Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) is a high profile service at BBE, and indeed is the main focus of all programmes. Clear links were made by all staff to IAG’s central role in the achievement of the Economic Development and Skills directorate’s strategic aims and the council’s value of ‘We are driven to make a difference for our residents’.

The key IAG touch points are:

• Promotional activities across the borough, at Jobcentres, libraries and other community venues. This is particularly important for the London Works programme, which does not have referrals from Jobcentre Plus
• Online promotional activities, including the council website, social media and a newsletter
• Engagement activities with employers to promote the vacancies service, and to promote engagement with BBE clients
• Onboarding IAG, including a welcome meeting and initial assessment, to understand the client’s needs, barriers and goals, leading to the creation of a client action plan
• On the Work and Health programme an ‘All About You’ exercise is used to identify client needs, with the Edinburgh and Warwick scale used to identify the relative level of intervention required from health key workers and employment advisers. The two health key workers are health professionals with specialisms in mental health and pain management, and ensure pathways are in place to manage health conditions so that the client’s employability IAG journey can begin
• On programme IAG – programme contracts often stipulate minimum contact levels, usually including meetings at least monthly and further less formal contact, but the service is in fact delivered based on client need, with more frequent interventions commonplace. IAG involves continuous review of action plans, with new employability and personal development targets set at each intervention. On the Restart programme, wide use is made of the Work Star as an IAG tool, with the aspirational aim of the client reaching a score of 10 on each of the 7 points
• A range of workshops and other group activities sit alongside the one to one IAG support. These include supported Job Clubs, CV and interview skills workshops (increasingly delivered by employers), and wellbeing courses, including the new ‘Refilling the Well’ programme. Programmes such as Restart have the flexibility to develop IAG interventions based on identified need. As well as ‘Refilling the Well’, a course was recently held to cover Python software, as clients had identified the need for this to meet their employment goals
• Referrals are also made for external specialist IAG support such as counselling.
• IAG support continues beyond the end of the programme, with formal and informal in work support provided, and advisers often staying in touch with those who have not achieved an employment outcome to signpost for further support
• Bexley Twofold IAG has many elements in common with the other programmes, as its goal is also sustained employment. Referrals are largely received from statutory authorities and other local partners, followed by a ‘Get to Know’ process which is highly bespoke as clients’ needs, abilities and goals are so varied. Vacancies are identified, and once the client is in work, ongoing support is provided to both client and employer to enable them to sustain meaningful employment
• BBE’s IAG service is constantly evolving. While to an extent it is constrained by funders’ requirements, it nonetheless adapts its programmes based on client need. Examples include the development of wellbeing programmes, a new focus on employer delivery of employability workshops, and changes to Work and Health to allow clients to access ongoing support from both health key workers and employment advisers to ensure all their needs are met