OSW's early remit was focused on service delivery within the Greater London area. However, as we have developed as an organisation we have diversified in the ways we work, and we have sought to build relationships and establish influence with a much wider scope, both nationally and internationally. We are currently involved in a range of activities at different geographical levels.

London

OSW is physically located in London, and until recently all of our employment and training service provision for people who are homeless or at risk has been based in the Greater London area. We have developed close working relationships with many organisations providing services to homeless people in the capital, and have made a positive impact on building capacity in the capital's homeless sector. We have also helped to forge cross-sectoral links in London (for example between homeless services and Further Education institutions, via our Making Links project), and have been able to facilitate the development of our working model for other client groups in the area (e.g. through our involvement with the LORECA project, working with Refugee Community Organisations).

Strategically we have ongoing relationships and a positive track record of working with key London agencies such as the GLA, LDA and the Mayor's office.

UK

Our service delivery operations are currently linking us to other parts of England, including Tyneside and the South West. In Tyneside we are delivering a new employment scheme, the Transitional Spaces Project, and in the South West we have been involved in supporting the development of delivery consortia.

We are also forming new partnerships with organisations across the UK, providing the opportunity to both learn from others, and to disseminate our research and best practice. In conjunction with Homeless Link we recently held a series of Employability Seminars to explore regionally specific issues about how to support individuals to improve their employability. The popularity of these seminars will see further regional seminars delivered in the forthcoming months.

We have developed links with DCLG, DWP and DFES to inform and influence policy that will better enable disadvantaged groups to improve their skills and access employment.

Europe

Different countries have developed different ways of dealing with the complex problems facing multiply disadvantaged groups. The exchange of knowledge and good practice internationally is an important means of helping us to better enable disadvantaged groups to improve their skills and access employment. In recent years OSW has worked closely with relevant European organisations in order to further this aim.

We are an active member of FEANTSA (The European Federation of National Organisations working with the Homeless), and in particular are involved in its Employment Expert Working Group, looking at homelessness and employment at European policy level. Through our TMD London Equal partnership we are also a member of 4Inclusion, a transnational partnership which shares practice across four key European cities (London, Paris, Madrid and Budapest). We have facilitated mutual learning exchange visits with homelessness organisations in other European countries; and the exchange and dissemination of information at an international level.