Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations
Third Sector Consortium – Future Jobs Fund    
Newsletter – March 2010   


CONTENTS

    

1. Introduction  

The Third Sector Consortium has now been involved with the Future Jobs Fund for almost 6 months. During this period the Consortium has successfully employed over 600 people through the Fund in a wide range of jobs across the whole of Scotland.  We have been advised by the Department for Work & Pensions that SCVO’s recent bid, submitted in December 2009, has been successful. This provides a further 390 Consortium jobs from April 2010, bringing the total number of jobs offered to Jobcentre Plus to almost 2,200.     


2. Practitioners Events & Good Practice Guide  

In January and February SCVO held Practitioners Events in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Kilmarnock, Dundee and Inverness. These events were focussed on identifying the problems faced by Consortium members and Jobcentre Plus staff in successfully referring and recruiting Future Jobs Fund Employees. I would like to thank all who attended and participated and made the events such a success. SCVO has now worked with the feedback and good ideas that emerged at the events and produced a Good Practice Guide for use by Consortium members. A copy of the Guide is available on our website www.scvo.org.uk/futurejobsfund or Click Here.


3. Compliance & Audit  

As the Lead Accountable Body SCVO has a contract with the Department for Work and Pensions to manage the delivery of the Future Jobs Fund, by Consortium members, across Scotland. In this role, SCVO has a responsibility to ensure that the organisations that comprise the Consortium provide Job Opportunities that meet the criteria set for the Future Jobs Fund.  By signing SCVO’s Memorandum of Understanding, Consortium members agree to these conditions and to allow access, by appointment, to SCVO staff for compliance and audit purposes. A number of audits have already taken place, and further audits are planned for the coming months. The Audit Compliance Notes for Guidance for Employers explains the audit function and your responsibilities and involvement. A copy of the Notes for Guidance is available on our website www.scvo.org.uk/futurejobsfund or Click Here.   


4. New Starter & Leaver Forms  

When Consortium members employ someone under the Future Jobs Fund, they are required to advise SCVO using a Starter Form. When an FJF employee leaves employment Consortium members must advise SCVO using a Leaver Form.  We have now revised these forms to include additional information. The Forms are available for download Here. Please use the new forms for all new starts and leavers.    


5. Starter Form & Payments  

When a Future Jobs Fund employee commences work with your organisation, it is essential that you advise SCVO immediately. You should phone the SCVO Future Jobs Fund team on 0141-225 8010 on the day the employee starts and email the completed Starter Form to fjfstartpapers@scvo.org.uk  or FAX to 0141-248 8066. The original Starter Form should then be posted to the team. It is vital that these timescales are met to ensure that your organisation receives the initial payment of £1235.00, promptly. Please ensure that you use the correct postage rate when forwarding Starter forms to SCVO, as failure to do so results in a delay to your Starter Payment and a cost to SCVO.  

Organisations that provide SCVO with a fully completed Starter Form by noon on the Wednesday of the start week will receive the initial payment by BACS transfer by the Friday of the week following the start week.    


6. Community Benefit Research  

SCVO are starting a new research project which seeks to demonstrate the community benefit that is being generated by the Third Sector Consortium's Future Jobs Fund jobs. We are looking to collect 20 case studies of Future Jobs Fund employees and their employers. These case studies should reflect the diversity of the Third Sector, the vast array of jobs available through Future Jobs Fund, and the geographical coverage of the Consortium, as well as demonstrating clear community benefit. Employers should have already received an email with further details of this project and a simple Expression of Interest form to complete. If you have not received this email, or you would like to participate in the research but have not yet got in touch, please contact Hannah.jordan@scvo.org.uk     


7. Jobsearch for your FJF Employee  

Under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding that SCVO has with each Third Sector Consortium employer, you are required to provide support with jobsearch for your Future Jobs Fund employees.  As a minimum you should ensure that every FJF employee keeps up to date with the labour market in your area by checking job vacancies on Jobcentre Plus website, the local newspaper and online recruitment services.  This will mean that you have to ensure that time is made available for this purpose, either through a pre-arranged time each week or on an ad hoc basis when there is a quiet time in your organisation. Your Future Jobs Fund employee may also need support with some of the following: 
  
        · Completing application forms 
        · CV writing 
        · Interview skills 
        · Personal presentation  

If you are unable to provide support with these aspects of jobsearch please let the Future Jobs Fund team at SCVO know, either by emailing futurejobsfundscotland@scvo.org.uk or telephoning 0141 225 8006.  

Information on Jobsearch is available on our website www.scvo.org.uk/futurejobsfund    


8. Issues with Disclosure  

We are aware that some organisations are experiencing delays in receiving the result of Disclosure Checks and as a consequence have to delay the start of their Future Jobs Fund employee. If your organisation has experienced this problem please let us know by emailing details to futurejobsfundscotland@scvo.org.uk    


9. Can You Offer Additional Job Opportunities?  

SCVO and the Third Sector Consortium are currently contracted to deliver almost 2,200 jobs across Scotland. We are hoping to add to this number over the coming months and would be happy to hear from organisations that may have additional job opportunities. If your organisation can provide more jobs, please email details of the opportunities to futurejobsfundscotland@scvo.org.uk    


10. Good News Stories  

Does your organisation have a good news story about an FJF employee? Would you or your employee be willing to complete a regular blog for the SCVO Future Jobs Fund website? If the answer to either of these questions is “yes”, we would like to hear from you. Please email the FJF Team at mailto:futurejobsfundscotland@scvo.org.uk     




Donna Mackinnon
Director of Employment Services
Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations
23rd March 2010