14 March 2005 - Lone parents get the full deal from new booklet
A new booklet full of handy information for lone parents was launched today by Minister for Work Jane Kennedy.
For the first time A Guide for Lone Parents brings together key national information and contacts for lone parents, covering a range of issues, from finding childcare to getting a job, and from housing to healthcare.
Ms Kennedy said: “Lone parents can now get the useful information they need at the turn of a page when they pick up this new free guide.
“We want to do even more to help lone parents so they can give their children the best start in life. We have had great success with the New Deal, which has helped raise the lone parent work rate to its highest ever level, and also recently announced a further package of support for this group of people.
“This new guide will now point them towards the practical help that is available. It will tell them what’s on offer and help them make the most of opportunities out there, with a wide range of information available in one place.”
The guide was launched by Ms Kennedy at an interior design business set up by sisters Lesley Arnold and Louise Thorpe, who were helped by the New Deal for Lone Parents programme. Lesley and Louise started ‘Hothouse Interiors’ in July 2003 and haven’t looked back since.
Commenting on the launch of the New Deal for Lone Parents Guide Louise said: “I’m thrilled to support the launch of this new guide. The New Deal for Lone Parents certainly has changed my life and having all the information in one handy booklet would have been a real boost when Lesley and I were starting out.”
Lesley added: “Louise and I love what we do for a living. ‘Hothouse’ is a dream come true for us and New Deal gave us the opening we needed to launch the business and lead rewarding working lives. I would certainly recommend other lone parents check out the guide and the big range of help available.”
The guide is available from Jobcentre Plus offices, Jobcentres and social security offices and from the New Deal helpline on 0800 868 868 (textphone 0808 100 8680). Information can also be accessed via the Jobcentre Plus website at www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk
Notes for editors
- Calls to the New Deal helpline are free. Lines are open from 7am to 11pm, seven days a week.
- The lone parent work rate is currently 55.8 per cent – an increase of ten percentage points since 1997.
- The new pilot package, announced in the Department for Work and Pensions Five Year Strategy, brings together extra support and childcare help with added financial incentives to look for and move into work. The new measures will ensure a clear gain from work for lone parents, as well as guarantees about childcare support and ongoing help of professional job advisers, in return for a commitment to search for and take up the offer of work.
- Photographs of the visit are available from the DWP press office.
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