Education, Employment, Training

There’s plenty of support out there to help you get back in to education or work.

What about school?

If you become pregnant and you are still at school, Oxfordshire County Council has a responsibility to provide suitable education for all compulsory school aged pupils who become parents. Schools are not allowed to exclude you for being pregnant and you will be supported to remain in school for as long as possible throughout your pregnancy. Your school will also make sure you are able to take your exams and make any arrangements to make this as easy as possible for you. After the birth of your child, your school or support worker will help you to decide the best way to continue your education.

And dads at school?

The support your girlfriend receives to help her stay on at school should be offered to you too. This is an important time for you as well to receive as much support as possible so that you are able to finish your education. The school will support and encourage you to attend antenatal appointments with your girlfriend and of course to attend the birth of your child. Talk to one of your teachers or your support worker and they will be able to help.

Get qualified!

Young Parents Learning

Since January 2011, Connexions have been funded to run an Edexcel Level 1 Award "Parents with Prospects" for young parents and parents to be.  Six successful courses have now been completed in venues including Children's Centres and Hubs.  The course is now open to any pregnant or young parent 16 - 24 years old living in Oxfordshire who are not in employment, education or training and would like to attend a group for up to 15 weeks, gain a qualification, make friends and receive support from health and other organisations. 

Through the course you build up a portfolio, gain a qualification, which is great for your CV and helps you to develop not only your parenting skills but the opportunity to receive guidance about your plans for the future.  You will cover subjects such as developing a good relationship with your child and how to play with your child, developing communication and literacy with your child as well as positive parenting skills for the future.

If you'd like to attend you can talk to your support worker or contact Connexions on 07827 947 342 sarah.korting@oxfordshire.gov.uk or 07917 543 333 tracy.thomas@oxfordshire.gov.uk to find out more about when and where the next course is running or download the flyer

There is a facebook page for Parents with Prospects and Young Mums To Be - lots of useful info and links.

Free classes!

Oxfordshire Adult Learning offers free maths and English classes, with classes up to GCSE level. There are day and evening classes to fit in with you and your family and for all skill levels. These classes will help to improve your job prospects and give you a recognised qualification as well as providing you with the opportunity to meet new people!

Contact them on 01865 776334 to have a chat and they can help to find the best class for you.

Job Centre Plus

Your local Jobcentre Plus will be able to provide you with information about courses in your area that may be running at local colleges.

You can find out where your nearest Job Centre Plus is on the Directgov website or contact 0845 604 3719. You can also email: contact-us@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk (this email goes to a central team in Jobcentre Plus and not to your local centre).

There are Jobcentre Plus offices throughout Oxfordshire in Abingdon, Witney, Banbury, Didcot and two offices in Oxford.

There may be financial help available to help pay for childcare, your Jobcentre Plus or Family Information Service will be able to advise you about help available.

Early Intervention Hub

Early Intervention Centres cab offer information, advice and guidance to young people from Oxfordshire aged 13-19. They can help you find education, training, and work placements or voluntary or personal development opportunities. They can also help you to find and access support services for any difficulties and problems you might have in your life. Find your nearest Hub here.

Volunteering - why volunteer?

Volunteering is a great way to learn new skills and gives you a better chance of getting paid work as it builds on your existing skills and shows employers you can keep regular hours and stay committed to a task.

There are loads of other benefits such as:

• Helping you become more confident
• Meet people who can help you find paid work
• Get some great references

Volunteering is also a great way to try out new activities or the chance to try working in a new environment for example social care or working with children. If you haven’t got any previous work experience volunteering is a good way to start as it can give you a good idea about the routines and commitment expected of you when you are working

 You can search for all sorts of interesting volunteering opportunities in your area on the national volunteer website Do-it.  or you can visit the Volunteer Centre Oxfordshire to talk about getting involved in volunteering by calling 01865 251946 or emailing vol@ocva.org.uk

 You can still volunteer if you’re getting State benefits and in nearly all cases your benefits will not be affected.  Make sure you talk to you Jobcentre Plus adviser before you take up volunteering and if you are receiving housing benefit talk to your local council too.

Childcare

Going back to school or training or deciding to find a job can be a bit overwhelming, especially when you will need to think about childcare for your child. The Family Information Service can discuss different types of childcare and how to pay for that care.

They will send you an individual report of what is available in your area including contact details, vacancies and opening hours. Contact the Family Information Service on 08452 26 26 36 (or 01865 328580)  may be cheaper on a mobile)  ) )0000000000000000000000000or email fis.enquiries@oxfordshire.gov.uk or check out their information online.

Your child will benefit from taking part in good quality early years education. It’s a great start for your child’s ongoing education, learning and development. Children learn lots of new skills in a group setting, or with an accredited childminder, building on the skills they learn at home and from their families.

At an early education setting, such as a playgroup, nursery or childminder, your child will have the chance to:

• play with other children
• develop their social skills
• learn through play
• experience new activities and most importantly have fun!

How can I pay for childcare?

Help with Childcare Cost Fund

Oxfordshire County Council has a fund called ‘Help with Childcare Cost Fund’, this money is short term funding to support parents/carers with childcare costs to help them to take up work or training leading to work.

There are certain criteria that parents or carers must meet and information can be found on the Oxfordshire County Council website. For more information or advice contact 01865 328997.

• Help with Childcare Costs fund page on OCC website

Tax credits

Tax credits can help to pay for the cost of childcare and provide support for families who are responsible for children aged under 16.  Qualifying for tax credits depends on your circumstances - such as age, if you work or have children and your total income.

To be able to claim for tax credits you must be aged 16 or over, to apply for an application form or to talk about your claim, phone the helpline on 0845 300 3900 from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Sunday.  You can also find out about tax credits on the HM Revenue & Customs website.

Childcare voucher scheme

If you are working ask your employer if they offer the childcare voucher scheme.

The vouchers can make childcare more affordable and all registered or approved childcare providers can take childcare vouchers as payment. Talk to your employer about childcare vouchers but be aware that these vouchers can affect the amount of tax credits you are entitled to.

Care to Learn funding – help for parents under 20

The Care to Learn funding can help with the cost of your childcare while you are learning and towards related travel costs, it is for parents who are under 20 and have one or more children.

The subject or course you take is up to you! And there are loads of courses to choose from, and while you are learning you will know that your child is being safely looked after.

Your support worker can help you with your application and will be able to help you to choose a course which is right for you and your future plans.

There’s lots of information about Care to Learn funding on the Directgov website. The Learner Support Helpline can answer any questions you may have about the funding, you can contact them on 0800 121 8989 and they are open from 7.00 am to 8.00 pm 

Help for over 20s

If you are over 20 years old and want to get back into study there’s funding available too, this funding can sometimes depend on what level of course you are studying. There is information on the Directgov website about funding such as the Adult Learning Grant and Career Development Loan. Call the Learner Support Helpline on 0800 121 8989. Your college may also have a Discretionary Support Fund to help with learning costs, your student support or welfare officer will be able to help you.

If you are a lone parent and are thinking about returning to work, your local Jobcentre Plus will have a Lone Parent Adviser who can give you advice about financial help to help you get back to work.