No One Left Behind User Experience Research

5. Case Studies

5.1 Introduction

5.1.1 About the case studies

Alongside the qualitative consultation survey, in-depth research was conducted within 6 local authority areas between Tuesday 16^th December 2025 and Wednesday 11^th January 2026. As explored in the full report, the Coordinator role has been rolled out in a way that allows for local variation and tailoring. These case studies have been designed to explore and understand what this variation looks like at a local level, as well as:

• Understand and explore the different ways the Coordinator role has been implemented across Scotland
• How this variation has impacted the work of the Coordinator
• What is working well and less well in the implementation of the Coordinator roles
• Provide early examples of public service alignment and integration
• How impact was or is being measured
• Any key lessons learned.

The local authorities were selected to reflect a diverse range of geography, population size, poverty rates, and approached to tackling child poverty. Fieldwork for the case studies comprised of the following for each area:

• 1x 60-minute, online interview with the Coordinator in post, moderated by a member of the research team;
• 1x 60-minute, online focus group with 3-7 individuals who have experience engaging with or working alongside their local Coordinator as part of their role.

5.1.2 Cross-cutting themes

Whilst these case studies highlight the diversity and variation of the Coordinator role across Scotland, there are core themes that are true across the local authorities.

• The Coordinator role is considered highly valuable across all local authorities. The establishment of the role has clearly earmarked employability and child poverty as a priority. This is also reflected in the level of engagement with the Coordinator role from senior teams and strategic planning groups across the case study areas.
• Across local authorities participants expressed concern about the limitations of the annual funding model, and its impact on the efficacy of the role. Across all the case study areas, funding for the Coordinator role has been provided by the Scottish Government, through No One Left Behind. Overall, the annual funding from the Scottish Government was felt to be sufficient for the resource required in the role but the yearly nature of it introduces uncertainty.
• The Coordinator role is often defined by the unique geography of the local authorities. Each local authority has designed the Coordinator role based around its unique circumstances, thanks to the flexibility provided by the Scottish Government in how the role is established in each area.

5.2 Case study 1: Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles)

5.2.1 Summary

Overall, case study participants from Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles) saw the Coordinator role as being well integrated into the local employability landscape, which was partially attributed to the postholder’s background in employability. The Coordinator role in this area had taken on more of a strategic focus, specifically on developing partnerships. This had been enabled by the role sitting within a number of existing strategic partnerships within the Local Employability Partnership (LEP) group.

The underlying conditions in the local authority had enabled the Coordinator role to function effectively. However, limitations around funding, specifically the annualised funding of the role, were a challenge. Annualised funding was felt to have limited long term planning of employability support, buy-in from local employability service providers, and existing partnerships developed through the role.

The work of the Coordinator role was felt to have improved the employability services available to parents in the area, with more robust service provision, increased value for money, and more joined up working between local authority teams and partners.

5.2.2 Local context

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles) is a rural community located off the Northwest coast of mainland Scotland and made up of 4 islands. Case study participants said this means the local authority serves an unusually large geographical area where the population is widely spread.

This rurality means that the main challenge relating to supporting parents into work identified by case study participants was irregular and limited transport options. This poses logistical challenges for working parents, who may struggle to get to their preferred place of employment or access convenient local childcare support which would enable them to work.

The outward migration of young people (including school leavers) is also felt to be a significant factor shaping the local population and economy. Many are leaving the Isles for the mainland in search of employment and progression opportunities. Of all participants who started to receive support through No One Left Behind between April 2019 and September 2025, Comhairle nan Eilan Siar has amongst the highest proportion of participants aged under 25 being supported (65 per cent of the total) and one of the lowest proportions of participants who are parents (17 per cent).^[6]

Case study participants highlighted that there is significant inward migration by retirees, and outward migration of working age residents has meant there is an increasing shortage of people working in the area. Despite this, the number of individuals engaging with employability services in Comhairle nan Eilean Siar remains sufficient to meet No One Left Behind (NOLB) outcomes - with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar as one of two Local Authorities with the highest proportion of participants aged under 25 (67%) in comparison to other Scottish local authorities. Although these demographic changes may have longer-term implications for the local tax base and workforce sustainability, at present they have not impacted the ability of employability services delivery, or achievement of programme targets.”

5.2.3 How the Coordinator role was set up: Enablers and challengers

Case study participants in Comhairle nan Eilan Siar described the conditions underpinning the delivery of the Coordinator role there as follows:

• The local authority had filled the Coordinator role, and the post holder had previously worked in employability. The Coordinator expressed feeling well-supported in their role.
• The local authority had received funding for some employability initiatives, such as the PESF (Parental Employability Support Fund) from Scottish Government, and grants (for example, the previous UK Prosperity Fund) to offer support to individuals.
• However, case study participants expressed concerns around the limitations of the annual funding model for the role, which was seen as a particular challenge for accurate long-term planning with service partners, or anticipating any changes in demand for services.
• There was a well-established employability service already in place within Comhairle nan Eilean Siar prior to the introduction of the Coordinator role, with a range of service pathways, and strong connections between colleagues across teams. This is attributed to the small population in the area, with case study participants reporting that the local authority operates in an ‘everyone knows everyone’ landscape.
• Case study participants were aware of the No One Left Behind approach, reporting that it acted as the key strategic and operational basis for local employability work. For example, key performance indicators (KPIs) for the Coordinator role had been based on the framework.
• The No One Left Behind approach was primarily viewed as a source of funding and context setting tool, rather than a prescriptive structure. Case study participants expressed that they had chosen this approach to No One Left Behind to meet the needs of the local area and those they serve. One approach referenced was the ‘whole family approach’, targeting single-parent families, and prioritising education pathways.

“We've got key performance indicators for No One Left Behind. We have targets for modern apprenticeships, we have targets for [other things], and there's guidance around how they should be delivered in that space as well. So there's lots of frameworks out there in terms of how Employability should be delivered [that we use and work towards]. What’s really clear is that person-centred approach, that's key to everything and something that we do very much in the Western Isles. [You] look at the person and then you fit the services around the person. We also really focus on a no wrong door approach.”

- Focus group participant, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles)

Data and evidence onemployability and child poverty in the local authority already existed prior to the introduction of the role and had informed the work undertaken by the employability team. This included:

• Up to date data matrixes for the local labour market
• Skills demand and shortages
• Data gathering on school leaver pathways
• Statistics received through the Local Employability Partnership (LEP) from partners and organisations, which aid strategic decision making - for example, information on claimants from the Department of Work and Pensions to steer which groups need to be better targeted

5.2.4 How the role is working:

The development and coordination of partnerships was seen as the key point of delivery for Coordinator role. The Coordinator’s background in employability had meant they were well placed to develop these partnerships. The Coordinator already had a strong understanding of the employability landscape, and stakeholders such as local authority Leads, external/third sector partners (e.g. NHS services), working groups and locality groups, and local authority early years teams.

• A particular example of the establishment of a strong partnership had been in their work with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to support resettled refugees in the area. The Coordinator role had developed contact between DWP and the Employability teams with regular check-ins and a positive working relationship to support recently settled refugees to set up their own businesses.

The Coordinator role has also led on engagement with national networks and groups, for example the monthly national Scottish Local Authorities' Economic Development (SLAED) group, as well as improvement groups. The postholder reported that the Scottish Local Authorities' Economic Development (SLAED) group was attended monthly, where other local authorities gather and updates on activity are shared.

Case study participants reported identification of duplication and gaps as a key activity for the Coordinator role. The Coordinator role was reported to have fed into service mapping exercises delivered by the Local Employability Partnership (LEP), helping to identify gaps and duplication. The Coordinator role was felt to have brought valuable knowledge to these – for example, by sharing understanding of services currently offered by the NHS and Public Health, which was shared with the LEP and discussed in partnership meetings to streamline service planning. Reduction in duplication was reported as an especially important activity given the small population size and limited resources for provision in the local authority.

“There's a lot [of services], you know, you can come up with really good ideas, but actually it might be coming up with an idea [that is already in place]. It’s about that signposting. I think this role is really crucial about making sure there's not duplication and that funds are being directed in the right way, because that pot of [funding] money is getting even smaller. So we have to really work in partnership and make sure that that's not happening. And I see that role is crucial in that space as well.”

- Focus group participant, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles)

While data collection was reported as mainly sitting within the remit of the Local Employability Partnership (LEP), the Coordinator role had shared an example of data collection and analysis which was undertaken.

• The example was a skills analysis which mapped local businesses to understand gaps across the recruitment to employment pipeline.
• However, case study participants expressed some concerns around challenges with data collection and usage due to the specific local context. Due to the small population of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, data can often be unusable, as there is a high risk of individuals being identifiable in small datasets.
• The Local Employability Partnership (LEP) had received funding for and was in the process of developing a ‘one-stop-shop’ in the form of a “Partners Hub”, with the aim of bringing together data from the NHS, employability and family support to support the design of new services.

Broadly speaking, the Coordinator role in this local authority leaned to sharing the outputs of work informally, as opposed to developing formal documents such as written guidance on service pathways and stakeholder maps. Colleagues reflected that these outputs had typically been shared in meetings and working sessions – an approach which was felt to be working well.

5.2.5 Outcomes of the Coordinator role being introduced:

• Better alignment and coordination of parental employability services in the local area. Whilst employability was already embedded as a priority in the local authority, the Coordinator role was felt to have made significant progress in joining up the disparate parts of the offering. Case study participants reported the Coordinator role as having strengthened networks and developing a joint understanding of what is offered within and across local employability services. This was achieved through increased lines of communication and knowledge sharing about employability across the local authority.
  • For example, a Local Employability Partnership (LEP) road show took place last year across the Islands with the aim of spreading awareness of the employability services available to parents and encouraging more to access the services they need. This also provided local stakeholders and partners a better understanding of the needs of different communities across the Islands and encouraged potential partners and employers to get involved in employability activities.
• Early signs of improved value for money, with a more efficient service and reduced duplication. The Coordinator role had streamlined similar support offered between their employability services and third sector organisations. The role had also taken steps to reduce duplication of effort across local authority-run programmes, such as overlap between work experience programmes and paid placements being run by two different teams within the local authority. This delivered increased value for money, ensuring funding is able to reach as many people as possible.
• A more comprehensive offering of employability services suited to the needs of the local community. The Coordinator role has led to the identification of gaps in service provision and sharing of recommendations for how the service landscape could be improved to the Local Employability Partnership (LEP) based on these findings.
  • For example, the Coordinator role has conducted a skills analysis from local businesses to understanding gaps across the recruitment to employment pipeline, with findings around a lack of training provision in the Islands meaning recommendations on how courses could be aligned locally were made.

“The Coordinator has been really, really, really involved in work around early intervention, about trying to get childcare up and running. We have a number of unaccompanied minors, asylum seekers, and the Coordinator has been really involved in that wider family approach, about making sure that they are linked in to the correct support networks. We've had some really good examples of individuals who have resettled into the Western Isles who are now running their own businesses, where they would have come in and [had] benefits at the first option - but the Coordinator was able to, because of their knowledge of the Employability landscape, hook them into the into the right kind of support and network.”

- Focus group participant, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles)

5.2.6 Lessons learned:

Based on the findings from this case study, there are several key lessons for the implementation of the Coordinator role:

• The mapping activity undertaken as part of the Coordinator role in this area has clearly been effective, with early signs that duplication has been reduced, gaps in service filled, and a more efficient service delivered.
• The rurality of the local authority has meant that the strong data evidence has been an essential tool in mapping the need in the local area.
• Employability has been a long-standing priority within the local authority which has enabled the Coordinator role to become quickly established. For example, the strong suite of pre-existing services, and a strong data environment has enabled the Coordinator role in delivery of new service pathways based on evidence. This clearly demonstrates that:
• A strong existing employability offer makes a strong launchpad for a coordinator to build on.
• The more time an employability service and Coordinator role has to develop, the more effective the work of the role can be.
• A lack of long-term funding was felt to have a clear inhibiting role for the delivery of the Coordinator role’s work. Case study participants reflected on the annualised funding system as limiting the ability to plan for the long term, restricting how effectively the Coordinator role can engage with partners who are looking for security.

5.3 Case study 2: Highland

5.3.1 Summary

Highland was perceived as being a unique local authority with distinct needs, and the way the Coordinator role operates reflected this.

Due to the wide geographical spread of the population, employability stakeholders faced particular challenges in designing, aligning, and delivering services in a way that reached the populations that needed them. While the Coordinator role had been well-supported by the local authority from the start, the post faced challenges due to a context of a comparatively patchy and less-coordinated landscape of employment services, and a less-developed evidence base around the needs of the area from which to build a stronger offering. The role had also been ‘stretched’ by the sheer size of the area, which spans two Local Employability Partnerships.

As a result, the Coordinator role spent the first year focussing on developing new relationships and partnerships, and building a stronger institutional understanding of what is needed for services to deliver the right employability support for parents in the local authority.

5.3.2 Local context

Highlands is a rural region serving a large, spread-out population. In-work poverty for parents is high, with some Case study participants feeling this exceeds unemployment as an issue in terms of importance. Case study participants reported that employability support takes the form of a person-centred approach. This included working with unemployed parents or those seeking in-work progression on a one-to-one basis.

The main barriers to employment in Highlands identified by case study participants were logistical difficulties related to the geography of the area. This included a lack of reliable and frequent public transport, meaning that parents who lack a driving licence or access to a personal vehicle struggled to get to work. This was particularly prevalent for those living in the most remote rural areas who were dependent on community transport. Additionally, case study participants said the area struggled with limited childcare provision and a lack of wraparound childcare for working parents.

“One of the biggest problems is transport. It’s rural, people aren't able to get to where there is childcare, where there is work. … A lot of services have to be in urban areas for funding. … For those that live even 5 miles from a town, there's no bus services, there's nothing that will get them in.”

- Focus group participant, Highlands

5.3.3 How the Coordinator role was set up: Enablers and challenges

Case study participants in Highlands described the conditions underpinning the delivery of the Coordinator role there as follows:

A Coordinator had been in post in Highlands local authority for approximately a year. The Coordinator had previous experience within social support and mentoring services , resulting in a degree of ‘learning on the job’ to develop familiarity with the employability landscape, as well as with local partners and services in operation. Examples of this included engagement with new contacts from organisations within early years, education, and the NHS, which was facilitated by a local authority colleague.

Highlands Coordinator role works across 3 different Local Employability Partnerships, which at times stretched capacity and resource. Case study participants reported the Coordinator role would benefit from the hiring of an additional colleague that could support with the workload of the role.

Third sector service organisations are the main providers of employability services. Often employability services relied heavily on collaboration with schools or local community centres to reach and engage with parents. These collaborations were managed through Local Employability Partnership (LEP) network groups bringing together statutory and third sector organisations, in order to assess needs of the area and design approaches accordingly.

Data and evidence on employability and child poverty in the local authority was established before the introduction of the Coordinator role. Statistics on employment rates and progression were gathered by a partnership officer within the local authority, which were then fed back to the Local Employability Partnership (LEP) and the wider strategic team. However, these statistics were not always effectively utilised or understood by the local authority.

“We were trying to get sort of a baseline and understand need in Highland, across such a broad spectrum, it wasn't just about employability, it's about everything that impacts on families and their well-being and how you get holistic support. So we had a big ask in terms of drilling that into where we could get the activity going.”

- Focus group participant, Highlands

The No One Left Behind approach served as a strategic and operational foundation for parental employability activity in the area, but stakeholders felt that there was a particular need to flex this to meet the distinct local context in Highlands.

5.3.4 How the role is working

The Coordinator role in Highlands focused largely on building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders and partner organisations. The size of Highlands as region, and the extent to which the population is spread across it, means that partner organisation support is important to bolster the capacity of the local authority to reach all those in need. The Coordinator role had therefore worked to build links with a wide range of organisations (particularly third sector organisations) - examples include Citizens Advice, small businesses, other third sector organisations, and job centres. These relationships were managed through a mix of face-to-face engagement and meetings.

The Coordinator role had undertaken a large amount of outreach with potential service users in local communities to raise awareness of the employability services and support available to them. For example, visiting local job centres, spending time with potential service users to understand the support they need, and directing them towards relevant services.

This time spent in the community was also useda method of qualitative evidence collection to understand the types of support needed in local communities. The insight from this data was fed back to the Local Employability Partnership (LEP) to inform service design. This qualitative data collection had so far been treated as a priority for the Coordinator role over the collection and analysis of quantitative data (i.e. statistics). The latter was reported to have sat within another colleague in the Local Employability Partnership (LEP).

“I think that there is obviously the statistical data, but I think this is an important part of [the Coordinator’s] role, is data through those trusted relationships. [They’re] getting into job centres, [they’re] getting into organisations, [they’re] talking to third sector, [they] go and meet people and that qualitative data is real insightful data and it's so valuable.”

- Focus group participant, Highlands

Having a strong grounding in data was recognised as a strength for the Coordinator role, to help identify groups most in need. Where Co-ordinators lacked either expertise or time to undertake sufficient data collection and analysis, this was felt to be something the local authority could prioritise and help address.

The Coordinator role in this area focussed on local level engagement rather than national networks feeling the Highlands is a unique area, where national-level best practice may not be quite so suitable.

Case study participants reported collaboration with local partners to be a particular strength of the Coordinator role. Codesign of new service pathwaysis beginning to take place, with the recent sign off of the design and delivery of the Annual Investment Plan. However this is still in its earlier stages. This is because the Coordinator role in Highlands has focused more directly on engaging with potential or current service users to understand the need first, before the co-design of services.

“It's an essential cog in a big mechanism. Without [the Coordinator role] those communities, the whole family well-being fund, third sector organisations, employability, [they] might not gel together.”

- Focus group participant, Highlands

5.3.5 Outcomes of the Coordinator role being introduced

• As explored in the full report, the Coordinator role had been rolled out in a way that allowed for local variation and tailoring. This had been especially important for the implementation of the Coordinator role in Highlands. As previously discussed, the physical and the pre-existing employability landscape in Highlands make the role of the Coordinator unique, and as such, the impacts of the role were also unique.
• The Coordinator role had established a clear understanding of the need in the local area through qualitative mapping activities. Due to the spread-out nature of communities in the area, pre-existing data on employability and need was often patchy. There is a clear sense that the Coordinator’s time spent out in the community has helped in developing a strong understanding of what potential service users need, and where services are not meeting them.
• The Coordinator role had begun to develop new partnerships with external partners in the area. Colleagues were looking forward to the partnerships bearing fruit, particularly in terms of forging new referral pathways and developing new or improved services.

5.3.6 Lessons learned

Based on the findings from this case study, there are several key lessons for the implementation of the Coordiantor role:

• The geography of the local area has had a significant impact on the delivery of the Coordinator role. The spread-out nature of the area had made it challenging to coordinate and align employability services across the region.
• The geography had also meant the Coordinator role was reported to be ‘spread too thin’, and that for a local authority of this type, additional support might be required.
• Where quantitative data collection and management is required this may have to be clearly signposted as part of the role or additional support provided to the post holder as this data can be important to act as a clear evidence base to better identify groups in need.
• The local area had benefitted from the flexibility provided by the Scottish Government in how the Coordinator role is delivered. The unique nature of Highlands meant the Coordinator role could also be delivered in a unique way.

5.4 Case study 3: Clackmannanshire

5.4.1 Summary

The Coordinator role in Clackmannanshire had been well-supported since the start of the post, with a well-rounded parental employability support offering (including effective collection and analysis of data and evidence) already in place. The conditions within the local authority, for example the relationships that had been built through the Family Wellbeing Partnership approach and values based leadership opportunities, as well as well-connected systems, were felt to be helpful in facilitating the co-ordination of services.

The Coordinator role, a cross-directorate post, had developed this further through the building of stronger relationships with key stakeholders within and outside of the local authority, creating an even stronger evidence base to inform service design, mapping services to identify gaps and areas of duplication in service provision, engaging with national networks, and reaching out to potential service users to understand more about their priorities for parental employability support. The reach and impact of the Coordinator role has been further facilitated strengthened through integrated joint working across services, particularly through positioning the post within the Family Wellbeing Partnership (FWP) – ensuring direction and alignment with multiple plans, both statutory and non-statutory.

The result had been greater coordination and alignment in the work of different stakeholders in the parental employability space, a greater emphasis on using evidence to inform service design, and a more well-rounded service offering, with conspicuous gaps filled, and alignment to whole family support and other support services.

Since 2023/2024 Clackmannanshire’s annual Local Child Poverty Action Plan Report has been submitted through the Community Wellbeing Plan Report, an integrated framework that reflects a commitment to ‘One Fund, One Plan, One Report.’

Clackmannanshire’s Family Wellbeing Partnership has been working alongside the Scottish Government for some time, to demonstrate how local innovation can accelerate the ambitions of the Public Service Reform Strategy. This model demonstrates a shared commitment to reform and whole family support. The approach has received formal approval locally and is the important context in which the Coordinator role operates and the Local Child Poverty Action Plan duty is delivered.

5.4.2 Local context

Clackmannanshire is the smallest mainland local authority in Scotland. It is semi-rural, with the majority of the population based in small towns and the remainder living in small settlements in the countryside.

The key challenges identified in by case study participants in Clackmannanshire are deep rooted poverty, and limited public transportation. Both of these were in part attributed to the rurality of the area. Limited public transportmakes it difficult for working parents to access childcare provision in close proximity to where they live. There was also a reported low concentration of available jobs in easily accessible areas which further exacerbates the complexities of finding suitable childcare.

Levels of child poverty were above the national average in the local authority area, with high rates of mental health issues, and single parent families. Of all participants in Clackmannanshire who started to receive support from No One Left Behind between April 2019 and September 2025, 40 per cent were parents. The average for Scotland is 30 per cent.

5.4.3 How the Coordinator role was set up: Enablers and challengers

Case study participants in Clackmannanshire described the conditions underpinning the delivery of the Coordinator role there as follows:

The Coordinator role had been filled, and the post sat within the Family Wellbeing Partnership team, whilst also working closely with and reporting to the Employability team. The Coordinator role was established as part of the Family Wellbeing Partnership (FWP) approach, embedded across directorates, while also maintaining close working relationships with and reporting to the Employability team.

The engagement and collaboration between the employability team and the Family Wellbeing Partnership vision and ways of working had already begun. This collaboration was pivotal in driving forward the Coordinator role.

There was a suite of Employability services in place prior to the employment of the Coordinator role. Work had already been undertaken to bridge poverty gaps, with many services operating in the local authority area. Examples mentioned include paid placements, training and upskilling (including for in-work parents), and offering the right provisions for parents needing individualised support or for more complex cases. Some specific programmes include:

• Thrive to Keep Well (funded through No-One Left Behind), a community programme designed to offer support for adults with mild to moderate wellbeing or mental health difficulties
• NHS Demonstrator Programme (outlined within the Best Start Bright Futures implementation plan from Scottish Government), supporting parents who are facing long-term unemployment to get back into the workplace via training
• Paid placements and upskilling programmes,
• Provisions with Enable, a charity supporting people with learning disabilities, to support young people (including young parents) with a long-term health condition or disability get into suitable work.

Employability services were designed around the No One Left Behind approach. For example, the design of a Lone Parent Employability Project in the local authority utilised No One Left Behind approaches and resources available from the Scottish Government website, where the Coordinator role identified many different documents that helped outline how to set up the best service.

Provision for the collection and analysis of data and evidence was well-established, already being used for service design before the hiring of the Coordinator role. Case study participants mentioned data collection being led by the Economic Development Team. Some examples of data available included public health data intelligence and monitoring, and data on the role of transport into poverty in employability.

The Family Wellbeing Partnership also actively sought to understand families and communities’ needs well and used qualitative data, such as Impact Stories - as well as quantitative national and local Key Performance Indicators to direct research, resource and delivery. ^[7]

“We're very unique and that we are so small that you have the same people doing multiple functions across the Council, which helps that collaboration. You know the people, it's easier to get the people that you need on board.”

- Focus group participant, Clackmannanshire

5.4.4 How the role is working

Building on the Family Wellbeing Partnership values based leadership (VBL), the Coordinator role was reportedto havedeveloped further relationships with external partners to understand needs in the local area from their perspectives . Case study participants reported the Coordinator role has led to the development of open routes of communication with these partners, gathering insight on their experiences of child poverty within the area.

The Coordinator role had also developed improved relationships between internal employability colleagues and stakeholders. Focus group participants reported this as a particular strength of the Coordinator role, with the post being well linked-in across teams (partly due to previously working within the employability landscape, as well as the role’s unique position integrated within the Family Wellbeing Partnership approach). The Coordinator role was also seen as beneficial in bridging the gaps between strategy and policy.

The relationships developed by the Coordinator role had encouraged the codesign of services catered specifically to identified needs in the local area. This had included the development of a Transport Action Plan in 2025. Additionally, some focus group participants reported that, in its early stages, the Coordinator role was involved in coordinating a lived experience subgroup within the Local Employability Partnership (LEP), with the aim of ensuring lived experience was understood and used in future Local Employability Partnership (LEP) planning in the authority. The Coordinator role was also mentioned as strengthening referral pathways for more vulnerable groups who may find it harder to make the outreach needed for support services, for example with Women’s Aid.

The Coordinator role had ensured all colleagues had a clear understanding of the different services available in the local area, through in-person events. These events were designed to be a “One-Stop-Shop”, bringing together local authority colleagues, and external partners, such as Department for Work and Pensions, Citizens Advice, and Skills Development Scotland (SDS).

Whilst responsibility for data collection and management typically sat with another member of the Local Employability Partnership (LEP), there was clear evidence of the Coordinator roledemonstrating the use of data and evidence to understand the needs of potential service users in the area. This was evidenced by the Coordinator role undertaking its own analysis to help inform and guide coordination work, with examples reported including:

• Research into topics such as free school meals uptake and universal credit.
• The collation and reporting of evaluation data on positive destinations and parenting.

“[The Coordinator has] done a [data] deep dive for me on various topics such as free school meal take up, Universal Credit, different types of things and what that means, not only nationally, but also for Clackmannanshire. And if there was a change in policy or [the] Scottish Government announcement around a specific situation, I would be then asking [the Coordinator] if [they] can have a quick look at that and let me know what that means for Clackmannanshire.”

– Focus group participant, Clackmannanshire

“From my experience, obviously we were very much a transport focused project, but [the Coordinator’s] role was key in bringing together all the different stakeholders who could contribute and had something to offer within that area, recognising, obviously, and there's a lot of data around this, the important role of transport in both poverty and employability.”

– Focus group participant, Clackmannanshire

The Coordinator role had participated in Local Employability Partnership (LEP)service mapping activitiesto identify any potential duplication between services, or gaps in what was currently being offered. The Coordinator role was perceived as taking an active role in these conversations, despite the role not owning this activity outright. This included a mapping exercise of different financial support and grants available to families in the local area.

The Coordinator role had actively attended and participated in national forums, as well as Local Employability Partnership (LEP) stakeholder events. Examples of best practice from these meetings had been shared with local authority colleagues, and during LEP meetings.

Additionally, the Coordinator role had led on increasing engagement with residents of the local area in the development of services. This had been evidenced by the Coordinator role leading a community voice subgroup for the Local Employability Partnership (LEP), tasked with gathering feedback to inform service delivery and priorities, including where any gaps were identified by service users.

“[The Coordinator’s] role is uniquely placed, [their role] straddles strategy and policy, as well as delivery and on the ground engagement. … it's really important, if we're going to break down silos and [get] people to work together, because that's what we need to do, I think that [their] role is key in that. [The Coordinator has] brought so much to it from a kind of networking and coordinating and oversight perspective, and helping people make the links between policy and planning and impact.”

- Focus group participant, Clackmannanshire

5.4.5 Outcomes of the Coordinator role being introduced

• Increased alignment and coordination of employability work across departments and external partners, with more opportunities for cross-team collaboration and knowledge sharing. For example, the Coordinator role bridging understanding of the local services available in the area through the delivery of “One-Stop-Shop” events. These have brought services together for a shared purpose of joint delivery, which has had an important impact.
• Evidence based reporting as a foundation for service development. Reports developed through the Coordinator role had supported colleagues in the development of new services, and advocacy for continued funding of current services. Key examples included the role’s involvement in writing the Local Child Poverty Action report for 2024/25, as well as delivering an annual Thrive to Keep Well report. The collation and reporting of evaluation data on positive destinations and parenting was also described by case study participants as very worthwhile and well received.
• A more well-rounded service offering, with gaps in service filled. An example mentioned was the Coordinator role contributing to the expansion of an organisation working to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG) into Clackmannanshire; this output was facilitated through the postholder’s keen interest in joining up the gaps between tackling poverty and VAWG agendas.

5.4.6 Lessons learned

Based on the findings from this case study, there are several key lessons for the implementation of the Coordiantor role:

• The Coordinator role in this local authority has benefitted from the Coordinator’s previous experience working in employability. This had enabled the role to function well.
• · A commitment from the Scottish Government to long term funding was felt to be needed to further the reach and impact of the role, as well as maintain the links established between internal and external organisations.
• · Integration of the post within the Family Wellbeing Partnership placed-based approach has broadened the scope of the Coordinator role, leading to strengthened understanding of the strengths and gaps, enabling enhanced decision making and delivery.

5.5. Case study 4: Glasgow^[8]

5.5.1 Summary

At the time of writing, there was no Coordinator in post in Glasgow, as the previous post holder had recently retired and recruitment was ongoing - with the LEP and Local Authority considering delivery options in the context of the Child Poverty Programme.

However, focus group participants felt the previous Coordinator added real value to the parental employability landscape through their work to build stronger relationships with local partners and breaking down of ‘silos’ in ways of working. The Coordinator role was felt to ‘bridge the gap’ between the employability and child poverty teams, improving the flow of information between these and undertaking steps to streamline services through identification of duplication. Case study participants also highlighted the Coordinator role’s development of early guidance outlining routes into support and services in the local authority area, namely through referral pathways, as well as involvement in internal subgroups.

Case study participants highlighted the need for more guidance from the Scottish Government when it comes to concrete examples of best practice for delivery of the role, which could be incorporated into future operation of the role in the local authority.

5.5.2 Local context

As Scotland’s largest local authority, Glasgow serves a large population and a wide geographical area in an urban setting. Having some of the highest levels of deprivation in Scotland in comparison to many other local authorities, case study participants reported a complex landscape with significant social and economic diversity, meaning that the needs of local parents can vary enormously between different areas.

The key challenges highlighted by case study participants were around multi-generational poverty and long-term unemployment. The need for language and literacy support was also raised, with many parents and young people requiring support with basic reading and writing skills, impacting confidence and employability prospects. Glasgow City is the most populated Local Authority area and supports the highest proportion of participants through No One Left Behind. It also has a high proportion of minority ethnic participants (26 per cent of all participants between April 2019 and September 2025, compared with the Scottish average of 12 per cent).

Case study participants said that given the complexities of the landscape, employability support services in Glasgow often took a ‘place-based’ approach of trying to understand what poverty looks like in the local area and adjusting support to meet this. They also described a focus on identifying suitable support on a family-by-family basis.

“In a place context, it’s very difficult [and] complex just to see Glasgow as [one] place. And because it's different each place and each community - don't get me wrong, there'll be alignment, there'll be universal points that will come together going fundamentally there sure, it’s child poverty, it's childcare, it's English as a second language - but each place is different.”

- Focus group participant, Glasgow

5.5.3 How the Coordinator role was set up: Enablers and challenges

Case study participants in Glasgow described the conditions underpinning the delivery of the Coordinator role as follows:

• While the local authority had a dedicated Coordinator who was in postat the start of the evaluation , they had since retired and have not yet been replaced like for like, with their responsibilities covered jointly by several colleagues within the employability team. While in post, however, the Coordinator role received suitable organisational support at senior levels from both the employability and child poverty teams.
• Some case study participants expressed frustration that the funding was restricted to spend on parent-only support, whereas in some cases a ‘whole family approach’ would be felt to be more useful.
• Case study participants highlighted thelimitations of single-year funding , which was seen as challenging for accurate long-term planning or anticipating any changes in service demand.

“The kind of restrictions that are put on us by Scottish Government as to how to spend the child poverty funding can mean that we actually can't provide a whole family approach and models. [We’d like to] use some of that funding to support young people who are still living at home and still very much part of the family unit, and are struggling to maybe move into employment… if we were in a position where we could use that funding more with a youth focus and supporting the child, maybe rather than the parent, then I think that could really shift things and almost break that cycle … so I think a bit more flexibility around how the funding can be used for the whole family would actually make a big difference there.”

- Focus group participant, Glasgow

Within Glasgow there was a clear and well-established suite of existing employability services operating in the local authority. Given the complex landscape of Glasgow and the place-based approach taken, assisted by the council’s Child Poverty Dashboard, some case study participants felt the employability service ecosystem to be crowded, with multiple services operating similar delivery models.

Despite this, case study participants reported a good degree of interaction between employability services and partners in the local authority, with networks and collaboration present.

• Two examples of this were Improvement Service partners working and liaising with economic development partners and the Council, and the Community Benefits Society’s (CBS) updates on third sector employability being merged alongside Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) data – all of which were said to aid how approaches to supporting priority groups were delivered.

Case study participants mentioned No-One Left Behindin relation to funding offered by the Scottish Government . However, they expressed that the No One Left Behind approach had to be applied flexibly in the area due to the complexitiesof the Glasgow landscape and the placed-based approach preferred by the Local-Authority.

“It [the employability landscape] is complex… there is a lot of provision out there and the work is to try and align it and tidy up, [to] avoid duplication. And I think the funding situation has led to that over the years… it's trying to be able to make the most of and support individuals for what they really need, than what we think they need. And so I think there's a lot out there that's just how it all connects.”

– Focus group participant, Glasgow

An arrangement for the collection and analysis of data and evidence onemployability and child poverty in the local authority already existed prior to the introduction of the role, and was used in the work undertaken by the employability team. Alongside a data team already in place within the council prior to the post being established, data was reported as also being provided from a range of local authority organisations and partners. Case study participants highlighted:

• The council’s Child Poverty Dashboard, which outlines poverty rates across the region, giving users the ability to view statistics which can inform service delivery and decision making. Case study participants reported being able to filter data by type of priority group, age of children, housing tenure, and employment.
• Data from projects or reports delivered by local organisations and services across the council.

5.5.4 How the role is working

The local authority had realigned resources to ensure a dedicated Coordinator was in place, sitting within the Child Poverty Programme and working closely with the employability team, with a specific focus on parents and child poverty. The Coordinator role had a strategic focus, sitting on the Local Employability Partnership (LEP) - Glasgow Futures board - with the aim of ensuring child poverty was at the forefront when thinking about the development or procurement of economic and employability programmes.

Building relationships with local partners was noted as a key activity of the Coordinator role, such as facilitating dialogue across these. For example, case study participants mentioned the role as sitting on the Parental Employability Support Fund (PESF) projects network, attending eight-weekly meetings with project managers from across the network, and sharing updates and ideas for developing projects. Case study participants felt the Coordinator role’s position of working between the Child Poverty and employability teams gave the role a unique position to strengthen these relationships.

The Coordinator role had highlighted the identification of gaps and duplication in the local service offering as a key priority of the role. Given the role’s position bridging both the employability and child poverty teams, this had involved reviewing activity across the two areas to identify any duplication of services, as well as clarifying and strengthening routes into employability opportunities for parents. This activity of the Coordinator role was positioned in the context of the local authority making strides to improve oversight of what local services are currently in operation and available in the authority. Examples of this included:

• Channels where local partners would come together and discuss or highlight employability work, including the third sector partners, the Department for Work and Pensions, and the council.
• The ‘No Wrong Door’ team in operation within Glasgow council, where the Coordinator role had fed back employability updates from contractors running courses with parents. The team would then share updates with members (made up of local partners and those offering employability support). This was said to provide members with visibility on what programmes are on offer for them to signpost clients to.

The Coordinator role in this local authority participated and was involved in national engagement, with the postholder sitting in the Local Employability Partnership (LEP) and having a strategic role, feeding back knowledge to wider teams. The Coordinator role also contributed to the Parental Employability Support Fund (PESF) projects network.

The Coordinator role was also responsible for monitoring and reporting relevant No One Left Behind spend that had been allocated to projects that supported increased reach.This was reported back to the Scottish Government quarterly. Aside from this, data collection and analysis was largely the responsibility of a dedicated monitoring team in operation in the local authority, which has been in place since before the Coordinator role was created.

5.5.5 Outcomes of the Coordinator role being introduced

Case study participants felt that the local authority was still in the early days of developing a means of robustly evidencing the impact of the Coordinator role. However, they nonetheless pointed to the following early signs of progress:

• Early evidence of stronger relationships between local partners and stakeholders in Glasgow. Case study participants highlighted that the Coordinator role had facilitated dialogue between stakeholders in the local authority, for example through the Coordinator role playing an active role with the Parental Employability Support Fund (PESF) projects network and playing an active role through their attendance and participation of meetings.
• Improvements to siloed ways of working that were reported to potentially exist within the local authority teams. This had been evidenced through the role strengthening relationships between the Child Poverty and employability teams, meaning the role had more oversight with different colleagues working across these.
• Improved referral pathways. The Coordinator role had led to the building of strong links between stakeholders in the local authority (including the employability and child poverty teams, the ‘No Wrong Door’ team, and external partners) and facilitated the sharing of information about services available across the local authority. This was felt to have strengthened referral pathways by ensuring more people and organisations were suitably informed to signpost parents to right service.

5.5.6 Lessons learned

Based on the findings from this case study, there are several key lessons for the implementation of the Coordiantor role:

Clearer, more strategic leads from the Scottish Government on best practice was highlighted as an area for improvement in the future, feeling that this could strengthen implementation of the Coordinator role. For example, they expressed a wish for practical examples of how the Coordinator role had been implemented or was working in other local authorities, which they felt would help to strengthen the impact of the role on the ground.

Case study participants suggest increased flexibility in the bounds of the role could enable the Coordinator role to further adapt to local contexts, especially in the complex local contexts of larger cities like Glasgow. The ability to use the Coordinator role to address family poverty holistically (including engaging with older teenagers) could allow more effective poverty reduction work.

As in other local authorities, a key area for improvement was felt to be the funding model currently used. It was therefore felt that more flexibility about how the funding can be used, on a local authority needs-based basis, would be beneficial.

“I would like to see a more top down approach, like at a Scottish Government level [perspective] on how to address poverty with good examples. So not just in a strategy, how do you [actually] do it? Who's doing it well?”

– Focus group participant, Glasgow

5.6 Case study 5: Dundee

5.6.1 Summary

Within Dundee, the Coordinator role was felt to be a positive addition in the local authority within the backdrop of a crowded employability landscape, with the role strengthening relationshipswith local partners and services, as well as parents, and aligning employability frameworks used in the council. Additionally, the presence and visibility of the role across local groups was felt to have opened up knowledge sharing, which was fed back to the local authority. The mapping of existing services to reduce duplication was also highlighted as a particular benefit of the role, with the Coordinator role undertaking a mapping exercise leading to a new database / ‘directory’ in development, which included information for both partners and users to find what was available in the local authority.

As in other local authorities, case study participants pointed out the limitations of the current annual funding arrangement, noting that a longer-term funding model would provide greater stability and reassurance for the post. This added security would support more effective long-term planning with partners and help retain experienced and skilled staff.

5.6.2 Local context

Dundee is an urban local authority located on the Eastern coast of Scotland, between Aberdeen and Edinburgh, and is the smallest local authority by land area. Case study participants reported that the local authority was ‘split’ with significant areas of relative affluence alongside high levels of deprivation. Case study participants estimated approximately 40% of young people living in the most deprived decile, or the lowest 20% of post codes according to the Scottish Index of multiple Deprivation (SMID).

The key challenges for working parents identified by case study participants were the cost of transportation, high housing costs, and limited access to affordable childcare – this was seen across the six priority family groups of the local authority. In addition, it was mentioned that Dundee had seen a disproportionately large reduction in the number of childminders in recent years.

Much of the population experiencing employability barriers were thought by case study participants to be in generational or historic whole-family unemployment, becoming reliant on support from Universal Credit as a means of getting by.

Case study participants also reported that some who need employment support in the area are difficult to reach. This included those who had recently arrived in the area like international students with dependents who are new to the region, or migrant health workers. These groups were not yet embedded in the community or aware of available support. Younger parents who had left school due to poor experiences in education and lack the skills or qualifications, and therefore find themselves unable to progress through their employment journey, were also highlighted as being resistant to engaging with services. Of all participants being supported through No One Left Behind between April 2019 and September 2025, Dundee has one of the highest proportions of participants aged under 25 being supported (65% of the total). ^[9]

“Dundee's disproportionate to the rest of Scotland in terms of the reduction of childminders, for example. … To put the local landscape into context, in terms of areas of deprivation, we have one data zone in the city that is in the bottom 10 of Scotland. So of the multiple thousand data zones in Scotland, we've got one that's in the bottom 10. So that just kind of puts it into perspective where we are as a city.”

– Focus group participant, Dundee

5.6.3 How the Coordinator role was set up: Enablers and challengers

Case study participants in Dundee described the conditions underpinning the delivery of the Coordinator role in the local authority as follows:

• The local authority had successfully hired a Coordinator for the role but experienced some recruitment challenges at first. An initial attempt was made to appoint a Coordinator hosted by a partner organisation, as opposed to the local authority itself, but this was unsuccessful.
• The annualised nature of the funding was felt to have limited the effectiveness of the role. Some case study participants expressed concerns that they might lose the Coordinator role due to a lack of long-term security.
• Case study participants reported that while the introduction of the role and the associated funding had been welcomed overall, it added to what was felt to be an already ‘cluttered’ landscape in terms of broader child poverty activity. There was a sense that funding for the work taking place in this area arrived through a range of disparate streams – making co-ordination difficult – and the new funding associated with the Coordinator role added to this.

“It was exceptionally challenging, but very welcome when the funding came, but we had already quite a cluttered landscape in terms of broad child poverty activity… money was coming out of different bits of Scottish Government, all linked into the child poverty delivery plan, and then that funding and resource was all coming to different bits of the council without it being channelled through our community planning governance approach. Which meant you have all of us trying to figure out who is doing what and where and when and with what money and how does it all link together. So that was a challenge all by itself. And none of that recognised that we already had plans as a council and wider partnership to have local fairness initiatives in specific areas of the city. So very difficult again for community planning colleagues to make all these linkages with what are pre-existing plans already.”

– Focus group participant, Dundee

There was a range of employability services already operating in the local authority prior to the introduction of the Coordinator role, offering a wide variety of support options for priority groups. This included services from the local authority, as well as third sector organisations and partners. Examples mentioned include NHS, Public Health, and local schools and educators.

However, focus group participants felt that the alignment and coordination of services could be improved. They felt that services were aligned to some extent through frameworks (and as the result of a corporate employability review in 2023), but there was nonetheless a sense that some still operated in ‘silos’

All case study participants were aware of the No One Left Behind approach and that the local authority’s approach to service delivery was aligned to this.

• In addition, a ‘No Wrong Door’ approach was in place, ensuring that parents could access appropriate support regardless of their point of entry into local services, with coordinated referral and information-sharing across partners. The Coordinator role highlighted an employability pathway heavily influenced by the No One Left Behind approach in place, which allowed parents to work with any type of support provider suited to their needs (for example, single parents directed to One Parent Families Scotland, or parents with a health condition directed to Enable).

Data on employability and child poverty in the local authority was already being collected and analysed prior to the introduction of the Coordinator role. Case study participants highlighted the local authority’s management information system which held data about customers. Additionally, data was received through the Local Employability Partnership (LEP) from partners and organisations.

5.6.4 How the role is working

The key work undertaken by the Coordinator role in the Dundee area had been the establishment and strengthening of relationshipswith local partners and services, as well asparents.

• The role was said to align with employability frameworks used in the council such as ‘stage zero’ thinking, which translated to being on the ground and establishing networks and connections. Examples of partnership included within the council, as well as organisations such as the NHS, Public Health, and networks such as the Community College Collaboration Network.

“Having a role that has the ability to go out and connect with what's on the ground, hear what's available and to make those linkages has been incredibly helpful… so much of the work that we do is based on good relationships… And I would absolutely say that one of the strengths of this post is the ability to build the partnership, through building good relationships internally and externally.”

– Focus group participant, Dundee

The Coordinator role was also reported as having engagement with national networks and groups regularly. This included the Scottish local authority Economic Development (SLAED) group, as well as the Parental Employability Support (PES) leads group, where learning from and sharing best practice with other Coordinators in other local authorities was reported. An example of best practice learnt from these groups was a partner programme with the NHS for supporting parents into paid placements based on best practice shared by a colleague from East Lothian.

Case study participants said the Coordinator role had played a role in building new referral pathways. Examples of this included:

• The Coordinator role contributing to monitoring and supporting a pathway steering group for employability partners.
• The development of a workforce development strategy, where the role created induction pathways and training for areas of focus such as mental health. While not yet at completion, this was reported as being in progress.
• Careers fairs to bring together members of the public and partners as a direct referral pathway.

Currently, the Coordinator role had not focused on data collection due to this already being provided by the local authority, largely through their management information system. The role made use of this to report on the employability team’s input on fairness action (the Fairer Scotland duty), and to help develop a sense of who the local authority’s community or place-based initiatives should target.

The mapping of services and stakeholders in the local area, and subsequent identification of duplication or gaps in service, was described as sitting elsewhere within the Local Employability Partnership (LEP), and not currently amongst the key duties of the Coordinator role. However, there is evidence the Coordinator role has included the carrying out of some mapping work anyway - with examples of a mapping exercise conducted last year to identify gaps for positive destination work, such as engaging with parents with children who are school non-attenders to support them getting back into classes.

The Coordinator role was also reported to have shared knowledge gathered via networking with partners, as well as reporting on data from the local authority’s management system. This informal knowledge-sharing was reported to have happened during meetings (e.g. Local Employability Partnership (LEP) meetings).

5.6.5 Outcomes of the Coordinator role being introduced

Whilst it was difficult for case study participants to clearly articulate what the impact of the role had been at this stage, there was a clear understanding from colleagues that the role had a positive impact within the team, and they were able to point to the delivery of improved outcomes and projects. The work of the Coordinator role has resulted in improved working relationships between employability and other services. These improved relationships and the prioritisation of the No Wrong Door approach had led to the establishment of multi-agency drop-in events for families in the most deprived area of Dundee. This had led to a direct increase in engagement with employability services by families in the area.

• Case study participants specifically highlighted the role’s development of new relationships and partnerships between the Local Employability Partnership (LEP) and external employability services in the community. An example shared included the role’s involvement in the Dundee Community Based Adult Learning Network.
• Early signs of parents entering the workforce, through placements and programmes and parents receiving a wage. This had been facilitated through the role strengthening referral pathways as well as on-the-ground visibility at events (such as career fairs).

5.6.6 Lessons learned

Based on the findings from this case study, there are several key lessons for the implementation of the Coordiantor role:

• Case study participants in Dundee were clear that while the Coordinator role was valued, there were opportunities to strengthen it further. A consistent theme was the constraint created by the current annual funding arrangement. They described how short-term funding cycles created uncertainty for the individual in post and for the wider partnership, limiting the ability to plan with confidence beyond the immediate year.
• They felt that moving toward a longer-term funding model would provide greater stability and reassurance for the role. This added security would not only strengthen or affirm the importance of the post but also enable more strategic, forward-looking planning with partners and in turn create the right ’environment’ for deeper relationship-building and clearer alignment with shared priorities.
• Case study participants also noted that increased funding stability could help in retaining experienced and skilled staff. Reducing uncertainty around contract renewal would help retain the knowledge gathered from the Coordinator role and maintain continuity in partnerships. This was also felt to help to avoid the disruption that can come with turnover. Overall, case study participants felt that a longer-term funding commitment would strengthen the impact, resilience, and effectiveness of the role within Dundee.

5.7 Case study 6: East Renfrewshire

5.7.1 Summary

The Coordinator role was valued highly by stakeholders within East Renfrewshire, praised for its establishment and strengthening of local relationships and partnerships (such as through in-person events), better alignment and streamlining of service and referral pathways, and bringing innovation into the workplace (through using marketing tools, for example the use of Canva, in the reporting of data).

Frustrations with the role mainly focused on mitigating the restrictions of the annual funding model, which case study participants felt would create more certainty or security of the post – in turn allowing for better long-term planning with partners, and retaining good, knowledgeable staff.

5.7.2 Local context

East Renfrewshire was described by case study participants as having one of the lowest child poverty rates in Scotland. There was nonetheless some child poverty concentrated within specific areas in the local authority, where in-work poverty is prevalent.

The population make-up reported by case study participants included a high proportion of three plus families (families with more than three children), a high proportion of ethnic minority parents, and a higher cost of living relative to household spending.

Of participants who started to receive support through No One Left Behind between April 2019 and September 2025, East Renfrewshire has the second highest proportion of people from an ethnic minority background (28 per cent compared with the Scottish average of 12 per cent.^[10]

The biggest barrier to employment for parents in need of employability support was felt to be a lack of accessible childcare. Case study participants also reported challenges around many job opportunities being low-paid roles in tertiary industries, which required long-distance travel in many cases.

“Childcare is a massive [barrier]… there's a real lack of childcare, accessible childcare, especially before and after school… it's a big one for parents. So they need to work from half 9 and half 2, rather than before 9, because the cost of the childcare doesn't really make it worth the while to go to work at that time.”

- Focus group participant, East Renfrewshire

5.7.3 How the Coordinator role was set up: Enablers and challengers

Case study participants in East Renfrewshire described the conditions underpinning the delivery of the Coordinator role in the local authority as follows:

• The local authority had filled the Coordinator role. The postholder previously worked in employability, which made the transition into the context of the post easier. The role sat within the employability team, linking closely strategic services, and the Child Poverty Oversight Group (CPOG).
• All case study participants praised the value that the Coordinator role had brought into East Renfrewshire’s employability support landscape, both from the additional capacity and resource that the targeted role had brought, but also the facilitation of network strengthening and new tools employed to share knowledge on employability internally (explored further in this section).“[The Coordinator role] just complements the work around child poverty, but also gives it the targeted employability focus that is required for parents. We're a small local authority so capacity and resourcing is always an issue, so having somebody working specifically on parental employability is worth it's weight in gold. It does allow that focus.”
• Focus group participant, East Renfrewshire
• Annual funding provided by the Scottish Government for the role had created some difficulties. Specifically in relation to maintaining and establishing relationships with local partners, and undertaking longer-term project planning. Alongside this, the short-term funding model was reported as potentially impacting relationships with parents who had grown familiar with certain staff when accessing support.
• Within the local authority, there was a well-established suite of existing employability services in place prior to the roll-out of the Coordinator post, focused on priority groups. Case study participants highlighted a wide range of support for parents, with examples such as an in-house core Parental Employment Support programme, a service for parents with disabilities or disabled children, and smaller short life, targeted programmes aimed at priority groups.
• Case study participants also highlightedstrong networks and collaboration within the local authority, attributed to the smaller size of East Renfrewshire.
• All case study participants were aware of the No One Left Behind approach, and described it as the strategic underpinning of service provision. The work of the Coordinator was also guided by other frameworks including the Local Child Poverty Action Plan report.
• The collection and analysis of data and evidence on employability and child poverty in the local authority had taken place before the Coordinator role was introduced. Case study participants mentioned the council’s strategic services team providing local data on child poverty. For both broader and local trends, data was also received from quarterly government review meetings.

5.7.4 How the role is working

The building, maintenance and strengthening of relationships with local authority partners and external organisations was reported as being a key priority for the Coordinator role. Case study participants felt the role had led to the building of stronger relationships with ‘key players’ in East Renfrewshire including Money Advice, Department for Work and Pensions, NHS, and Skills Development Scotland (SDS). Alongside this, the Coordinator role had also strengthened relationships with education partners in the area.

The Coordinator role had also set up a parental sub-group via the Local Employability Partnership (LEP), linking local partners in child poverty employability together, and facilitating conversations and knowledge sharing.

“I think in my words it would be that [the Coordinator’s] role was brought in to bring parental services together and just work better in partnership. I think some of the services work in silos quite a bit, and [the Coordinator] has done a lot of work to bring them together.”

– Focus group participant, East Renfrewshire

Building on the Coordinator role’s work in strengthening relationships, focus group participants reported the Coordinator role as working to establish and strengthen service pathways in the context of referral links with local partners.

• The Coordinator role had brought innew commissioned partners . Examples included grant funding for One Parents Families Scotland, Generation UK, Adult Learning, and Business Gateway to name a few.
• Alongside this, the Coordinator role was reported to have enhanced the in-work offer, through recruitment of an in-work advisor posted within the local authority.

“[The key parts of the Coordinator’s role is] looking at those referral pathways and developing that overall, [and] making sure that the needs of local unemployed parents or under-employed parents from low-income groups is actually met… making sure that and the NOLB approach is implemented, [and to] make sure it continues [with] progression into sustainable employment.”

– Focus group participant, East Renfrewshire

Mapping of services and stakeholders was the responsibility of other Local Employability Partnership (LEP) members, but the Coordinator role was acknowledged as having supported this work. An example shared was the local authority proposing a new project based on an identified gap in provision, where a panel of partners, with the Coordinator role leading, assessed all funding applications to identify which projects were most needed, and which would add value rather than duplicating existing provision.

The Coordinator role had reported on employability evidence and data gathered from the delivery of programmes, as well as national and regional data from the Scottish Government. The Coordinator role had also worked closely with colleagues using systems such as AdvicePro, gathering and feeding back statistics sourced from this to wider groups and stakeholders in meetings.

• Examples of data shared included figures on the number of referrals, which priority groups data was coming from, and any trends on outcomes for parents who had received or been signposted to support services.

The Coordinator role had also engaged with national networks and groups, sharing best practice and hearing from other Coordinators. This included theParental Employability Support (PES) Leads group, which the role was in attendance of every 6 weeks, and which had reported findings from the sessions back to the Local Employability Partnership (LEP).

The Coordinator role had also undertook additional activities, which were highlighted as particularly beneficial in strengthening service delivery within the local authority. This included:

• Getting feedback from service users to identify needs and develop how services offered could match these, which is done through feedback groups
• Delivering training to local authority staff and colleagues working within employability on how to deliver the best level of support to parents and families
• Undertaking marketing activity, such as setting up a quarterly newsletter for both parents and the entire employability service, and introducing innovative tools such as Canva for reports.

5.7.5 Outcomes of the Coordinator role being introduced

• Significant improvement in referral pathways in the employability journey for parents. The role had a reported increase of almost double to the number of parent referrals and registrations to the service, as well as an increase in the number of in-work parents registering.
• Stronger relationships with stakeholders across the local authority. Case study participants highlighted this as a key benefit of the role, where the Coordinator role had undertaken a focused approach to collaboration with internal and external partners in order to maximise service delivery. For example, the creation of Parental Hubs in schools has resulted in an increase in referrals to services.
• Additional employability services and programmes, with interventions to target priority parents. This had included the creation of training programmes for parents such as traineeships, borne from collaboration with partners including the Education department, to upskill and equip parents with the tools needed to enter or re-enter employment.
• Tangible outputs on up-to-date evidence on employability. The Coordinator role has led to the introduction and utilisation of innovative tools into the local authority to illustrate data provided by the Council, Government and other local partners, which was fed back internally to colleagues. This had included using Canva to create infographics on data, as well as the quarterly newsletter the Coordinator role circulated. These were viewed as highly engaging by wider colleagues, and seen as beneficial for parents to have improved awareness of the employability services available in the area and who to reach out to.

5.7.6 Lessons learned

Based on the findings from this case study, there are several key lessons for the implementation of the Coordiantor role:

• The Coordinator role has played a key role in improving service delivery for employability support within the local authority, however structural and geographical barriers such as poor transportation connections with the local authority limit effectiveness. Whilst the Coordinator role has involved transport programmes, there are some changes beyond the role’s remit.
• As in other local authorities, it is clear that the short-term funding model has been a barrier to the effectiveness of the Coordinator role. Case study participants felt a longer-term funding model would enable greater flexibility, allowing for more effective place based service design and, and more strategic approaches to marketing, to name a few.

“Funding. I think funding is critical to the delivery of the post in terms of design, delivery of a programme, communications, marketing plans, partnerships internally and externally… for me that would be a longer term commitment from the Scottish Government in terms of the funding of that post.”

– Focus group participant, East Renfrewshire