Single parents who want training denied childcare

Childcare charity Daycare Trust and lone-parent charity Gingerbread have written a joint letter to Children's Secretary Ed Balls, Work and Pensions Secretary Yvette Cooper and Business Secretary Peter Mandelson, voicing their concerns following a large increase in calls from distressed parents.

The letter, seen by CYP Now, states that single parents are being denied childcare support from Jobcentre Plus either because they have enrolled before gaining approval from their adviser, or because their course is not considered a suitable "progression to work".

A Welfare Reform Bill going through Parliament will strip benefits from some parents who are not actively preparing for work.

But Kate Bell, Gingerbread's policy director, believes the complaints illustrate flaws in the plan. "The bill states that parents should be taking part in activity to prepare for work and we certainly think that includes further education. At the moment parents can't take those steps," she said.

Colleges can also pay towards childcare for unemployed parents, but parents are reporting that these funds have run out.

The letter calls for clearer guidance on the administration of funding for childcare through the New Deal and an extension of the Free Childcare for Training and Learning for Work scheme.

A spokesperson for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said: DCSF Spokesperson said: "The government is committed to ensuring that families have the support they need to return to and to gain employment. There is no "one size fits all" approach to supporting families in this way so we have launched a range of services over the last few years to ensure no family is left behind."