No One Left Behind: user experience research

Annex C - Service users’ questionnaire and topic guide

Questionnaire

Note – instructions in blue are for the scripter and won’t appear on screen.

Thank you for taking part in this survey. You are being invited to share your views because you have accessed employment support services. By ‘employment support services’ we mean local services (not including Jobcentre Plus support) that help people get ready for, find, start and stay or progress in work. This could include careers advice, support to access work experience, education or training, as well as help building confidence or with addressing health issues that have been barriers to work. This employment support might have been provided by your local authority, a charity, or another support organisation.

This survey is being carried out by Ipsos, an independent research organisation. The Scottish Government have asked us to find out about people’s experience of employment support services in Scotland, so they can think about how to improve them. We are keen to hear from anyone in Scotland who has accessed employment support services in recent years.

Taking part is easy:

• The survey is short and should take no more than 10-15 minutes to complete.
• Taking part will not affect any benefits or support you receive.
• Everyone who takes part will receive a £5 voucher to thank them for their time.
• The findings will all be anonymous. No personal information or anything that might identify you will be shared in the report.
• Taking part is voluntary. You do not have to answer any questions you do not want to (you can select ‘prefer not to say’ at any question).
• Your answers will be used for research only. Only the Ipsos research team will be able to see your personal data (e.g. name and contact details), and this will be securely deleted a month after the end of the research.
• The survey is being carried out in accordance with the Market Research Society code of conduct.
• If you would like to read our Privacy Notice a copy is available here.
• If you have any questions, or need any help with taking part (including if you would rather take part over the phone), please contact us at EmpSupportSurvey@ipsosresearch.com or contact our telephone helpline on 0800 151 0608.

Please click ‘Next’ if you are happy to continue.

WHENSTOPPED

ASKALL

SINGLECODE

When was the last time you had any contact with employment support services? Please give your best guess if you are unsure.

(Just to remind you, by ‘employment support services’, we mean services that help people get ready for, find, start and stay or progress in work. This could include careers advice, support to access work experience, education or training, as well as help building confidence or with addressing health issues that have been barriers to work. This employment support might have been provided by your local authority, a charity, or another support organisation. Please do not include anything provided by JobCentre Plus or DWP – it is local support we are interested in for this survey)

1. Before 2019

2. 2019-2023

3. 2024

4. 2025

5. 2026

6. Don’t know / not sure

7. I’d prefer not to say

IF WHENSTOPPED = 1-2 (i.e. stopped contact before 2024), CLOSE THE SURVEY

Thank you for your time, but we are interested in hearing from people who have accessed employment support services in Scotland more recently.

CURRENT

ASK ALL

SINGLE CODE

Are you still in contact with employment support services?

1. Yes

2. No

3. Don’t know / not sure

4. I’d prefer not to say

ASKALL Please answer the rest of the questions in this survey thinking about the employment support service you have been in touch with most recently.

FIRST ASK ALL MULTI CODE

RANDOMISE ORDER OF ANSWERS 1-10

How did you hear about the employment support service you have been in touch with most recently?

Please select all the options that apply.

1. At the Job Centre

2. From a careers adviser

3. Through school or college

4. Through another training provider

5. From an employer

6. From friends or family

7. Through a GP, Health Visitor, or other health professional

8. Had previous contact with the employment support provider

9. Through social media

10. Poster / advert / leaflet

11. Other, please specify

12. Don’t know / can’t remember

13. I’d prefer not to say

START_STATUS ASK ALL MULTICODE

Please think about when you were first in touch with the employment support service you’ve had contact with most recently.

Which of the following best described your situation?

1. Unemployed and looking for work, training, or an apprenticeship (EXCLUSIVE CODE)

2. Unemployed and not looking for work, training or apprenticeship at the time (e.g. because of illness or disability, caring or other issues) (EXCLUSIVE CODE)

3. In education or training

4. In an apprenticeship

5. Volunteering (part or full time)

6. Employed full-time

7. Employed part-time

8. Self-employed

9. Other (please say what) - OPEN

10. Don’t know / can’t remember

11. I’d prefer not to say

BARRIERS_START

ASK ALL

MULTI CODE

Were any of the following issues making it difficult for you to access education, training or work when you were first in touch with employment support services?

Please select all that apply. RANDOMISE ORDER OF 1-15

1. Cost of childcare

2. Childcare options not suitable for me or my child

3. Caring responsibilities

4. Lack of transport to get to work, education or training opportunities

5. Low confidence or self-esteem

6. Mental health and wellbeing issues

7. Physical health issues or disabilities

8. Housing issues

9. Worries about money

10. Addiction issues

11. Lack of suitable employment or training opportunities

12. Lack of work experience

13. Lack of skills or qualifications

14. Negative employer attitudes

15. Lack of employers willing to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people

16. Other issues (please say what) – OPEN (FIXED)

17. None of these were issues for me (EXCLUSIVE)

18. I’d prefer not to say

TYPE_SUPPORT (based on No One Left Behind implementation evaluation survey)

ASK ALL

MULTI CODE. RANDOMISE ORDER OF 1-10

What type(s) of support did you receive from employment support services?

Please select all the options that apply.

1. Job search and application support – e.g. support with your CV, job applications, interview skills

2. Careers information, advice and guidance

3. Support to access education, training or apprenticeships

4. Support to access volunteering or work placement opportunities

5. Health related support (e.g. support with physical or mental health, support to put in place a reasonable adjustment at work)

6. Support to access childcare

7. Support with addictions

8. Support to build your confidence

9. Support with learning English or English skills

10. Support to help me stay in my job

11. Something else (please say what) – OPEN

12. Did not receive any support from them (EXCLUSIVECODE)

13. I’d prefer not to say

ACCESS (based on No One Left Behind implementation evaluation survey) ASK ALL SINGLE CODE

And how easy or difficult was it to find and get the support you needed, when you needed it?

1. Very easy

2. Fairly easy

3. Neither easy nor difficult

4. Fairly difficult

5. Very difficult

6. Don’t know / can’t remember

7. I’d prefer not to say

WHYDIFF

ASK IF 4 OR 5 AT ACCESS (FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO ACCESS)

MULTI CODE. RANDOMISE ORDER OF 1-4

What made it difficult to get the support you needed?

Please select all that apply

1. Service was not well known or advertised

2. Service was difficult to contact or slow to respond

3. Support offered did not suit my needs

4. Staff were not helpful or supportive

5. Service was not easy to get to or was not in a suitable location

6. Something else (please say what) - OPEN

7. I’d prefer not to say

UNMET

ASK ALL

MULTI CODE. RANDOMISE ORDER OF 1-10

Was there any specific support you wanted from employment support services that you did not receive?

Please select all the options that apply.

1. Job search and application support – e.g. support with your CV, job applications, interview skills

2. Careers information, advice and guidance

3. Support to access education, training or apprenticeships

4. Support to access volunteering or work placement opportunities

5. Health related support (e.g. support with physical or mental health, support to put in place a reasonable adjustment at work)

6. Support to access childcare

7. Support with addictions

8. Support to build your confidence

9. Support with learning English or English skills

10. Support to help me stay in my job

11. Something else (please say what) – OPEN

12. No, none – got all the support I wanted (EXCLUSIVECODE)

13. Did not receive any support from them (EXCLUSIVECODE)

14. I’d prefer not to say

REASSTOP

ASK IF CURRENT = 2 (not currently in contact with employment support)

MULTICODE. RANDOMISE ORDER OF 1-6

Why did your contact with employment support services end?

Please select all that apply

1. I got the outcome I wanted (e.g. job, training, etc)

2. I did not need any more help

3. Staff were not able to help with what I needed

4. The support was not suited to my needs

5. I wasn’t able to get in touch with the service

6. Life events / my circumstances changed so I could not carry on with support

7. Another reason (please say what) - OPEN

8. Don’t know / not sure

9. I’d prefer not to say

REASCONT

ASK IF CURRENT = 1 (still in contact with employment support)

MULTICODE. RANDOMISE ORDER OF 1-6.

What has encouraged you to keep in contact with employment support services?

Please select all that apply

1. The relationship I have with staff

2. The quality of the support or advice provided

3. The opportunities for peer support from others in a similar situation to me

4. Agreement with Community Justice or Social Worker

5. Training allowance

6. Agreement with Jobcentre to attend

7. Another reason (please say what) - OPEN

8. Don’t know / not sure

9. I’d prefer not to say

SATISFACTION ASK ALL

SINGLE CODE

Overall, how satisfied were you with the employment support services you received?

1. Very satisfied

2. Fairly satisfied

3. Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied

4. Fairly dissatisfied

5. Very dissatisfied

6. Don’t know

7. I’d prefer not to say

SATISFACTION2 ASK IF SATISFACTION = 4 or 5

OPEN TEXT

Can you say why you were dissatisfied with the employment support services you received? Please be as specific as you can.

SATISFACTION3

ASK IF SATISFACTION = 1 or 2

OPEN TEXT

Can you say what worked well for you with the employment support services you received?

EMPL_SER1

ASK ALL

ONE CODE PER STATEMENT. ONE STATEMENT PER SCREEN (FIX BOLD PART AT TOP OF EACH SCREEN). RANDOMISE ORDER A-F APPEAR IN.

To what extent do you agree or disagree that the employment support service you accessed:

A. Always treated you with dignity and respect

B. Listened to you

C. Were flexible

D. Treated you as an individual

REVERSE ORDER OF RESPONSES 1-5 FOR HALF SAMPLE

1. Agree strongly

2. Agree

3. Neither agree nor disagree

4. Disagree

5. Disagree strongly

6. Don’t know

7. I’d prefer not to say

EMPL_SER2

ASK ALL

ONE CODE PER STATEMENT. ONE STATEMENT PER SCREEN (FIX BOLD PART AT TOP OF EACH SCREEN). RANDOMISE ORDER A-E APPEAR IN.

And to what extent do you agree or disagree that the employment services you accessed:

A. Were easy to get in touch with

B. Worked with you to tailor any support to your needs

C. Were able to help you find any other support you needed

D. Were delivered by staff who were knowledgeable

REVERSE ORDER OF RESPONSES 1-5 FOR HALF SAMPLE

1. Agree strongly

2. Agree

3. Neither agree nor disagree

4. Disagree

5. Disagree strongly

6. Don’t know

7. I’d prefer not to say

FUTURE

ASK ALL

MULTI CODE

RANDOMISE ORDER OF 1-13

It’s really important to hear your views on how employment support services could be improved. Which, if any, of the following do you think would help improve the employment support you have received? Please select all that apply.

1. More time for one-to-one conversations and/or having one person who is your main contact

2. More opportunities for group discussions with others in similar situations

3. More staff providing support

4. More say over the kind of support offered

5. More private spaces for confidential discussions

6. More education, training, or apprenticeship opportunities

7. More volunteering opportunities

8. More jobs that match your skills

9. More flexible work opportunities (e.g. flexible start or finish times or being able to work from home)

10. More mental health support

11. More support with physical health / disabilities

12. More advice about benefits and work

13. Access to other support, e.g. childcare, transport

14. Something else (please say what) - OPEN

15. None of the above / nothing would improve them (EXCLUSIVECODE)

16. Don’t know

17. I’d prefer not to say

FEEDBACK

ASK ALL

SINGLE CODE

Before this survey, had anyone in the employment support service asked you for your feedback on the service?

1. Yes

2. No

3. Don’t know

4. I’d prefer not to say

END_STATUS ASK ALL

MULTI CODE

Which of the following best describes your current situation?

1. Unemployed and looking for work, training, or an apprenticeship (EXCLUSIVECODE)

2. Unemployed and not looking for work, training or apprenticeship at the time (e.g. because of illness or disability, caring or other issues) (EXCLUSIVECODE)

3. In education or training

4. In an apprenticeship

5. Volunteering (part/full time)

6. Employed full-time

7. Employed part-time

8. Self-employed

9. Other, please specify - OPEN

10. I don’t know

11. I’d prefer not to say

JOBRESULTASK IFCODE 6 OR 7 AT END_STATUS

SINGLECODE

Do you think the employment support you received helped you find this job?

1. Yes

2. No

3. I’m not sure

4. I’d prefer not to say

DEMOINTRO

We would now like to ask a few questions about you to understand who has participated in our research. This will help us understand if our findings are representative of all the people who use employment services in Scotland. Just to remind you, you don’t have to answer any of the questions that you don’t feel comfortable with and can select ‘I’d prefer not to say’.

AGE

ASK ALL SINGLE CODE

How old are you? Please select one.

1. 16 – 17

2. 18 – 24

3. 25 – 34

4. 35 – 44

5. 45 – 54

6. 55 – 59

7. 60 – 64

8. 65 – 74

9. 75 +

10. I’d prefer not to say

GENDER ASK ALL SINGLE CODE

Which of the following best describes your gender? Please select one.

1. Man

2. Woman

3. Non-binary

4. My gender is not listed

5. I’d prefer not to say

HEALTH

ASK ALL SINGLE CODE

Do you have any physical or mental health conditions or illnesses lasting or expected to last 12 months or more?

1. Yes

2. No

3. I’m not sure

4. I’d prefer not to say

HEALTH2

ASK IF HEALTH=1

Does your condition or illness/do any of your conditions or illnesses reduce your ability to carry-out day-to-day activities?

1. Yes, a lot

2. Yes, a little

3. Not at all

4. I’m not sure

5. I’d prefer not to say

ETHN

ASK ALL SINGLE CODE

What is your ethnic group?

1. Asian, Scottish Asian or British Asian

2. African, Scottish African or British African

3. Caribbean or Black

4. Mixed or multiple ethnic groups

5. White

6. Other ethnic group

7. I’d prefer not to say

PARENT

ASK ALL SINGLE CODE

Are you a parent or carer with shared or sole responsibility for looking after a child under 16?

1. Yes

2. No

3. I’d prefer not to say

PARENT

ASK IF 1 AT PARENT SINGLE CODE

Is your youngest child …

1. Under 1 year-old

2. 1 year-old or older

3. Don’t know

4. I’d prefer not to say

SPARENT

ASK IF 1 AT PARENT SINGLE CODE

Would you describe yourself as a single parent?

1. Yes

2. No

3. Don’t know

4. I’d prefer not to say

APARENT

ASK if 1 AT PARENT SINGLE CODE

Do any of your children have additional support needs?

1. Yes

2. No

3. I’d prefer not to say

QRECON

ASK ALL

SINGLE CODE

Thank you for taking part in this survey. Would you be willing for Ipsos to re-contact you about taking part in short (20-30 minute) conversation (by phone or videocall, or face-to-face if you prefer) about your experiences of employment support?

We would contact you in the next few months, and you can decide then if you are interested. Agreeing we can re-contact you does not mean you have to take part. Those who do take part in a follow-up interview will be sent a £35 shopping voucher.

1. Yes – I would be willing to be recontacted

2. No – I would not be willing to be recontacted

QRECON2

IF QRECON1=1

OPEN ENDED

Please can you provide us with your telephone number so we can get in touch about a follow-up interview?

1. I do not want to be contacted by phone

QRECON3

IF QRECON1=1

OPEN ENDED

What is your email address?

1. I do not want to be contacted by email

INCENTIVE

ASK ALL

Thank you for completing the survey. We would like to give you a £5 gift voucher to thank you for your time. If you wish to receive a voucher, please enter your name and email address on the next screen.

Your details will be passed on to our provider who will email you within a few days of us receiving your completed survey.

You will be able to choose what retailer to redeem your £5 gift voucher with, including most high-street shops and supermarkets.

Our provider will only use your name and email address to send you your gift voucher. They will not contact you for any other reasons or pass your data to anyone else.

1. I would like to receive a gift voucher by email

2. I would like to receive a gift voucher but do not have an email address

3. I do not wish to receive a gift voucher

EMAIL

ASK ALL 1 AT INCENTIVE AND NOT GIVEN EMAIL ADDRESS ALREADY AT QRECON3

Please type in your name and email address.

[Provide suitable standard space and format for this to be entered including double entry for accuracy with no option to paste second entry]

REPORT

The report of findings from this project will be published later in 2026 on the Scottish Government website. Would you like us to email you when this is published?

1. Yes

2. No

SNAILMAIL

ASK ALL 2 AT INCENTIVE

Please type in your name and postal address and we will arrange to post you a voucher.

FIRST NAME:

SURNAME:

1^ST LINE OF ADDRESS:

2^ND LINE OF ADDRESS:

3^RD LINE OF ADDRESS:

4^TH LINE OF ADDRESS:

POSTCODE:

END

We are grateful for your help with this important research. To submit your answers, please click the 'Submit' button below.

Topic guide

1. Introduction and warm up (5 min)

Introduce yourself, the aims of the study, what the interview will involve and how their data will be used. Ask for consent to record.

Check it’s still an OK time to talk.

Thank you for taking part in the survey and for agreeing to talk to us again so that we can ask about your experience in more depth. Before we get started, I just want to run over what this is about and what’s involved, to make sure you’re happy with everything.

• Did you receive a study information sheet, and have you had chance to look at this? Don’t worry if you haven’t as I’ll go through key points just now.
• I work for Ipsos UK, an independent research organisation. The Scottish Government has asked us to speak to people who have accessed employment support in Scotland, to find out more about their experiences so they can understand how services are working and think about how services could be improved. By ‘employment support services’ I mean services other than the Jobcentre Plus support, which help people get ready for, find, start, and stay/progress in work.
• Everything you tell me today will be kept confidential. No one outside of the research team will have access to your answers. So no one from the Scottish Government, Social Security Scotland, the DWP, or your local authority will know that you took part. Taking part in this conversation will not affect any support or benefits you may be receiving.
• Our chat will last around 30 minutes.
• There are no right or wrong answers, we are just interested in your experiences and views
• You can choose to not answer any questions you’re not comfortable with, or stop the discussion at any time. If there is a question you don’t want to answer, then you can just say ‘can we move to the next question’ and I will move on.
• We will write a report for Scottish Government about what we find out, which will be published on their website later this year.
• You will not be named in the research. We might quote something that you say in that report. However, we won’t include names in any reports – it will all be anonymous. To make sure people are not accidentally identified, the report would only describe participants in very general terms, such as ‘a women in their 30s from a rural area of Scotland’, for example.
• The only exception to this would be if you tell us something that makes us concerned that you or someone else is at risk of harm, in which case we might need to pass this on to somebody else. We would discuss this with you first if feasible.
• If you agree, I’d like to audio record our discussion, to avoid having to take a lot of notes. We use auto transcription to transcribe this so we can read it back afterwards.
• You will receive a £35 voucher from Ipsos as a thank you for your time. I’ll check with you how you want to receive this at the end of the conversation.

Check if the participant has any questions at this point.

Check that the participant is happy to be audio recorded. If yes, switch on the recording and ask participant to confirm they are happy to take part based on the points you have explained above. If not turn the recorder on to obtain verbal consent and then turn it off again and take notes, and let the participant know that the pace of the interview may be slightly slower.

2. Warm up (2-3 mins)

To start off with, could you tell me a little bit about yourself? (IF NECESSARY, For example, whereabout you live, who you live with, and what your local area is like.)

3. Overview of their journey with employment support over last year (5-10 mins)

Note: in this section, where possible probe on exactly what it was about the support that led them to view it positively or negatively – e.g. how it was delivered, where it was delivered, what they were offered, timing, etc. If they talk about DWP or JobCentre Plus support, please remind them that we are focusing on local employment support services, not services provided by DWP or JobCentre.

Definition of employment support services we’re using: By ‘employment support services’ we mean local services (not including Jobcentre Plus support), that help people get ready for, find, start and stay or progress in work. This could include careers advice, support to access work experience, education or training, as well as help building confidence or with addressing health issues that have been barriers to work. This employment support might have been provided by your local authority, a charity, or another support organisation. We do not mean ‘employment support allowance’.

We’re interested in how employment support services are helping people in their journeys, whether that’s to find, start, or stay in work, or with other things.

Could you talk me through the support you have been offered or received in the last year or so to help you get ready for, or find work?

I know this can be a tricky topic, so please only tell me what you feel comfortable sharing.

Probe as needed to establish:

• When they first accessed employment support (If more than 12 months ago, fine to expand questions to cover this as long as clear what period they’re talking about).
• How often / how much contact they’ve had with support over the last year or so – including whether they have been continually engaged with employment support, or have had breaks in contact but re-established support later.
• Who has provided the employment support they’ve accessed; probe on whether the support was provided by multiple providers
• How they first found out about support (e.g. referred, word of mouth, etc.)
• What kinds of support they have received (probe fully around this, including on who provided what support if they accessed it through multiple providers); including job-searching support (CVs, interview prep, etc.), volunteering, housing advice, confidence building, mental health support, peer support, English as a Second Language, transport, childcare.

What were you looking for support with when you first got in touch with employment support? What did they want to get out of it?

• What motivated / prompted them to get support at that particular point in time?

How easy or difficult was it to find out about employment support in the first place?

Probe as needed to establish:

• What made it easy/difficult
• What would have made it easier for them to access the support they needed

Are you still accessing employment support?

If no, follow up as needed on:

• When they were last in contact with employment support
• Why contact stopped (probe fully – want to understand reasons people drop off)
• Whether there were things they still needed or wanted support with when contact stopped (Want to understand if they felt they had received all the help they needed or whether barriers to continued engagement – and what these were).
• What, if anything, would have helped or encouraged them to carry on with employment support (We really want to understand what might help prevent disengagement)

4. Overall experience of / views of services (10 min)

Reiterate that there are no right or wrong answers, and that telling us about both good and bad experiences will be helpful and can lead to change.

What was your overall experience of the employment support you accessed / are accessing?

Probe as needed

• What was good / worked well?
• What was less good / could have been better?

How easy or difficult was it to access all the support you needed around employment?

Probe as needed. Explore both barriers related specifically to local support services and other barriers (e.g. job market, benefits system, own personal circumstances).

• What specifically made it easy / difficult?
• How could it have been made easier for them to get the support they needed?
• Anything they wanted support or help with, but were not able to access?

To what extent did the support you were offered fit around you and your needs?

Probe as needed

• How far did it fit around their specific needs and commitments? Was it flexible? Probe for examples – e.g. how it was / wasn’t flexible in terms of time, nature of support (F2F, online, phone, group vs. 1-1), types of support offered, way support was delivered by staff, e.g. being able to go at right pace for them, etc.
• Do they feel it was focused on the things they mentioned wanting to get out of support, above.
• Did the support continue once they secured employment? (probe around this - what were they offered once they found work? How useful was this to them? Etc.)

Do you feel that your experience of employment support services was affected by any …

• health needs or disabilities?
• caring responsibilities?
• or any other personal circumstances or needs? (probe on any specific needs they have already mentioned)

In what way?

• What impact did this have?
• How could it have been better tailored to their needs?

To what extent did you feel that you were treated with dignity and respect when accessing the employment support? Probe for examples / ways in which they felt they were / were not treated with dignity and respect.

And when you were accessing employment support, were you given any opportunities to give feedback on the services or asked about how you were getting on?

• When? By whom? What did they feed back? What was the result?
• If not, would it have been helpful? What would they have fed back?

And thinking about all we’ve just discussed, what would have made the experience better for you or other people in similar circumstances? Probe on any suggested improvements.

5. Outcomes (3-5 mins)

How, do you feel the services you accessed benefited you, if at all?

• Check survey responses – did they find work or access education/training/volunteering? If so, probe on whether they found these through the support service or themselves? Whether they felt they were the right things for them at the time? Whether they are still in those jobs/education/training/volunteer roles?
• If job, probe around quality / sustainability of job: What type of job? (Temporary / permanent / work placement, etc).
• If did not start a job following support, probe around: Whether they feel the support helped bring them any closer to employment or not, and why / how support did / did not help with this.

And is there anything else that you feel you need support with now, that you are not getting help with?

6. Close

Focus on a positive note, looking forward toward future

We’re coming to the end of the interview now.

• Anything not covered that they want to share about experience of employment support
• Do they have any nice plans for the rest of the day

Confirm how they’d like to receive the voucher (email, post). Note the contact details necessary to facilitate that.

Thank and close.