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Publication - Advice and guidance

European Social Fund: participant guidance

Last updated
17 October 2023 - see all updates
Directorate
Economic Development Directorate
Part of
International

Guidance regarding employment status, barriers to employment and qualifications for participants in the European Social Fund (ESF).

This document is part of a collection

Monitoring and evaluation

More detailed guidance on monitoring and evaluation of participant information is contained within the European Commission's 'Monitoring and Evaluation of European Cohesion Policy – European Social Fund' guidance.

However, the following should be considered:

  • Lead Partners should ensure that delivery agents or delivery organisations comply with all Data Protection legislation when gathering and storing information
  • if a participant enters and leave the same operation several times during one or several reporting years, data relating to this participant should be recorded, stored and reported only once. The start date and information relating to output indicators should always refer to the first participation (i.e. not changed upon re-entry). The exit date should however be updated to reflect the final exit date and any other previously recorded result indicators should be updated accordingly
  • if a participant leaves one operation and registers with a different operation, the individual can be considered/recorded as a new participant
  • the total number of participants can be calculated by totalling the number of participants within the common output indicators relating to the individual’s employment status i.e. unemployed (including long-term unemployed), inactive and employed (including self-employed) – only one of these categories can be picked for each participant
  • common immediate result indicators should only relate to results achieved in the 4 week period after the participant has exited the operation
  • common longer-term results should only relate to results achieved 6 months after the participant has exited the operation
First published
16 March 2015
Last updated
17 October 2023 - show all updates

  1. Version 25 and 25 uploaded: minor updates re: Home Office online Right to Work Checking Service

  2. Converted to html and redirected from previous PDF version at https://www.gov.scot/publications/european-social-fund-participant-guidance/.

  3. Version 23 and 24 uploaded: Section D added. Evidence requirements to support Ukrainian Refugees

  4. Version 21 and 22 uploaded: Inclusion of SQA Navigator report as accepted evidence

  5. Version 19 and 20 uploaded: Evidence of settled status for EU Nationals after 30 June 2021; Update to Driving Licence evidence; Annex C – Evidence of settled status for EU, EEA and Swiss Nationals post 30 June 2021.

  6. Version 18 uploaded: Update to footnote, Clarification on barrier Evidence

  7. Version 16 and 17 uploaded: Addition of new barriers; update to accepted evidence; Introduction to Covid-barriers; Evidence requirements for Covid-19 barriers

  8. Version 14 and 15 uploaded: update on driving licence as evidence of right to live; Clarification on eligibility and evidence for Universal Credit.

  9. Version 12 and 13 uploaded: Updated low Income employed thresholds; Updated From Employment Deprived Areas barrier with 2020 postcode checker; Update on requirement for proof of address (proof of address applies retrospectively)_.

  10. Version 11 uploaded: Added sections on participant consent and Omnibus regulation. Points expanded upon for clarity throughout. Annex B added.

  11. Version 10 uploaded: addition of Annex B, additions to Introduction section (Introduction, Project Worker Assessment, Common Indicators); Participant Files section (Registration – Employment Status, Qualifications); Monitoring & Evaluation section (correction of typing mistake); Eligibility – Evidence section (Introduction) and Scottish Qualifications and UNESCO ISCED Levels section (addition of SVQ/MA levels).

  12. Version 9 uploaded: update to Definitions section (Economically Inactive, Low Income Employed and Primary Carer) providing further clarification on evidence requirements.

  13. Version 8 uploaded: definitions section added to and reorganised alphabetically; amendment of definition of ‘low-skilled’; addition of ‘materially deprived’, ‘individuals at risk of becoming NEET’ and ‘Low Income (social inclusion & poverty) barriers; addition of section relating to SI&P target groups; marking common indicators; additions to Introduction section (definitions of ‘supported/unsupported’ participants, ‘certified’ and importance of Project Worker Assessments); addition of Annex A.

  14. Version 7 uploaded: updates to Eligibility and Definitions sections.

  15. Version 6 uploaded: additional examples of evidence documents, LTU update.

  16. Version 5 uploaded: amalgamation of Participant Guidance and Participant Records Guidance documents and updates on referral forms, registers and evidence.

  17. Version 4 uploaded: added hyperlinks to documents on pages 23 and 24.

  18. Version 3 uploaded: spelling mistake amended.

  19. Version 2 uploaded: new logos added; amendment of barriers to employment list.

  20. Version 1 uploaded

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