Category

• Emerging Local Practice

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Poverty impact

• Mitigation

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Poverty driver

• Increase employment income

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Keywords

• Lone parents
• Holistic support
• Employability support
• Partnership working
• Lived experience volunteering

Aim

Making it Work for Lone Parents aims to empower lone parents on their journey towards flexible, healthy and well-paid employment.

Summary

The project is delivered in partnership with Fife Gingerbread and Citizens Advice and Rights Fife, and is centred around tackling child poverty. Empowering lone parents on their journey towards work, education and/or training through a holistic approach to employability, that is delivered at a pace that meets the needs of the family rather than the expected outputs of the funder.

What difference does it make?

Making it Work for Lone Parents is now embedded in communities in Mid Fife. It has made a significant difference at an individual level – improving parent’s confidence and skills which, in turn, improves outcomes for their children. This has been done through following the employability pathway, that has resulted in parents progressing into volunteering, training, work, or education. Fife Gingerbread appreciates supporting parents through an employability journey where they gain confidence, skills and peer support will have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of their children.

Key take-aways

• Strong collaborations with external agencies can be beneficial to service users, particularly lone parents who are looking to secure, sustain or improve employment.
• A holistic, whole-family approach involves providing family learning and tailored support that includes children and young people in the journey.
• Adopting a person-centred – as opposed to a service-led – approach is helpful to those furthest from the job market, particularly when it meets the needs of the individual at a pace appropriate for them.
• Enabling former service users to become involved in a project through volunteering and employment is beneficial for current service users, particularly for those struggling with confidence and isolation.

 

Organisations

Fife Gingerbread and Citizens Advice & Rights Fife

Location

Mid Fife (Cowdenbeath, Kirkcaldy, Levenmouth and Glenrothes)

Contact