JRF Poverty and Ethnicity Programme Phase 2 comes to an end

November saw the end of phase 3 of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation-funded Poverty and Ethnicity programme. 

BTEG first began work with JRF back in October 2015 when we successfully tendered to become their strategic partner. 

Our work on the project included helping select four demonstration projects which led us to go on to work with Bradford Council, the Mayor’s Fund for London, Crisis Brent and Women Like Us. We provided programme management services and ensured learning was shared through a series of one-day workshops over two years

Key messages coming out the learning from this project include:

• Supporting people into work: target specific ethnic groups 

• Supporting people into work:  trusted intermediaries are critical

• In-work progression: in-work progression does not necessarily mean higher pay

• In work progression:  encourage employers to be proactive in increasing workforce ethnic diversity

• Moving out of poverty is a long term process

The final two workshops, aimed at external audiences/key influencers of policy, were held this year at Cabinet Office, hosted by Race Disparity Unit and at City Hall, hosted by the GLA.

L to R: Sietske Van der Ploeg, Poornima Kirloskar-Saini, Debbie Weekes-Bernard, Jeremy Crook at the Cabinet Office event

Both had around 30 attendees including people from the Department of Work and Pensions, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, JCP, the Learning and Work Institute, charities, local authorities and other interested parties.

Panel of speakers at City Hall event

Feedback from all stated that the workshops were very well received. We also produced three briefing papers which have been shared via our website and social media. Download:

Briefing Paper #1

Briefing Paper #2

BTEG also provided evaluation services to the demonstration projects. These included providing an evaluation plan template, guidance on measuring outcomes and completing evaluation reports, support to produce both interim and final evaluation reports and production of two composite reports; taking content from all demonstration reports to produce a summative view of the project. The final composite report can be downloaded from the BTEG website and a  final briefing paper which includes a few case studies will be published shortly .