We are very proud of our Citizen Services colleagues in Local Government Contracts, who received the Social Value of the Year Award in 2023, from the British Association for Supported Employment (BASE).
As trusted partners to local councils, our Local Government Contracts teams around the UK – who have also repeatedly earned UK 'Customer Service Excellence' accreditation – are supporting the transformation of local public services. They do this by delivering complex transactions, business support functions, call centre services and case management solutions – enabling positive impact outcomes for citizens who depend on those services.
BASE acts as the national voice for providers of specialist employment support. The BASE Social Value Award recognises those organisations who are working to create more inclusive and resilient communities, and who have embedded Social Value at the heart of what they do and how they do it.
A rich and varied programme of Social Value generation
“It was a privilege to be recognised by so many inspirational people continually striving to create a more equitable society," said our colleague, Chris Simm, Social Value Lead. "At Serco, we are committed to impacting a better future for citizens and our communities. Our Social Value strategy is designed to help tackle economic inequality, improve community resilience and create equal opportunities, and we are pleased to be part of the Lincoln Social Responsibility Charter."
Our team in Lincolnshire were nominated for the award by our customer, Lincolnshire County Council, and the Careers & Enterprise Company, the national body for careers education in England.
Our colleagues maintain a rich and varied programme of Social Value generation – including community sponsorship and volunteering projects that raised more than £35,000 for charity in 2023.
It was their education and employability support for schools and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) students that stood at the forefront of their nomination.
Education and employability support for schools and SEND students
Working in partnership with the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership (GLLEP) Careers Hub and local schools, Chris and his colleagues launched an employability mentoring scheme for SEND students alongside a broader programme of support for educational establishments.
"Serco has been such a valued employer in our network," said Alex Nightingale, GLLEP. "They are consistently first to react when a school needs input from local employers."
Through the broader programme, Serco has supported educational establishments in Greater Lincolnshire – engaging c.1,000 students at all academic levels in a wide range of prospect enhancing activities such as mock interviews, employability workshops, work professionalism sessions, careers fairs and business challenges.
Helping students with additional needs to develop skills, build confidence and find work
After an initial trial of short work experience placements, Chris realised that students often needed additional support with communication and professional skills and overcoming individual challenges – something Serco could help them with.
"Students with additional needs often find it difficult to access meaningful workplace training with employers willing to invest in their development," says Chris. "We recognised that individuals with additional needs might face additional challenges and wanted to support them in addressing those. In many cases, the additional support was as important as the workplace training itself."
One of the enhanced scheme’s first participants, Ellis, said: “The support I’ve been given has helped me overcome the challenges of the work environment. It’s helped me develop my customer service, communication skills and problem solving.”
The programme combines work shadowing and work experience opportunities, supported by personalised mentoring and individualised employability skills training and developmental support.
Another participant, Sam, credits the scheme with helping him find employment:
"Because of Serco, I’m now in a full-time job. Before Serco, I struggled to interact with people, especially in work environments. When I started the workplace training with Serco, they made me feel really welcome and helped me build my confidence. It's boosted my morale and improved my social skills as well as my professional skills."
“I’m really proud of our participants, their progress, and the outcomes they've achieved," says Chris. "It really has been a privilege to be part of that. Our goal is for 100% of participants to find paid employment following our support, as they all have to date."
Scott Eley, SEND Employment Lead at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “I cannot thank the team enough for making young persons feel so welcome, which has enabled them to settle and demonstrate their abilities. The impact Serco is having on young people with SEND is fantastic.”
