Good News Story: Intuitive Thinking Skills – Still supporting service users despite Covid-19

3SC contract manage Intuitive Thinking Skills on behalf of Merseyside Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC). They deliver an accredited Intuitive Recovery educational programme that promotes abstinence as achievable and easy to maintain. The “Skills-Tu Employment” course is an accredited programme that helps learners both step out of their comfort zone and improve their pitch to an employer. The main aim of the programme is to challenge existing attitudes towards personal development and future opportunities while providing the skills and tools to help change the learner’s language and presentation.

MG was an unemployed 20-year-old heavy cannabis user when he was referred to Intuitive Thinking Skills for their Intuitive Recovery and Skills-Tu Employment intervention in November 2019. Chris Kelly, Intuitive’s tutor for Merseyside, said that MG felt that he had missed out on his life’s opportunities by not leaving school with any qualifications.

MG failed to complete the Intuitive Recovery course in November 2019, although he did return for the Skills-Tu Employment element, completing this and progressing well. Chris remained in contact with MG’s Case Manager, tracking his progress, and when he was re-referred by his Case Manager for the March 2020 cohort, he not only successfully completed the Intuitive Recovery course, he requested to attend the Skills-Tu Employment course a second time.

And we all know what happened in late March!

Intuitive Thinking Skills responded quickly, innovatively and effectively to the announcement of lockdown. The organisation is well set up to deliver the majority of their interventions online, but the lockdown was clearly a barrier to some service user’s engagement, coming as it did so swiftly and mid-way through a course. MG was the only person from the Intuitive Recovery classroom cohort that went on to complete the Skills-Tu employment online with telephone support from Chris.

Chris continued his telephone support with MG in follow up 1-1s, setting him tasks and actions to work towards his employment goals and it paid off with MG securing employment in June 2020. His Merseyside CRC Case Manager, Sarah, was delighted to let Chris know…

“Hey, MG got a job!! He is working with an agency doing night shifts loading vans in Warrington “

According to Sarah, MG’s family felt that this wasn’t the right job role for him, largely due to the location and the fact that he has a baby on the way but she added:

“he always mentions what you said about a job for now and he’s doing fab. The baby is due in 8 weeks. He…has completed Maths and English qualifications…and is waiting on an interview for factory work in Liverpool”.

It wasn’t second time “lucky”. MG had clearly taken on board some learning from his first attendance with Intuitive Thinking Skills in November 2019. He further embedded these skills in March this year and took on responsibility for the actions Chris set him. Intuitive Thinking’s ability to switch to deliver remotely at a key time for MG meant this progress wasn’t lost.

Chris says

“it was attitude, outlook and effort that needed to shift with him but always felt we would see him do well. It was quite [the] learning curve…. [I’ve] never delivered Skills-Tu Employment remotely before [it was] nice to see the first candidate was a success.”

Gareth Snaith, Contract Performance Manager, 3SC