer
BtG offers a completely free one to one personal support service
at a venue of your choice (agreed with your Community Support
Worker) in order to identify barriers you might be experiencing
concerned with access to training and employment. We can support
you if you are not currently working, have a National Insurance
Number and are aged between 18 and 64 (59 for women). Besides
these criteria, our key target groups for client support are as
follows:
* Long term unemployed (24 months +)
* Members of minority ethnic groups
* People aged over 50 years
* People in areas disadvantaged in labour market terms (see ward
information below)
* Lone parents and those with caring responsibilities
* People with a learning or physical disability
* Unemployed people with low basic skills
* Ex-offenders or those under supervision
* Alcohol/Substance abusers
* Homeless people
* Refugees (Please see BtG007 –
Eligibility Criteria)
BtG will act as an advocate on your behalf to help you to access
training, employment, including self-employment and other support
available in the Bristol area. The service we offer is flexible
and tailored to the individual. This allows us to provide support
and services that are identified as being of particular need to
any individual client.
The information
contained below should give a clear understanding of the level
of service we provide, although for additional detail it may be
necessary to refer to other BtG documents, as indicated, which
are available upon request.
What you can expect from us and what we expect
from you
You can expect that Bridging the Gap will:
* Provide a confidential service to help you into employment.
* Support you in venues near to your home. We will take whatever
steps possible to ensure that access to venues is arranged to
suit the requirements of our clients.
* Provide access to information and relevant computer software
for people of all levels of competence.
* Provide one to one help.
* Continue to support you through regular contact over a period
of time.
* Help you to access other support available to you.We will provide
you with access to:
* Information about current/future college courses (including
course availability, content, duration, level of qualification,
entry requirements, costs, location, application procedures, etc.).
* Careers and Occupational Information (including computer software
– CID and Adult Directions; Occupations Directory and other
local/regional career information).
* Up to date information regarding employment legislation and
other related topics (including issues such as equality, disability
discrimination, minimum wage, unfair dismissal, health & safety,
etc.).
* An Information Pack including material regarding job seeking,
the labour market and employment (including job seeking methods,
preparing application forms and CVs, understanding psychometric
and aptitude testing, preparing for interviews).
* Information regarding support available from Employment Services
(including New Deal) and other local support agencies (including
information about financial support available and relevant eligibility
criteria).
* Lists of available childcare facilities in the Bristol area,
updated regularly by Avon Parents’ Network.
We can help you to:
* Plan your future actions.
* Gain skills that employers want.
* Obtain work experience placements.
* Gain Subsidised Employment.
(Please see BtG002 – Wage
Subsidy for Employers)
* Prepare for job interviews.
* Build your confidence.
* Get a job.We may also be able to support you with funding of
up to £400 towards:
* Childcare costs.
(Please see BtG003 – General
Parameters)
* Travel costs.
* Interview costs.
* Tools, equipment and protective clothing.
* Specialist TrainingAdditional Support:
* Support is also available to you for the first 26 weeks of employment
where necessary.
An additional £250 may be available from an into work fund.
(Please see BtG001 – Into Work
Fund Document)
What we will expect from you:
* A motivation and commitment to want to work
* A willingness to provide us with supporting information if required
* That you will make every effort to keep appointments and perform
agreed background work
* That you are up-front and honest about your current situationLimitations
of Service:
If you meet our general eligibility criteria, as outlined in the
"What we offer" section of this document, the only limitations
on the service you will receive are as follows.
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Financial
Up to a maximum of £500 per client can be
made available for support with the costs mentioned above. This
amount can be used up as a one off payment or spread over a period
of time and a variety of different uses. Payments will normally
be made direct to the service/equipment provider. This allocation
of funding will be decided upon through a series of discussions
between the client and Community Support Worker and will only be
awarded once the recommendation has been agreed with the Project
Director.In
addition, it must also be noted that BtG reserves the right to withdraw
the levels of financial support indicated in the eventuality that
funding allocated to the project runs out. BtG would however make
every effort to secure alternative funding before this resolution
would be implemented.
BtG also reserves
the right to reclaim any funding provided to clients should any
client not abide by the terms and spirit of agreement outlined in
"What we will expect from you" as above.
Geographic
BtG supports clients across the whole of the Bristol area.
(Clarification of the exact geographic areas of support, at any
one time, and your eligibility can be obtained from the office).
Our Community Support Workers will sometimes be required to concentrate
on the areas listed below in order to reduce the number of clients
that they are working with to a manageable case load. If you are
outside the acceptable area you will be informed when making the
initial contact by telephone.
BtG has a commitment to concentrate our activities on supporting
clients in certain key target wards. Therefore, if we have to focus
on particular wards at any time in the future, we reserve the right
to restrict client eligibility based on geographic criteria as might
be required. The key target areas in which Bridging the Gap operates
at present includes the following wards:
* Kingsweston (Lawrence Weston)
* Windmill Hill
* Henbury
* Filwood
* Southmead
* Hartcliffe
* Ashley
* Whitchurch Park
* Cabot
* Easton
* Lawrence Hill
* Lockleaze
Time
As each member of the BtG team has many clients to work
with, there will be constraints on the amount of time available
to support you. This limit will depend on the situation of your
Community Support Worker at the relevant time but will always be
made clear to you as you work with them.
Please note
that such limitations are as a result of restrictions imposed by
the Single Regeneration Budget and the European Social Fund. No
personal information regarding clients is made available to third
party organisations such as the above. Any contracts made with third
party organisations will meet the guidelines specified by The Guidance
Council Quality Standards.Additional Information:
* BtG holds
information relating to all of its clients in a central location.
This information is confidential and is only made available to members
of the BtG team (of which there are currently 7). Any information
regarding our clients will only be released to a person outside
the team with prior permission from the client.
* All BtG staff members are fully qualified and highly competent
in their field of expertise. They come from a range of backgrounds
and bring with them vital experience, which allows them to support
our clients most effectively.
* Every effort will be made to keep all appointments with clients.
However, in the event of an appointment being cancelled, you will
be provided with a reason and offered an alternative arrangement.
* All services provided by BtG are operated according to the Code
of Principles outlined in The Guidance Council Quality Standards
Manual. A copy of which can be provided upon request.
* Any complaints regarding the service provided by BtG should be
made according to the Complaints Procedure. (Please see BtG004 –
Complaints Procedure Document)
* In addition to this Statement of Service, a range of further paper-based
information relating to BtG exists and is available to you on request.
Leaflets aimed at targeting potential clients have also been produced
and are distributed in the following languages:
* Bengali
* Chinese
* English
* Punjabi
* Somali
* Urdu
* Vietnamese
How you can help us improve the service
In order that we can continue to improve the service we provide
it is very important that all our clients give us both positive
and negative feedback about the service they have received. Any
feedback given to us will be treated in the strictest confidence
and will be fully taken into account regarding changes to our policy
and procedures. It will not affect any further support you will
receive.From time to time BtG support, or run, projects/schemes
in order to find alternative ways to support our clients and improve
relationships with employers in the area. If you are approached
regarding such a scheme it would be very helpful to us, and considered
likely to be helpful to yourself, if you are willing to participate
in any activities. You are however under no obligation to do so
and would not be put under any pressure by members of the BtG team.
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