Southampton Supported Internship Forum: Terms of Reference

Background and context

In 2022, the government reinforced its commitment to supporting more young people with SEND into employment by the Department for Education funding a 3-year programme to strengthen Supported Internships. The programme aims to:

Double the current Supported Internship provision in England to 4500 per year
Support over 800 Employer Champions across England
Provide training to at least 760 job coaches across England
Support over 1000 new employers offering placements by the end of the programme

The Internships Work programme aims to:

Support local authorities to develop SEND Employment Forums
Engage with and support employers to offer high quality work placements
Improve the quality of Supported Internships and train more job coaches who are essential to this work

Local authorities taking part in this programme, including Southampton City Council, are required to develop local SEND Employment Forums to oversee this work.

Purpose of the Southampton Supported Internship Forum

To develop a strategic approach and action plan aimed at improving Supported Internship provision in the city
To bring together all the local partners who can deliver pathways to sustainable employment
To promote collaborative working among key stakeholders
To establish Supported Internships as a viable progression route for young people with SEND living in Southampton
To identify, develop and promote training and resources for schools, colleges and employers
To provide partnership strategic support to the implementation of the Internships Work grant funding and action plan

Accountabilities, Key Tasks and Responsibilities

To increase awareness of Supported Internships and the benefits of the provision to young people and employers
To share best practice and ensure high quality provision and work placements are available to all supported interns
To work together with stakeholders, providers, employers, parents and young people to address any challenges in the implementation of the action plan

Meetings

The Southampton Supported Internship Forum will meet every other month in the early stages of implementing the action plan and will move to termly meetings once fully established after the first year. Frequency of the meetings will be reviewed regularly by the forum and steering group to ensure meaningful and timely interaction.

The meetings will take place virtually to ensure maximum attendance.

Forum meetings will be co-chaired by Southampton City Council’s Employment Support Team, who have received the Internships Work grant funding, and a young person representing supported interns and young people with SEND.

Membership

Forum membership will consist of:

Young people – CYP forums, interns and graduates, prospective interns and school and college student leadership forums
Parents – parent/carer forums, parent groups
Education support services – SEND, PfA, Educational Psychology, Sensory and Behaviour Support Teams
Health Services
Adult and Children Social Care Services
Employment Services – LEP, Transition Coordinators, Economic Development, DWP
Schools and Colleges
Supported Internship providers
Voluntary, community and advocacy groups
Employers
Employer forums – Chamber of Commerce, Go! Southampton, EBP South
Job Coaches
Integrated Commissioning Unit
Southampton City Council Internal and External Communications Team

Governance

Southampton City Council’s Employment Support Team will oversee administrative and governance tasks relating to the forum, including:

Agendas, minutes and invites for meetings
Chairing the Supported Internship Forum Steering Group
Maintaining the Internships Work action plan and completing progress reports