This session takes place on Wednesday 17 September 2025, from 10am to 11.30am
Delivered as a webinar via Teams
Part of our SMD Research and Innovation Learning Series.
This webinar explores the integration of employability within services for individuals facing Severe and Multiple Disadvantage (SMD). The session will begin with an overview of nearly a decade of research and evaluation undertaken by Framework, highlighting key insights into the role and impact of engaging people facing SMD with employment-related support.
You will hear directly from the team behind It Pays to Work - Framework’s initiative to embed employability within supported housing. They will outline the model and share emerging outcomes and insights from the programme, which launched in April 2025 following a successful six-month pilot in 2024.
The session will conclude with an open discussion on the critical relevance of embedding employability within SMD systems, and opportunities for further collaborative learning and practice development.
Who is this webinar for?
This webinar is open to professionals who work with people impacted by trauma, abuse, addiction, homelessness, poor mental health, and/or contact with the criminal justice system.
It will be particularly relevant to frontline practitioners, researchers, commissioners, and policymakers with an interest in systems change and improving employment-related outcomes for people experiencing SMD.
We also warmly welcome individuals with lived experience of SMD, especially those interested in employability and systems change.
Presenters:
- Jessica Smith is Research and Evaluation Manager at Framework. Jess has worked across complex needs and employability services since 2007. She is a committed advocate of ‘work first’, and strengths-based approaches that champion the wider, holistic benefits of engaging with employability. Her doctoral research explores the role of employability within services for individuals experiencing SMD. Jess led the evaluation of Opportunity and Change (2016-2023), an employment-related support programme for people facing SMD. This work directly informed the development of It Pays to Work - Framework’s innovative model for embedding employability within supported accommodation settings.
- Richard Oskwarek is Operations Manager - Employment and Skills at Framework. With 20 years of experience at Framework, Richard has played a key role in delivering impactful Employment and Skills support across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Lincolnshire. He has led the development and management of a diverse portfolio of employability and skills programmes, supporting individuals to overcome barriers and achieve lasting employment outcomes. Richard is passionate about creating opportunities, empowering people, and driving positive change in local communities. He firmly believes that everyone deserves the chance to explore and access meaningful employment.
- Rachel Gibbs is Employability Implementation Coordinator at Framework. Raye brings over a decade of frontline experience in the delivery and management of employability services, with extensive practical knowledge of employment support and the welfare benefits system. She currently leads the implementation of It Pays to Work within Framework’s supported accommodation services. Raye is passionate about improving access to employment-related support for individuals experiencing SMD. In her current role, she focuses on equipping supported accommodation staff with the skills and confidence to embed employability into their everyday practice.
This session will be recorded and the materials later hosted through the NCVS website.
By signing up to this event you will be added to a mailing list to be notified about future sessions in this series.