Public Sector Case Study - Community Employment Plan

The Problem
Different participants within a Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) are 'talking at one another' rather than 'to one another'. The resulting projects are either managed through one sector or another. There is no collaboration and so no sense of common ownership. Therefore, when targets are not met, blame is passed from one party to another.with no discernible improvement in the programmes.

The Solution
Rather than starting from pre-existing assumptions, of both the community and agencies, Inside Track designed and implemented a research programme that involved both the community and agencies, in defining and resolving problems.

Inside Track's Challenge
To successfully establish an environment in which differing parties could 'test out' alternative methods of working without losing face.

Why did the public sector find Inside Track helpful?

• Inside Track has extensive experience of working within both the voluntary and public sectors
• This experience enabled Inside Track to fully understand public sector language and that of local residents, as well as the dynamics that occur when the two try to communicate i.e. the mangling of relationships rather than the mingling of people
• Inside Track's skill of bridging the public and voluntary sector helped increase mutual understanding, which in turn led to joint projects

Outputs

• A report detailing the community's understanding of the local employment situation, together with their aspirations and suggested proposals for change
• An enhanced understanding of employment and unemployment from both parties point of view
• Increased joint working on solutions
• Progress towards public sector baseline target