Annual Report 2017
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Ballymun Job Centre – Annual Report 2017 Ballymun Job Centre Co-operative Society Limited Civic Centre, Main Street Ballymun Dublin 9 Ballymun Job Centre – Annual Report 2017 1 FORWARD: John Dunne Chairperson Ballymun Job Centre As you read this progress report you will discover that the BJC is about people and partnerships. The people involved in the running of the organisation and the delivery of services, i.e. members of the Board of Management and the staff, the clients and the local community, the focus of all the BJC does and finally the people from our partner organisations, at local, National and European level. There are three interrelated aspects to the work of the BJC. The first is the services and supports provided to job seekers. Second is the services provided for employers. The third is the innovative and research aspect of our work. The work of the BJC reflects a belief that every individual has a right to employment and to realise his or her potential in the labour market. This belief is core to the BJC philosophy because of the important role that paid employment plays in determining the psychological well- being of the individual and the quality of life of individuals and families in our society. This is reflected in the mission of the BJC, which is to raise the skills and labour market aspirations of individuals in Ballymun so that they can reach their potential. An independent income from employment is the main route out of welfare dependency and poverty. By supporting individuals to access training, education and employment, the BJC ultimate objective is to reduce the levels of poverty. The BJC focuses on the development of relationships and partnerships with others because of the complex and interrelated factors that prevent access to and progression within the labour market. At a local level the clients we support tend to have a complex range of factors that they need to address in order to access employment. They need to deal with a range of agencies and organisations delivering services to address the various factors. In order for the BJC to provide quality, effective services it is necessary to develop relationships with these organisations. Thus the activities outlined in this Report involve collaborations and partnerships with others in the private, community and state sectors. In 1986 when the BJC was established, Ireland and the community in Ballymun faced a serious social, personal and family situations that challenged the very fabric of our community. One of the main problems faced by the country and the community was high levels of unemployment. During the period of the “Celtic Tiger” the community experienced some positive changes for example unemployment fell to an all-time low, the regeneration of the area started and the area began to attract employers, providing local employment opportunities. The last few years have seen dramatic changes in Ireland’s economic position. As a result unemployment is again, a major challenge for the country and the Ballymun community. The BJC is very well placed to meet this challenge. In doing so we will continue to develop and work in partnership with our staff, the clients, employers and individuals in other agencies and organisations. Annual Report 2017 Ballymun Job Centre – Annual Report 2017 2 Contents FORWARD: John Dunne Chairperson……………………………………… 1 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………. 3 OUR GOVERNANCE…………………………………………………………………. 3 QUALITY SYSTEMS……………………………………………………………………. 4 UNEMPLOYMENT AND BALLYMUN/BALBRIGGAN…………………….. 6 BJC: SERVICES FOR JOB SEEKERS………………………………………………. 12 LOCAL EMPLOYMENT CENTRE…………………………………………………. 13 TRAINING AND EDUCATION…………………………………………………….. 15 JOB CLUB: IMPROVING JOB SEARCH SKILLS……………………………… 20 DRUG SUPPORT SERVICES: Helping to Make a Positive Change… 23 EMPLOYER SUPPORTS……………………………………………………………… 26 INNOVATION AND RESEARCH: From local to EU to local………….. 310 TARGETS & RESULTS YEAR TO DATE 2016…………………………………. 476 Annual Report 2017 Ballymun Job Centre – Annual Report 2017 3 INTRODUCTION A COMMUNITY JOB CENTRE BUILT ON PARTNERSHIPS The Ballymun Job Centre Co-operative The Ballymun Job Centre (BJC) was established in 1986 Society Limited (BJC) is a community as a community response to a chronic unemployment organisation that was established in situation. 1986 to support job seekers to Since opening, the BJC has adapted to changes in the access employment, education or environment in order to respond more effectively to the training. needs of the community. A voluntary organisation with charitable status, the BJC The BJC is a voluntary has a proven track record of providing quality and organisation with charitable innovative services. status. This Annual Report The BJC is a central landmark in the Ballymun outlines some of the main community operating from the local shopping centre. activities carried out in 2017. The main activities include a career guidance service, jobs club, recruitment and placement service for employers and training and education programmes. The BJC also manages a range of innovative projects developed with the support of EU and private funding. The BJC works in partnership with many local, National and European organizations. The services and programmes outlined in this Report would not be possible without the support from its partners. In March 2017 Ballymun Job Centre opened a Job Centre in Balbriggan and some of the staff transferred there. The Balbriggan Job Center offers the same LESN Guidance and Support service to unemployed people in the Balbriggan and surrounding areas on behalf of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. OUR GOVERNANCE The Ballymun Job Centre has in place a number of processes to support the governance of the organisation. The processes are intended to provide confidence to the various stakeholders (Board, staff, funders, clients and the public) regarding the management of the organisation and in particular the use of state, EU and private funding which are used to deliver the range of services and projects provided by the BJC. As a legally constituted co-operative the BJC is governed by a book of rules. The rules provide the framework for how and why the BJC operates. The rules outline its mission, values, role of the Board and its officers, the management structures, its legal obligations and how it should conduct its business. Annual Report 2017 Ballymun Job Centre – Annual Report 2017 4 The Board members of the BJC are volunteers. The BJC believes it is important to support individuals who give freely of their own time to make an important contribution to the work of the BJC. The BJC has a handbook that provides guidelines to the members, regarding their duties and responsibilities. The BJC manages money on behalf of Irish and EU tax payers and private bodies. It is important that it manages the funding in a competent, transparent and productive manner. The finances of the BJC are audited by an independent auditor. As a co-operative the BJC submits its annual accounts and a completed AR15 Form to the Companies Registration Office (CRO). Since its establishment in 1986 the BJC has submitted annual returns to the CRO. These are available from the CRO. QUALITY SYSTEMS The BJC has a range of policies and procedures that provide guidelines and framework for the Board, Management and staff in the day to day operation of the services and projects. These include policies and procedures on finance, service provision, IT usage, equality and diversity, ethical behaviour, health and safety, work place and employment legislation, performance system, etc. The BJC outlines all of these in its staff handbook. All of these form part of the BJC quality framework. These are independently audited in order to achieve the Q mark quality standard. The Q mark assesses an organisation across five areas, Leadership and Commitment, Employee Engagement, Excellent Business Systems and Process, Customer Experience and Results. In 2017 the BJC achieved a QMS percentage score of 79%. This compares to a QMS average percentage score of 74%, a high of 93% and a low of 55%. Annual Report 2017 Ballymun Job Centre – Annual Report 2017 5 OUR MISSION OUR VISION To raise the skills, People Living in the greater Ballymun area educational levels and have the capacity to realise their labour labour market aspirations of market potential and can access employment our clients and community using holistic, that provides them with a quality of life free person centred approaches. from poverty and welfare dependence. Annual Report 2017 Ballymun Job Centre – Annual Report 2017 6 GENERAL AREA PROFILE BALLYMUN/BALBRIGGAN BALLYMUN The geographic area of Ballymun includes part of Glasnevin, and is bounded on the east by Whitehall and Santry, to the north by Dublin Airport and St Margaret’s, on the west by Finglas and on the south by Botanic gardens/ avenue areas. It comprises five ‘electoral divisions’ or EDs (Ballymun A, B, C, D, E, F1) with a total population of 21,626 (7,599 households) – a 7.4% population increase compared with its 2011 population (which was 20,141). The population in the area around Poppintree Park Lane, Belcare and Parkview (Ballymun A) increased in this time by 29%. However, these electoral divisions are not homogenous, and disadvantage is concentrated in some areas. For example, based on 2016 Census data, the HP relative deprivation index2 classification for the five electoral districts in Ballymun ranges from disadvantaged (for the EDs Ballymun, B, C and D) to marginally below