Range of Services

Employment and Guidance
This service is delivered to individuals who are subject to community sentences usually probation or community service and acts as a bridge between criminal justice services and mainstream employability initiatives. This bridge is a crucial first step from offending to employability because it includes a robust assessment of criminal record relevance as well as challenging attitudinal issues.

Supervised Attendance Orders
A Supervised Attendance Order (SAO) is an alternative to custody sentencing option available to Sheriffs when a Court fine is imposed but the individual is unable to pay and also a first sentence option in three pilot areas: Glasgow, Ayrshire and Paisley. It acts as a fine on time and can last from 10 – 100 hours. The SAO service delivered by Apex Scotland has 3 component parts – the first is a core 10 hour module focusing on offending related issues such as debt, lack of employment and welfare. This is followed by needs-related education and training and then by a placement that reflects the individuals’ skills and interests. Although not a condition of the orders, 1 out of every 3 clients that started with us achieved an employment, training or completion outcome during the reporting year 2005/06.

Progress2Work/Progress2Work link-up
Progress2Work is a Jobcentre Plus initiative designed to support people with a history of drugs misuse who are disadvantaged in the labour market to take-up and remain engaged in mainstream employment provision and to secure and sustain jobs. Progress2Work link-up is a similar initiative but targets people who are homeless, have an offending background or a problem with alcohol. Apex is the largest provider in Scotland, working in partnership with Phoenix House.

New Futures
This service is aimed at individuals aged 16-34 who have failed to engage with mainstream training or education opportunities because of their disadvantaged backgrounds and chaotic lifestyles. The service works with people on a one-to-one basis, providing an integrated, flexible programme based on an assessment of need. Suitable personal development opportunities are identified and the service is delivered at a pace that suits the client.

Get Ready for Work
Get Ready for Work is a component part of Skillseekers, a Scottish Enterprise initiative that aims to provide young people aged 16-18 with an individual programme of guidance and support that will enable and encourage progression to employment, further training or education.

New Deal
New Deal is a key part of the governments Welfare to Work strategy and is managed locally by Jobcentre Plus. Apex Scotland delivers New Deal Gateway services in Forth Valley and the Borders where participants are given advice about the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, Part V of the Police Act 1997 and support to write a letter of disclosure as well as CV preparation and job search activity.

E.A.S.S. (Employment, Advice & Support Service)

EASS is a new and innovative Edinburgh Based partnership between Apex Scotland and The Action Group.

Working with individuals with barriers ranging from criminal records, learning disabilities, mental health, physical disabilities and drug & alcohol issues, on a one to one basis.

Taking each individual through the process of confidence building, applications, presentation skills and disclosure of convictions.

A benefits adviser is available to alleviate any concerns over benefits and support is given to the individual in the work place if required.

Common SENS

Common SENs (Shared Employment Network Solutions) is an employability project focusing on individuals aged 18 - 64 years old who face significant barriers to accessing or sustaining training, education, or employment opportunities. These barriers may include Mental Health Issues, Disability, Addictions, Offending Background. This service offers individuals who reside in Renfrewshire the opportunity to participate in one to one and/or group sessions to help them move forward and enable them to make informed decisions concerning their future.

The following are one-off initiatives that we are working to expand in other areas:

Inclusion Unit  Dunfermline High School
Apex Scotland’s role with in the Inclusion Unit is to deliver a service  that will introduce pupils which are excluded, or at risk of exclusion, to a range of learning techniques and coping strategies. 

Apex Scotland will manage, challenge and work with the young person to increase their awareness  of the negative impact of their behaviour, acknowledge authority figures and learn strategies to improve reactions to different conflict situations.  The service will increase a young person’s confidence and self-esteem and allow them to take responsibility for their choices, actions and subsequent consequences and therefore aid progression into employment, training or education.

Working for Families
This Scottish Executive funded initiative is aimed at developing services for people from disadvantaged areas in Dundee who find childcare a barrier to gaining and sustaining employment, training, education or voluntary work. It is a multi-agency partnership involving Apex Scotland, Dundee City Council, Dundee College, Dundee Sitter Service, Dundee Voluntary Action, Jobcentre Plus and One Parent Families and offers lone parents, parents on low income and parents with an offending background financial assistance, childcare provision and employability and benefits advice and support.

Think Again
Think Again is an intensive 10 week programme designed to address the barriers faced by ex-offenders who are considering further or higher education opportunities as a means to securing sustained employment. It aims to raise awareness of educational opportunities, develop personal and social skills and increase self-confidence and motivation in order to enable active participation in mainstream society.

Think Again was developed in Edinburgh in partnership with Napier University and is a key part of their strategy to widen access to higher education for disadvantaged people. It was shortlisted in November 2006 for a Times Higher Education Supplement Award under the Widening Participation Initiative of the Year category. This prestigious award is open to every University in the UK so to be shortlisted is considered to be a significant achievement.

Think Again is also delivered in Glasgow in partnership with Anniesland College.

In Touch
In Touch works with individuals aged 16-25 who are resident in the Scottish Borders and need help to access employment, training or education. The service creates an opportunity for clients to move away from exclusion by identifying and developing employability skills and interests and provides a flexible structure that allows the individual to progress at their own pace. Access to Duke of Edinburgh Awards, outdoor pursuits and group activities all help to encourage self-confidence and motivation to move towards securing a job.

4x4
4x4 is a roll on roll off group work programme that targets parents who are over 21 and facing stresses in their lives such as child care barriers, a history of substance misuse or involvement with the criminal justice system. Using a varied programme of activities and the opportunity to gain certificates, participants gain the employability, social and life skills to move them closer to sustaining employment, training or education.

Venture Trust

The partnership between Venture Trust and Apex Scotland was established in May 2004 and involves two Apex Scotland staff working within the Venture Trust Outreach Team. The staff meet with young people, who are aged 16 to 25 and on probation, in advance of their attendance at the residential Venture Trust Three Week Personal Development Course based in Applecross, Ross-shire and assist them in their preparations. Towards the end of the course, the two Apex staff attend the centre and deliver employability sessions over two days where barriers to employment and other issues are addressed. Resource packs containing action plans, CV’s and other relevant information on education, training and employment are created and arrangements are made for onward referrals to local Apex Scotland Units for further support. Tracking of the young people’s progress continues for twelve months after leaving the course.

Mentoring
This service is funded through the Laidlaw Trust and links in with the Get Ready for Work and In Touch services in the Borders. It involves a Mentor working with individuals on a one to one basis to help them overcome their barriers to employment. The Mentor develops strong links with local employers and arranges and manages appropriate work placements for the participants. Support is given to the employer and the participant throughout this process and this support lasts for 12 months after the completion of Get Ready for Work or In Touch.

Basic Skills Assessments
This service is delivered on behalf of Jobcentre Plus who refer individuals to Apex Scotland where their literacy and numeracy skills are assessed to a national standard using a Basic Skills Assessment pro-forma. The results from the assessments are fed back to Jobcentre Plus who use the information to inform follow-up action.

Delta
Delta is an employability service that works in partnership with a range of drug and alcohol treatment and support agencies in Inverness. The service works with individuals who have engaged positively with these agencies and delivers a range of one to one and group work sessions that focus on confidence building, communication, reliability and adaptability. This is followed by a series of team challenges to encourage self motivation and problem solving and the participants also undertake a voluntary work placement.

Arrest Referral Scheme
The aim of this service is to increase the number of people accessing treatment for drug and alcohol problems and therefore having a positive impact on associated crime in Dumfries and Galloway. It is available to individuals who have been arrested where drugs or alcohol have been a factor and is delivered on an outreach basis from Dumfries and Stranraer Police Stations.

Diversion From Prosecution
This service is aimed at 16-20 year olds in North Lanarkshire who have criminal records relating to drugs misuse. It offers the Procurator Fiscal the option to refer individuals who might otherwise be processed through the court system to a service that addresses their drugs issues and provides employability support and guidance.

Structured Deferred Sentence
This initiative targets individuals in the Highland area who have had their sentences deferred and are required to demonstrate improved behaviour between court appearances or face the prospect of a more punitive penalty. The service is structured around assessments, reviews and appropriate training module delivery and aims to reduce the likelihood of re-offending and facilitate employability progression.

Youth Crime Initiative
This is an alternative education programme for young people aged 15-16 in Glasgow who are currently experiencing difficulties within mainstream education as a result of offending, exclusion, behaviour or social circumstances. It is funded through the Scottish Executive’s Youth Crime Prevention Fund. The 12 week modular programme is followed by 6 weeks placement with an employer. The service also includes opportunities for training tasters, visits to a variety of external organisations such as Jobcentre Plus, leisure activities and participation in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme.

Moving On
This service works with individuals from 16 upwards who are excluded from mainstream education or training because of a criminal record, no qualifications, lack of training, reading and writing difficulties, low self esteem or in transition from substance dependency. It tackles these issues and provides access to developing IT skills, interview/telephone techniques, producing a CV, developing social skills and self-confidence and recognising the value of teamwork.

Prison Based Services

Although the bulk of Apex Scotland’s services are delivered in the community, the organisation currently has a presence in a number of prisons across Scotland where we are involved in a range of pre-release employability activity.

Inside Out
Inside Out is an initiative developed in partnership between Tayside Criminal Justice Social Work, Scottish Prison Service and Apex Scotland that targets individuals from Tayside who are in the last 3 months of a short prison sentence to return to employment, training or education. Apex provide services within the Scottish Prison Service, delivering a range of employability and life skills training that increases the employment prospects of participants, addresses community integration issues and provides sustainable outcomes through concentrated aftercare that continues for up to 6 months after liberation.

Throughcare
The Glasgow Prison Throughcare service provides for the supervision of ex-prisoners returning to Glasgow who are subject to statutory orders or licences such as Life Licence, Parole, Non-Parole Orders, Extended Sentence Orders and Supervised Attendance Orders. Apex Scotland’s role is to assess and address employability needs, advocate on the clients behalf with outside agencies for specific assistance, provide reports to relevant statutory agencies and give advice about legal obligations relating to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, Part V of the Police Act 1997 and disclosure techniques.

HMP Kilmarnock
With the support of Ayrshire and Arran ADAT and HMP Kilmarnock, Apex Scotland successfully secured a Better Off grant from the New Opportunities Fund to establish a Throughcare Centre in HMP Kilmarnock which was formally opened by the Minister for Justice in 2003. The service aims to provide a holistic assessment of needs, starting at induction and continuing into the transition from prison to the community. By developing more effective links with the community based agencies, the Throughcare Centre contributes to a reduction in re-offending and drug related deaths.

HMP Greenock
This employability service in HMP Greenock is supported by the Community Fund and, as well as addressing individual needs such as literacy and numeracy, CV preparation and presentational skills, involves signposting prisoners on release to community based services that can continue to provide the support required to secure and maintain a job.

HMP Edinburgh
Working in partnership with Lauder College, provider of the learning, skills and employability contract for HMP Edinburgh, we deliver weekly sessions on disclosure, Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and Part V of the Police Act 1997 to prisoners approaching their release date.

Core Services

The key focus of all the services offered by Apex Scotland is working with disadvantaged (ex) offenders and young people at risk to progress towards employment, further training or education opportunities.

In order to do this effectively, each client undergoes a thorough Employability Assessment that examines all the issues that may be affecting employment progression. An Action Plan is then created that focuses on areas of development and a series of goals are agreed and reviewed regularly. The Action Plan is used to draw-up a programme of work tailored specifically to individual need and includes access to a suite of training modules that have been specifically developed to tackle the barriers that our clients face.

These fall into 3 broad categories and offer a comprehensive range of support and guidance.

1) Addressing Criminality : The objectives of these modules are to:

• Explain the impact of a criminal record on employability prospects
• Explore the reasons why a criminal record should be disclosed
• Examine the legal position on disclosure and criminal record checks
• Review the legislation that addresses criminal records and employment

2) Core, Basic and Personal Skills : The objectives of these modules are to:

• Develop disciplines such as timekeeping and teamworking
• Improve communication, presentation and confidence
• Be encouraged to take responsibility for personal choices
• Improve literacy and numeracy skills

3) Job Seeking Skills : The objectives of these modules are to:

• Undertake a skills analysis to identify appropriate focus
• Take part in mock interviews and receive feedback from employers
• Create a CV and explore the value of securing a job
• Complete job applications and write speculative letters

All the modules that address these objectives have been developed in a multi-sensory format to take account of the learning style many of our clients present with. They have proved successful in engaging our service users and providing them with the skills and knowledge they need to progress towards a positive outcome.

Service to Employers

We recognise that the range of legislation relating to the employment of an ex-offender can be very confusing to employers who are recruiting new staff or reviewing their Recruitment Policies and Practices. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, Part V of the Police Act 1997 and the proposals by the Scottish Executive to establish a Vetting and Barring Scheme following the Bichard enquiry into the tragic events in Soham are absolutely essential but can be difficult to negotiate.

The emergence of Disclosure Scotland and the access employers now have to Criminal Record checks has resulted in a sharp increase to the number of calls we receive seeking clarification about information contained in Basic, Standard or Enhanced Disclosure Certificates. In our commitment to ensuring that ex-offenders have equality of access to employment we are concerned that an employer who accesses information about an individual with an offending background and is unsure how to interpret the information presented may use the Certificate as a de-selection tool.

Disclosure Scotland directs all the calls it receives from employers, Colleges and individuals seeking clarification about the information contained in the Certificates to us and we provide guidance in terms of Spent and Unspent Convictions and the relevance of particular convictions to the employment, training or education opportunities in question. We also provide advice relating to putting in place and maintaining Recruitment Policies and Procedures that take account of current legislation. The need for this service is likely to increase significantly over the coming years and we will continue our efforts to ensure it is developed to meet this demand.

(For more detailed information about this service, please click here)

Community Justice Authorities
The Management of Offenders (Scotland) Act 2005 created 8 Community Justice Authorities tasked with ensuring a more effective and efficient approach to managing offenders from the point of sentence to their return from prison to the community. We believe we have a significant role in this process and the Director of Finance and Operations and Operational Service Managers are engaging with the newly appointed Community Justice Authority Chief Officers to ensure that employability is a key feature of area plans.

Workforce Plus – An Employability Framework for Scotland
Initially focusing on the 7 priority areas of Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, Dundee, Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and West Dumbartonshire, Workforce Plus, launched by the Scottish Executive following a wide consultation process, seeks to achieve more effective targeting of employability funds and greater evidence of partnership working amongst agencies, in an effort to progress 66,000 individuals from working age benefits by 2010. We will be engaging with the Local Workforce Plus Partnerships in these 7 areas and others as the strategy is rolled out.