Fair Start Scotland: Up to £96 million for unemployment support

Scotland’s first fully devolved employment service will start delivering flexible and tailored support from Tuesday 3 April. Fair Start Scotland will offer personalised support for at least 38,000 people further removed from the labour market.

Ahead of the launch, the Scottish Government set out the next steps towards delivering more effective and joined-up employability support across Scotland.

‘No One Left Behind – Next Steps for the Integration and Alignment of Employability Support in Scotland’ outlines measures to join up employability support across Scotland, including working with the Scottish Prison Service to develop new routes into employment, and piloting a Single Health and Work Gateway in Fife and Dundee.

Speaking at a visit to Capital City Partnership’s Joined Up for Jobs Integration Project, Employability Minister Jamie Hepburn said: “The launch of Fair Start Scotland is a landmark moment in our journey to deliver a person-centred employment service.

“Our new powers have created a service that is more flexible and responsive to a changing labour market; one that will tackle inequalities and grow Scotland’s economy by helping more people into work. It is also fairer – the fact the service is voluntary means people are not driven to take part through fear of sanctions.

“We are aware that this is only the start – our clear focus on joining up employability with health, justice and housing, ensures a solid platform on which we will build in the future.”

From next month the new Fair Start Scotland service will aim to help at least 38,000 people to find employment, including those facing barriers to entering the labour market.

The key focus for the service will be tailored and personalised support for all those who participate. Key elements of the service are:

• Participation will be entirely voluntary;
• All participants can expect to receive in-depth action planning to ensure the support they receive is tailored for them and suits their individual needs and circumstances;
• The service will offer pre-work support of 12-18 months;
• The service will offer high quality in-work support for 12 months;
  Those who require specialist support to help them find work can expect to receive it;
• There will be national standards to ensure everyone is supported
  consistently across the 9 geographic contract areas across Scotland;
• For disabled customers who require intensive support, Supported
  Employment and Individual Placement and Support will be available.

On 4 October 2017 last year the Minister for Employability and Training, Jamie Hepburn MSP, announced the award of Contracts up to £96m to deliver Fair Start Scotland in nine Contract Areas across the country.

Delivering the £21.3 million service in Edinburgh, the Lothians and Borders will be Start Scotland Ltd, a private sector and third sector partnership comprising Momentum (Third Sector), Triage (Private) and Working Links (Private)

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