A “Helping Hand” to re-enter the job market

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France : A “Helping Hand” to re-enter the job market

Fondation de la Deuxième Chance (Second Chance Foundation) is a national network offering professional, social and personal support for those experiencing hardship.

Fondation de la Deuxième Chance was set up in June 1998, bringing together over a hundred partners (private and public enterprises, institutions, etc) and now has 70 centres in France. The Foundation aims to help unemployed people aged 18 to 62 who are in difficulty and want to get back on their feet.

There are two strands to the Fondation de la Deuxième Chance “Helping Hand” project:

- Technical, social and personal accompaniment over a 6 – 24 month period by support teams

- A financial commitment

The personal and financial support enables the beneficiaries to see a sustainable professional plan through to completion. This could mean training, setting up a business, or taking over an existing business.

In all, nearly 1 200 volunteers (instructors and buddies) work in the community alongside those receiving support. Thanks to them and the institutional support of the partners, 5 000 ‘helping hands’ have been funded since 1998, including 725 in 2011.

Carrefour Foundation has been supporting Fondation de la Deuxième Chance since 2002. In 2011, a 45,000€ grant enabled the partnership to continue.

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The Caen site is very active, forming a number of partnerships with local social structures. Ten staff volunteers from Carrefour act as ‘buddies’ for beneficiaries, providing them with support and advice, while also running the structure itself.