The People Overview & Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to discuss the Oxfordshire Employment Service, its forward work plan, and to note the progress of previous recommendations and actions. The committee was also expected to review the minutes from previous meetings.

Oxfordshire Employment Service

Karen Fuller, Director of Adult Social Services, Sam Harper, Head of Learning Disability Provision Services, and Will Gardner, Team Manager – Oxfordshire Employment and County Print Finishers, were scheduled to present a report on the Oxfordshire Employment Service.

The Oxfordshire Employment Service is Oxfordshire County Council's supported employment service, which helps people with long-term health needs or a disability to get and keep employment. According to the report pack, the service has been providing employment support for over 75 years, and uses a five-stage supported employment model:

1. Customer Engagement understanding individual circumstances and barriers to work.
2. Vocational Profiling gathering key information to inform job matching.
3. Employer Engagement building relationships with employers to identify opportunities.
4. Job Matching analysing roles, identifying barriers, and recommending reasonable adjustments.
5. In-Work Support & Career Development providing tailored support during onboarding and progression, including Access to Work support where needed.

The report pack stated that Oxfordshire Employment supports approximately 150 individuals annually, with more than 50% entering paid employment and around 30% into outcomes other than paid employment, such as volunteering or further skills development.

The committee was also scheduled to discuss the Connect to Work Programme, a supported employment programme funded by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Oxfordshire County Council has been designated as one of 43 Accountable Bodies across England for the programme. The council will design the local offer, shaping it around local services and priorities, to support people find and fulfil their potential to work. The Programme will primarily be focused on supporting people with a disability and specified disadvantaged groups such as disabled people, offender/ex-offenders, carers/ex-carers, homeless people, former members of HM Armed Forces or a partner of current or former Armed Forces personnel, people with a alcohol or drug dependency, care experienced young person/care leavers.

The appraisal concluded that Enterprise Oxfordshire¹ delivering the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) component of the Connect to Work programme would create the most effective delivery of the programme in Oxfordshire.

Committee Forward Work Plan

The committee was expected to agree its work programme for forthcoming meetings, taking into account any changes from previous versions, the Cabinet Forward Plan, and the Budget Management Monitoring Report.

The scheduled topics for future meetings included:

• CQC Feedback and P Outcomes
• Supported Living
• Oxfordshire Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Safeguarding Report
• Inequalities in a Marmot County
• Community Grants report
• Communications and Customer Service

Committee Action and Recommendation Tracker

The committee was scheduled to note the progress of previous recommendations and actions arising from previous meetings, and to raise any questions on the contents.