What's New Deal for Lone Parents all about?
You can join New Deal for Lone Parents if you're bringing up children as a lone parent, if your youngest child is under 16 years old and you're not working, or working less than 16 hours a week. New Deal for Lone Parents is a voluntary programme designed to help you into work.
A personal adviser can help you to find jobs, childcare and training. Your adviser can also tell you how your benefits will be affected when you start work and help you apply for any in-work benefits or tax credits.
Your personal adviser can help you if you don't know what you want to do yet. They will help you look at your skills, interests and personal circumstances, and help you decide which jobs would suit you. They can even continue to help you after you start work.
You can find out more on the Jobcentre Plus website.
How do I arrange childcare?
If you go back to work or learning, you'll have to arrange childcare. You can get help on how to choose the right childcare for you, plus advice on how to pay for it, in our section on finding and paying for childcare.
What are tax credits?
There are two types of tax credit: Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit. Generally speaking, they are aimed at people on a low wage.
Child Tax Credit is for people who are responsible for one or more children, or a qualifying young person. Working Tax Credit is for people working 16 hours a week or more. As part of Working Tax Credit you might qualify for help with childcare. The amount of tax credits you receive depends on your household income. You might qualify for extra money if you have children with disabilities.
You can find out if you qualify for tax credits on the Inland Revenue website.
Can I get help with childcare costs whilst studying?
If you do a college course you can apply for funds such as the Learner Support Fund. For a university course you may be eligible for funds such as the Parents' Learning Allowance and the Childcare Grant Package.
You can read more about childcare funding in our help with the cost of childcare section.
What's work/life balance and flexible working?
Work/life balance, as the name suggests, is about finding the right balance between work, and your personal and family life. Having a good work/life balance means you can fit everything in without too much stress.
If you're employed or looking for work, you could ask your employer about their family-friendly policies. You could find out what you would do if your child is off sick from school – would you be expected to take annual leave or do they offer 'dependent days' that you can take in these circumstances?
You might also like to ask about flexi-time, where you can work more hours when possible and take off hours when you need to. You could also ask about working part-time, which could help with picking up your children from school. With job-sharing, you and another person 'share' a job, both working roughly half the hours to make up a full-time position. Working from home could also be attractive to you. Good employers should offer some family-friendly policies like this.
You can get more information and advice on balancing work life and family life from Working Families.
Can I ask for flexible working?
Anyone can ask their employer for flexible work arrangements, but the government has introduced a statutory right in order to encourage applications.
Provided you are an employee (but not an agency worker or in the armed forces) and have worked for your employer for 26 weeks continuously before applying, you have the statutory right to ask if you have a child under six or a disabled child under 18. Foster parents and other carers may also qualify.
Under the law your employer must seriously consider any application you make, but they don't have to agree if there's a good business reason not to.
You can find out more about your right to ask for flexible working in the Directgov employment section.
When can I fit in learning?
If you're the main carer for your children, you could do your learning after the kids have gone to bed – with distance learning you can learn from home. There are also lots of online courses you can do, if you have a computer at home. The Careers Advice Service has impartial advisers who can help you choose the right course for you. The number is 0800 100 900 and lines are open 8am to 10pm seven days a week.
Where can I get more help and advice?
If you want advice on going back into learning or work from other lone parents, why not post on our forums?
If you'd like to talk to someone, our careers coaches can help you to:
- identify your skills and interests
- decide which job suits you best
- find courses and volunteering opportunities
- create or improve your CV
- draw up an action plan.
You can call a careers coach on 08080 100 333. Lines are open 8am to 10pm seven days a week.
These organisations also offer help and advice to lone parents:
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