This September, the London Development Agency plans to form a team ofchildcare brokers who will help parents looking for work locate andaccess childcare services. The brokers will work in 11 boroughs in eastand west London as part of a pilot lasting until October 2008.
The pilot aims to test whether giving parents access to brokers at allstages during their transition into employment will make them morelikely to find work.
Denise Burke, the agency's head of childcare, said parents' childcareneeds changed as they progressed from training to employment. "WhileJobcentre Plus staff can signpost parents to services, they can't holdparents' hands, sit down with them and find out what their needs are,"she said. "The brokers will handhold parents through their transitioninto employment, talking through their choices and helping them accesstax credits. We want to see if it can help prevent parents fallingthrough gaps such as when childcare support ends after doingtraining."
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
