CLF brings its member authorities together through a range of groups and forums. Its board, which meets a few times a year, is comprised of all 12 political leaders. The 12 chief executives meet together as the programmes board. Below the boards are a series of functional officer groups, including for economic recovery lead officers, skills officers, planning officers and finance officers. They meet regularly to identify shared priorities or concerns, to guide CLF’s work and to learn from each other.
Alongside managing the Central London Works and JETS programmes, CLF bids for funding from the Greater London Authority (GLA) and others to deliver programmes across the region. The adult education budget is devolved to GLA and commissioned by the mayor of London, working closely with the sub-regions and boroughs.
Central London Works is delivered by Ingeus, on behalf of CLF, and this £51 million initiative will support up to 21,000 residents to find work and manage their health conditions. CLF and Ingeus work closely together, with monthly performance meetings which assess not only the number of referrals and job starts but also the quality of jobs and support. Alongside the formal contract management meetings are integration meetings, involving boroughs, with the aim of supporting integration of employment and skills services across central London.
There are some good examples of this integration in action – for example, Ingeus have set up ‘super centres’ in Hackney, Lambeth and Islington which bring together different programmes, including borough and Jobcentre Plus provision. Joe said this approach had been effective:
“They are a really good example of co-location, which is a really positive approach to making sure that we are delivering services effectively and in a joined-up way”
There is also an employer services sub-group which aims to coordinate employer engagement across all the programmes, ensuring that programmes work in unison rather than chasing vacancies for their own participants. The aim here is for a coordinated, single conversation with employers about how CLF, providers and the boroughs can help them fill jobs. Again, this is proving successful:
"It brings Ingeus together with the other providers in London, and the boroughs and sub-regions, to work towards a coordinated approach to identifying potential job opportunities and then engaging with employers to help fill them,” explained Joe.