Safe Voice Deaf Progress is an organisation-specific pilot project under the central P505 Safe Voice Programme. It supports Deaf Progress as a community-focused accessibility, communication and inclusion initiative centred on improving independence, opportunity and equal participation for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people. Deaf Progress provides services including on-site and remote interpreting, advocacy support, employment support, Deaf awareness activity, community engagement and British Sign Language learning. Its wider mission is to help remove the communication and access barriers that can prevent Deaf people from participating fully in healthcare, education, employment, legal processes, public services, social life and everyday community activity. Within this pilot, Safe Voice does not replace the identity or mission of Deaf Progress. Instead, it provides a PHC governance and evidence framework around the organisation’s existing services. The project will help capture Concerns, define Actions, identify People and partners, track Deliverables, record evidence, support funding readiness and make communication-access barriers visible through PHC Port. From a PHC perspective, this project is not merely about providing interpreting or classes. It is about recognising communication access as a serious social inclusion issue. Where Deaf people are not properly heard, risks are missed, services fail, employment opportunities are lost, health needs may be misunderstood, and rights may be weakened. Safe Voice Deaf Progress gives these issues a structured project home.
📄 The Story of PHC 📄 Project Gap Analysis 📄 Rate Calculator - 7-Day Review 📄 Rate Calculator - Setup Phase 📄 Rate Calculator - Continuation Phase 📄 Approach to ProjectThis proposal requests support to deploy the Project Health Control (PHC) Service as a governance-first support layer for OPEN DWP (Outreach for People Experiencing Need) - a pilot initiative designed to improve dignity, visibility, and practical progress tracking for Universal Credit participants without changing benefit status or interfering with DWP systems.
The core problem is not a lack of effort by claimants, but a lack of trusted visibility: compliance activity can become box-ticking while real barriers and constructive contribution remain unseen. OPEN DWP applies PHC weekly logging and light-touch mentoring to produce a clear, portable record of intention, action, barriers, and next steps that participants can use in Jobcentre reviews and that sponsors can evaluate as a proof-of-concept.
Delivery follows the standard PHC phased model: a PHC 7-Day Review to confirm feasibility and define the operating model, a short setup phase to onboard participants and deploy the tooling, and a 12-week continuation period for the pilot cohort with disciplined reporting and review. to confirm: who will be the sponsoring host organisation for the first cohort, and what reporting outputs are required as a minimum?
Deaf Progress is a service-led initiative focused on supporting Deaf individuals through practical communication access, advocacy and community empowerment. Based on its website, the organisation provides a range of services including on-site interpreting for settings such as education, medical appointments, legal proceedings and corporate meetings, as well as remote interpreting through video and telephone-based access. Alongside interpreting, it offers advocacy to help Deaf people navigate systems such as healthcare, education and employment, with an emphasis on protecting rights, meeting individual needs and strengthening self-advocacy.
The project also appears to extend beyond interpretation into longer-term social and economic participation. Deaf Progress describes employment services that include job placement support, assistance during recruitment, in-work and after-work support, and workplace training for employers and colleagues. It also promotes community events, social activities and Deaf culture workshops designed to improve awareness, inclusion and social connection. In addition, the organisation offers British Sign Language classes for both individuals and organisations seeking to improve communication and create more inclusive environments.
Overall, Deaf Progress can be understood as a multi-strand accessibility and inclusion project: one that combines direct communication support with advocacy, skills development, employment support and community-building activity. Its stated mission is to empower the Deaf community by fostering inclusivity, accessibility and understanding through advocacy, education and innovative technology, so that Deaf individuals have the opportunity to thrive and participate fully in society. In PHC terms, this makes it a strong candidate for structured governance and monitoring, because its success depends on coordinated service delivery, responsiveness to user needs, and sustained progress across several interlinked support areas rather than a single isolated intervention.
Order Efficiency Ltd (PHC Service Provider)
Responsible for delivery of the PHC Service, including the 7-Day Review, setup of PHC Portal access, weekly tracking discipline, mentor coordination, and production of the pilot reporting pack.
Project Sponsor / Host Organisation (Local Authority or Community Host - TBC)
Provides the pilot sponsorship, local engagement support, and the practical referral pathway to participants. Supports safeguarding alignment and acts as the primary operational counterpart for reviews. to confirm: which organisation will host the first cohort and who is the named safeguarding lead?
Participants (Universal Credit recipients - voluntary cohort)
Enrol as PHC Guests (and optionally Trainees), logging weekly activity and barriers in a consistent format. Participation is voluntary and does not change benefit status or create employment.
PHC Mentors and PHC Consortium Team
Provide light-touch guidance, quality control of logging, escalation handling (including wellbeing/safeguarding routes), and operational consistency across the cohort.
DWP (Observer / Alignment Stakeholder - optional)
May provide policy alignment input and observation to ensure non-interference with UC eligibility and to review learning from the pilot. to confirm: is DWP engagement intended at observer level only, or as a formal partner once evidence is established?
Independent Evaluation Partner (optional)
May be invited to strengthen credibility of outcomes and learning through structured evaluation and evidence handling.
Timeline: 1 Week
Focus: Diagnostic review to confirm feasibility, define participant roles, and assess pilot readiness.
Activities:
Deliverables:
Timeline: 2 Months
Focus: Onboarding and setup of PHC systems, consultant induction, and local engagement.
Activities:
Deliverables:
Timeline: 3 Months (Renewable)
Focus: Real-time monitoring, adaptive support, and data gathering for public value evaluation.
Activities:
Deliverables:
Near-term outcomes (pilot period)
A clear weekly governance rhythm that improves visibility of effort and barriers without creating extra bureaucracy. Participants gain a consistent, practical record suitable for Jobcentre reviews, while sponsors gain reliable engagement metrics (retention, logging consistency, common barrier themes, and support needs).
Operational outcomes
A live baseline view of delivery risks and concerns (including safeguarding escalation routes), a tested onboarding process, and a repeatable operating model for future cohorts. The pilot produces a concise evaluation pack: what worked, what did not, what barriers were most common, and what changes are required before scale-up.
Strategic outcomes
Evidence to support an explicit sponsor decision: continue, adjust, scale, or stop. If successful, OPEN DWP demonstrates a low-cost, repeatable governance-first approach that can be sponsored cohort-by-cohort and expanded to other locations, providing practical learning for policymakers and local partners. to confirm: what success thresholds will the sponsor use for continuation (e.g., retention target, minimum logging compliance, and required reporting outputs)?
| Category | Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Month 4 | Month 5 | Month 6 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT Tooling | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,900 | 0 | 0 | 1,900 |
| PHC Start Pack | 0 | 0 | 1,442 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,442 |
| People - Review | 963 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 963 |
| People - Setup | 0 | 2,167 | 2,167 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,334 |
| People - Continuation | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2,369 | 2,369 | 2,369 | 7,107 |
| Miscellaneous | 0 | 1,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,000 |
| TOTAL | 963 | 3,167 | 3,609 | 4,269 | 2,369 | 2,369 | 16,746 |
| Category | Description | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Single Board Computer Set x5 | Raspberry Pi 500, Mouse, hdmi cable, power cable) | £722 |
| Monitor x5 | Mini-Monitor (for RP500) | £480 |
| Site UPS | Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) for site computers. | £240 |
| £1,442 |
| Role | People | Hourly Rate | M1 | M2 | M3 | M4 | M5 | M6 | Total (GBP) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHC Strategist | David Winter | £63.00 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | £3,150 |
| PHC Analyst | Abubakr Harakat | £42.00 | 5 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | £3,570 |
| PHC Admin | Victor Williams | £24,50 | 5 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | £3,063 |
| PHC Trainee | [name1] [name2] [name3] |
£8,40 | 0 | 48 | 48 | 72 | 72 | 72 | £2,621 |
| Project People | Client Rep | £42.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | £0 |
| Total | £963 | £2,167 | £2,167 | £2,369 | £2,369 | £2,369 | £12,403 | ||
Footnote - People Costs and PICS Eligibility: The people-related costs shown above relate to funded governance, delivery, leadership, and trainee roles agreed at the outset of the project. These paid hours are not eligible for PICS (Pro Bono Social Impact Credits). PICS applies only to unpaid or underpaid service contributed outside funded roles. PHC Service maintains a clear, auditable separation between funded work and any pro-bono contribution, preventing double recognition while ensuring transparency to funders.