A week in the life: Putting lone parents on a pathway to a brighter future

Janice Montgomery has been seconded from Gingerbread Northern Ireland as a Local Development Officer to the Department for Employment and Learning's Pathways to Work for Lone Parents initiative. She talks to Fiona McIlwaine Biggins about her role helping lone parents back into employment

Janice Montgomery sets off on another busy day promoting the Pathways to Work for Lone Parents initiative

DAILY SCHEDULE

Pathways to Work for Lone Parents is an innovative new approach to help lone parents to engage in the world of work. Since January 2007 the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) has been piloting this new and comprehensive framework of practical and financial help and support to lone parents facing barriers to employment. The service is being piloted in Jobs and Benefits Offices at Knockbreda and Shaftesbury Square in Belfast and Limavady and Lisburn.

I have been seconded across to the department to help with this exciting new initiative. Gingerbread NI is the lead agency working with and for lone parents and their families in Northern Ireland. It develops and delivers projects and needs-led services including training, advice and childcare, advocates on behalf of one parent families through research and representation and aims to positively influence public policy and practice as it relates to lone parents.

In my role as Local Development Officer I work between personal advisers, the local community and statutory and private sectors to ensure that all of those supporting lone parents work in a cohesive way and are aware of what is available across all sectors.

MONDAY

I arrive in work at 8am and start the day by sorting out my diary for the week ahead. I schedule a meeting with a range of community/voluntary organisations in each of the four pilot areas to discuss the Pathways package. In the afternoon I concentrate on the promotion and organisation of three information open days that are planned for the Lisburn, Limavady and Belfast areas to promote the Pathways project. I draft up a list of organisations who I would like to invite to the event and offer them the opportunity to have information and display stands exhibited. Brenda Caher, Programme Manager for the Lone Parent Project, and I meet with the media and marketing unit in the department to arrange the design of posters and promotional materials.

TUESDAY

This morning I have a meeting in Limavady Jobs & Benefits Office with the Lone Parent Personal Advisers from each of the Pathways to Work Lone Parent areas. This meeting enables advisers to share progress and discuss future ideas for moving forward. Then in the afternoon I meet the manager of Roe Valley Leisure Centre to discuss the details for the information open day. This is the venue we are using for the Limavady information open day.

WEDNESDAY

This morning I visit a range of community/voluntary organisations in the Lisburn and Shaftesbury Square areas to promote the project. In the afternoon I deliver the invitations and posters for the information open days to the personal advisers in Lisburn. Whilst in Lisburn I call in with some of the community/voluntary organisations to give them a supply of the posters so that they can help promote our up and coming events.

My day ends with an update meeting with my manager Karen McCann in Gingerbread NI.

THURSDAY

Today I have a Project Board meeting with Extended Schools at the South Eastern Education & Library Board. This is an opportunity for me to find out what 'Out of School' services are currently being offered and is useful information for me to share with personal advisers in the Lisburn and Knockbreda Jobs & Benefit Offices.

This afternoon I have a meeting in Castle Buildings, Stormont, with the PSI (Promoting Social Inclusion) Working Group. This working group consists of organisations that work closely with and support lone parents and their families, as well as representatives from government departments. The purpose of this meeting is to put together a list of recommendations for the Minister that represent the most important priority areas for action which will make a real difference to the lives of lone parents through alleviating poverty and social exclusion and having an impact on child poverty.

FRIDAY

Today I deliver presentations to the development workers at the Northern Ireland Childminding Association (NICMA) in Newtownards and in the afternoon to the Inner City South Sure Start staff and development workers. This is an opportunity for me to promote the Pathways to Work package and encourage NICMA and Sure Start staff to share this information with their parents and childminders.