Report on 'New Deal for Lone Parents' published

A study on how the 'New Deal for Lone Parents' programme is operating in Northern Ireland has been published by the Department for Social Development.

The report, compiled by PricewaterhouseCoopers, highlighted how the voluntary New Deal for Lone Parents has helped single parents gain better qualifications and jobs over the past 12 months.

The research showed that, for those who are single parents and caught in the poverty trap, it is encouraging to find out that programmes exist which can fit around their schedule and enable them to gain qualifications.

The report also revealed that younger participants and those with children at primary school appear to be more interested in New Deal – conversely, older lone parents appear to be more reticent about participation.

For those who complete the training, the most frequently cited impact of the programme was considered to be the opportunity it provided to gain formal qualifications as a step towards gaining adequately paid employment. In addition to this, participation in the New Deal for Lone Parents also appeared to have a positive impact on the ‘softer skills’ of lone parents with reported increases in self-confidence.

However, the impact of the New Deal varies from individual to individual and across geographical location. The report shows that the availability of suitable work placements, and training provision appears to vary across Northern Ireland. This, the report found, has had an impact on the choice available to lone parents with those in rural areas appearing to be more disadvantaged.

The research, conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, was commissioned by the Social Security Agency and the Department for Employment and Learning in December 2001.

Researchers PWC carried out interviews with individuals from Playboard, Gingerbread, YMCA and BIFHE, and organised focus groups were set up with advisors from the Social Security Agency and Department for Employment and Learning Advisers.

(AMcE)