Jobcentre Plus

An unemployed Birmingham lone parent has found his dream job after a stint of voluntary work in his son’s local nursery led him to a ‘caring’ career.

Thirty-eight year old Lee Cater, from Icknield Street in Kings Norton, is now a fully qualified community family worker, spearheading a team who are setting up a brand new Children’s Centre in Acocks Green.

Lee, dad to Samuel aged four, explained: “I can’t believe how things have turned around and the help I received from my adviser at my local Jobcentre made a huge difference”.

Despite being the only male volunteer, Lee began helping out at Allenscroft Project, which includes Allenscroft Children’s Centre, where Samuel attended nursery.

Lee said: “I really enjoyed working with parents and children and found it very rewarding, although it was a bit daunting being the only man in the place and, I’m the first to admit, a bit of a rarity.  But I was used to that, as I was often the only dad at playgroup and mother and baby sessions too. Many of the children at the nursery didn’t have a positive male role model as they were being brought up by single mums; I felt that the voluntary work I did at the Allenscroft Project and Children’s Centre helped fill that gap.”

Julie Taylor, Lee’s New Deal personal adviser at Kings Heath Jobcentre, arranged for him to start a six month community family workers course.  She also helped him sort his finances by arranging his working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit. On completion of his course, Lee started work immediately.  He’s currently working “flat out” to open Fox Hollies Children Centre later this year and “loves every minute of it”. 

Julie said:  “Lee was a pleasure to work with as he’s so positive and a fantastic example to other lone parents who are thinking about returning to work.  He is truly an inspiration to others and we wish him every success in his new career.”
 
Specialist Lone Parent advisers at Jobcentre Plus can help lone parents overcome barriers to work; discuss their situation and goals, help them work out what works best for them and their children and look at in work benefits.

More information about New Deal for Lone Parents is available by calling 0800 587 4242 (7am to 11pm, seven days a week); textphone 0845 606 0680; or by visiting the local Jobcentre or Jobcentre Plus office; or visit the Jobcentre Plus website

Notes for Editors

Jobcentre Plus, part of the Department for Work and Pensions, brings together employment and benefit services for people of working age based on the objective 'Work for those who can, support for those who cannot'. It provides a professional and modern service to meet the diverse needs of employers and those seeking work, including:

• personal advisers to provide practical support and advice to help those in need find and keep work, including training provision and benefits guidance
  
• a dedicated service to support employers in filling their vacancies quickly and successfully, including the ability to place jobs online
  
• ability to search for jobs both online and over the phone through Jobpoints in Jobcentre Plus offices, the Jobseeker Direct phone line and through the website; and
  
• swift, secure and professional access to benefits for those entitled to them.

Customers can access Jobcentre Plus services through around 1,000 locations across Great Britain, including over 850 newly refurbished Jobcentres. Touch-screen terminals and Customer Access Phones are also available in a further 120 sites such as libraries and local authority premises. Jobcentre Plus works with over 275,000 employers to place 17,000 people into work every week. Over 400,000 vacancies are listed each week on its website and more than 4m job search requests are received, making it the number one UK recruitment website.

For further information on the services that Jobcentre Plus provides employers and people of working age visit the Jobcentre Plus website

Media enquiries: 0121 626 2992 or 07876 546583 – Jo Carroll
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