Confident to Work is a new one-day course designed to equip those working in children's centres and extended schools with the knowledge they need to help parents get back into work.
According to course director Liz Sewell, it is all about ensuring parents feel confident in their choices and have advisers who understand their needs.
With new employment legislation about to come in, many practitioners recognise that now is a good time to update their knowledge. Ms Sewell says, 'November will see changes to benefit rules that will mean unemployed lone parents will move off income support and on to jobseekers allowance when their youngest child is 12 - currently the age is 16.
'Unlike income support, jobseekers allowance requires parents to be available for, and actively seeking, work. It is planned that next year the age will fall to ten and in 2010 it will fall to seven.
'Currently we are seeing a huge emphasis on practitioners in children's centres and other settings being asked to work with parents. But many do not have the right information or understanding.'
Parents who have been out of the workplace for a while will need support finding childcare or claiming working tax credits. For non-working lone parents, the move to jobseekers allowance undoubtedly makes the need more urgent. These parents may find they need to take a job but will want to feel they are making the best choice for their whole family.
'Children's centres and extended schools are an ideal starting place for parents to find support,' says Ms Sewell. 'As a minimum, they should be able to signpost efficiently - that means having a relationship with the local Jobcentre Plus and an understanding of the Basic Skills Agency, for example. It is even better to have people who can steer parents to manage their work-life balance.'
The first one-day course, taking place in London on 17 November, will cover areas including:
- the new benefits landscape
- how children's centres and extended schools can help
- case studies
- teamwork activities. People take away an action plan and a lot of useful information.
The first day is sold out but bookings are being taken for 12 February 2009. Contact liz.sewell@confidenttowork.com www.confidenttowork.com
