But they will not have a choice when they find themselves on Job Seekers Allowance, as the regime is strict. You have to be available for work, so study becomes difficult. You have to be ready to take a job that may not meet your expectations or needs. And you have to apply for jobs every week in order to fulfil the Job Seekers contract.
This can be daunting after you have been at home with children for a long period. Just when you want to gain new skills, you are told you cannot. Even if the available jobs are not ones you want, you will still have to apply.
Many parents wish they had thought about this predicament well before their children started school - and that is where children's centres can make all the difference. As well as being spaces for children to play and learn, many have become places where parents can develop their talents. Cooking classes, sewing circles, basic skills courses, introductions to IT and English classes all incrementally improve parents' confidence and employability. Throw in expert advice on finding work, and parents find the transition far easier.
My work takes me all around the country and I see many inspiring projects for parents taking place in children's centres.
In Southampton, Jobcentre Plus staff exchanged their corporate suits for Sure Start fleeces and became part of the Children's Centres teams. Rather than waiting to be summoned for 'quarterly work-focussed interviews', parents get specialist advice whenever they need it. In Newham, an expert adviser attends the 'stay and plays' and so reaches parents at a point where they still have time to improve their skills before they are compelled to look for work. The enterprising Early Years team at Hammersmith and Fulham teamed up with Tendis, a local welfare-to-work organisation, to offer skills training (with free childcare). Their classes are full and the feedback is excellent. Islington Working for Parents is another inspiring team, offering one-to-one support in children's centres helping parents write their first CV and guiding them through the benefits maze.In tough times, children's centres become even more important as community hubs. They are essential to helping parents become part of the economic solution, able to find work, rather than remaining on benefits that are losing their value, leaving two million children to grow up in poverty.
