A big thank you to the parent carers who provided feedback by email and at the online focus group at the end of last year about a draft supported employment ‘toolkit’.
The aim of the work is to create an information pack or guide for parent carers to support their young person as they start preparing for adulthood, and in particular the world of work.
The idea for a toolkit arose after parent carers fed back that online information on supported employment, apprenticeships, and internships could be confusing. One parent said that looking for the information to support their young person who was approaching 16 years old had been exhausting; reading about the numerous options was confusing and overwhelming, and their main worry was that they would miss something that was really good.
As a result, the supported employment forum, which ESPCF is part of, started drafting a parent carer toolkit to provide clear information in one place on the types of support available, the access criteria, and where to get support.
Focus group with parent carers
At the online focus group there were lots of ideas and suggestions provided by parent carers to make the information as clear and accessible as possible and the toolkit is being amended to incorporate them. Examples on the draft content included:
- The information mentions job coaches supporting young people into employment but lacked any explanation of what a job coach is, what skills they have, what support they offer, and how a young person might access this support.
- Provide clearer detail about supported internships, adding a timeline and support options to help young people and parent carers with making choices.
This session was led by Andrea Randall-Smith, CEO of Little Gate Supported Employment, who also chairs the East Sussex Supported Employment Forum. They meet regularly with local providers who offer training, skills and support to help people with SEND into work. The forum has an overall aim of ensuring all young people have the opportunity to secure meaningful paid employment.
Andrea said
Thank you to all the parents and carers who shared their valuable feedback on the draft version of the SEF Parent and Carer Toolkit. Your insights are vital in ensuring it truly supports families navigating the journey of supported employment. We will be pleased to share the updated version in January 2025.
Can you think of a better name?
Feedback from parent carers suggested that the term ‘toolkit’ was not helpful, especially when translating it into other languages.
Should it simply be called a guide? Or perhaps a handbook? If you have any ideas, we would love to hear them. Please email [email protected] or text or call 0300 770 1367 – we can call you back.
Next steps
When the toolkit has been completed it will be available on the East Sussex Local Offer but will also be sent to schools and SENCOs to make sure it is available for families as their young people start to prepare for adulthood. Andrea reassured everyone that the Supported Employment Forum has committed to keep the information up to date and will continue to amend the information to keep it as accessible as possible.