Title Page
Contents
Acknowledgements 7
The Author 8
Abbreviations 9
Summary 11
1. Introduction 17
1.1. About the work-focused services in children's centre pilot 18
1.2. About our evaluation 20
2. The pilot local authorities and children's centres 23
2.1. Overview of the pilot local authorities and children's centres 23
2.2. Pre-pilot work-focused activity in the local authority areas 24
2.2.1. Local and national pilots and projects 24
2.2.2. Local strategic work-focused activity 25
2.2.3. Public sector recruitment strategies targeting the local community 26
2.2.4. Other work-focused activities 26
2.3. Pre-pilot work-focused activity in the children's centres 28
2.4. The socio-economic contexts of the pilot local authorities 28
2.5. Contextual information on the pilot children's centres 30
2.5.1. Areas served by the children's centres 30
2.5.2. Profile of pilot children릗 centre users 31
2.5.3. Core and supplementary services 47
2.6. Chapter summary 47
3. Pilot approaches and early implementation experiences 49
3.1. Pilot aims, approaches, and core elements 49
3.1.1. Pilot aims and key approaches of the local authorities 49
3.1.2. Core elements in the delivery of the pilots 50
3.2. Early views around implementation 54
3.2.1. The role of the Jobcentre Plus Personal Adviser 54
3.2.2. Pilot activities 55
3.3. Hopes and expectations of the pilot 55
4. Summary of key findings 57
4.1. Key observations 58
5. Next stages of the evaluation 61
5.1. Qualitative research with children's centre users (summer 2009 and 2010) 61
5.2. Case studies (autumn 2009 and the end of the pilot) 62
5.3. User survey (towards the end of the pilot) 63
5.4. Comparison study 63
Appendix 65
Appendix A. Report data 65
Appendix B. Review of local authority bids 75
Appendix C. Baseline user survey questionnaire 89
Table A.1. Economic activity and inactivity in the pilot local authorities, October 2007 to September 2008 66
Table A.2. Key benefits claimed in the pilot local authorities (working age client group), August 2008 66
Table A.3. Numbers of unfilled Jobcentre Plus vacancies in the pilot local authorities, April 2007, 2008 and 2009 67
Table A.4. Economic activity and inactivity in the key wards served, by the pilot children's centres, 2001 68
Table A.5. Levels of deprivation among the pilot local authorities 70
Table A.6. Reach area profile for the pilot children's centres 71
Table A.7. Number of workless lone parent households in the pilot local authorities authorities 73
Table A.8. Numbers of IB and JSA claimants in the ten pilot local authorities 73
Table A.9. Number of IS and JSA clients at the end of January 2009 who are lone parents 74
Figure 2.1. Demographic distribution of respondents 31
Figure 2.2. Number of dependent children among respondents 32
Figure 2.3. Respondents' housing circumstances 33
Figure 2.4. Respondents' employment status 34
Figure 2.5. Employment status by caring responsibilities 35
Figure 2.6. In receipt of benefits or tax credits - respondents or their partners 36
Figure 2.7. Weekly household income of survey respondents 36
Figure 2.8. Frequency of visits to the children's centre - all respondents 37
Figure 2.9. Frequency of visits to the children's centre - parents out of work and claiming benefit entitlements 38
Figure 2.10. Usual reason for visiting the children's centre 39
Figure 2.11. Usual reason for visiting the children's centre, by demographic group 40
Figure 2.12. Past, present and future take up of Jobcentre Plus services 41
Figure 2.13. Current users of Jobcentre Plus services, by age, gender, partner and work status 42
Figure 2.14. Intention to use Jobcentre Plus services in the future, by gender, age, partner and work status, number of children under five, and ethnicity 42
Figure 2.15. Types of Jobcentre Plus services currently used, by parents out of work and claiming benefit entitlements 43
Figure 2.16. Types of Jobcentre Plus services used in the past, by parents out of work and claiming benefit entitlements 44
Figure 2.17. Preferred site for Jobcentre Plus services 45
Figure 2.18. Reasons for favouring Jobcentre Plus services at children's centre sites over same services at the Jobcentre Plus office - categories with ten or more responses 45
Figure 2.19. Reasons for favouring Jobcentre Plus services at Jobcentre Plus office over same services at children's centre sites - categories with ten or more responses 46
Figure 2.20. Jobsearching strategies among parents out of work and claiming benefit entitlements 47