Main heading

Case Study: New Leaf Partnership in Crewe 

Background

The New Leaf Partnership was established to develop better ways to link unemployed individuals to the training and employment opportunities offered by the Council’s Supported Employment service.

Community Development Support

The Community Development Worker assisted in developing a working group in response to the need which was identified by representatives from the Council’s Supported Employment Service, and the local Christian Concern organisation who run many successful projects in Crewe. One of their projects is a sale of donated furniture and household items which have not been distributed to re-housed clients during the week, to the public every Friday morning. Many buyers live in the regeneration wards of Crewe, and the sale has grown to be very popular.

The Community Development Worker made contact with local service providers including advice services, Connexions, Lifelong Learning, and the local Housing Trust and the Council’s Welfare Rights Service who advise clients on a range of unemployment and in-work benefits. Based on their experience of running services and knowledge of the local community, the New Leaf working group decided that a traditional jobs fair would not necessarily be effective in that a range of issues needed to be addressed to enable the job seeker to find paid employment, such as childcare and parenting, transport, health and lifestyle, welfare benefits and practical issues. The scope was also widened to include volunteering opportunities as well as paid employment.

This resulted in the New Leaf Community Jobs Event being run in tandem with the Christian Concern weekly sale and was held for the first time at St Paul’s Centre, Crewe on the 23rd February 2007. The event exceeded all expectations. In total 200 people visited the event. Advice and information was given on the day which resulted in a number of follow up appointments with the various advice services..

The Partnership worked because it gave each partner the opportunity to bring their organisation’s assets and resources to the table. Furthermore, partners developed different ways to participate in finding solutions to a shared challenge.

One indirect outcome of the New Lead Partnership was the opening of a Learning Centre at Christian Concern, Crewe for basic skills. The centre was made possible when the Lifelong Learning Partnership co-ordinator signposted Christian Concern Crewe to funding opportunities provided by the Crewe Regeneration Partnership. 
 

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