Education CommitteeWritten evidence submitted by Neil Couling, Jobcentre Plus

The Jobcentre Plus offer in Children’s Centres

Local agreements between Jobcentre districts and children’s centres provide a valuable opportunity for DWP to channel work-focussed support and services to the most disadvantaged parents.

The Childcare Act (2006) places a duty on the Local Authority and Jobcentre Plus to consider whether each of the early childhood services they provide should be delivered through any of the children’s centres in the local authority area.

The Department has in place national guidance to support districts across the network in developing their own locally-tailored partnership arrangements with individual children’s centres.

The Jobcentre’s key role in any such partnership is to tackle worklessness in parents, specifically those who are the most disadvantaged. This is achieved by providing access to a range of employment and labour market support services through the children’s centre.

Any services to be provided will be agreed between locally between Jobcentre Plus districts and the children’s centre and recorded in the partnership agreement. Examples of the type of support provided could include:

Actively linking customers with return to work courses;

Offering advice about CVs and support in creating a personal account on Universal Jobmatch;

Information about jobs available in the local area;

Advice about the Work Programme;

Internet access via Gov.uk;

Adviser-led group sessions offering employment advice;

Drop-in sessions for people to allow them to consult personal advisers about the financial impact of starting work;

Leaflets and/or posters advertising Jobcentre Plus services;

A named personal adviser at the Jobcentre who can provide a direct contact point for parents; and

Signposting to other services such as debt advice agencies.

The Jobcentre Plus Services

Jobcentre Plus managers and advisers have access to a comprehensive flexible menu of options to enable them to make cost effective choices and provide the right support at the right time which include access to Jobcentre Plus provision, financial incentives and help with expenses, including childcare, replacement care, travel, training course costs through the Flexible Support Fund.

Personal advisers offer lone parents advice with job seeking, training opportunities, in-work benefits, tax credits and childcare options. This can include any of the following:

A record of agreed steps towards work on an Action Plan;

Help and support with finding suitable work and when applying for jobs;

Advice on identifying training opportunities;

Access to Jobcentre Plus provision, including work focused training or mentoring support through the Jobcentre Plus Support Contract;

A calculation of how much better off a lone parent could be in work, compared to their current situation;

Advice on financial help, benefits and tax credits when the lone parent starts work;

Help in applying for in-work benefits and tax credits;

Advice on identifying registered childcare options;

Help with expenses to attend meetings, job interviews or approved training, including childcare and travel costs; and

Continued support and advice after the lone parent has first started work.

In addition, the following financial support may be available to eligible lone parents:

Help with childcare costs for work less than 16 hours per week through the Childcare Subsidy;

Access to the Flexible Support Fund to remove barriers that prevents lone parents from actively engaging in looking for work or accepting a job offer.

Help with up front childcare costs when a lone parent starts work; and

The provision of help with childcare, a week before starting work, through the Childcare Assist initiative.

July 2013