FOLLOWING the national charity Gingerbread’s report about the challenges single parents face in gaining and staying in work since the pandemic a not-for-profit Southampton homecare provider has pledged to help (April 2022).

SCA Care says it will offer the sort of help Gingerbread says single parents need so they can re-enter the workplace, including flexible hours around childcare commitments and wellbeing support.

Ricky Rossiter, Director of Integrated Services at SCA Care, says:

“The charity’s Single Parent Employment Challenge report found that between July and September 2021, just 64% of single parents were in employment, compared with 83% of couple parents.

“Gingerbread says that single parents’ reasons for leaving work differed to other groups. These included the challenges of trying to hold down a job and look after a child, or children, on their own and the mental health impacts of the pandemic."

Laura Dewar, Policy and Research Lead at Gingerbread, commented:

"the lack of flexible jobs is preventing far too many single parents after the pandemic."

"We understand that working and juggling family commitments can be difficult. We already have several single parents working in our teams and have first-hand experience of the issues they face.

“We take mental health and wellbeing very seriously here and offer our frontline carers free wellbeing support through our sister charity Options Wellbeing Trust, which has professional therapists and counsellors on its team who can help with a variety of life issues, including anxiety, trauma, stress, relationships and bereavement. We have trained Mental Health First Aiders and a dedicated, free-ranging Wellbeing Ambassador on our team too.

“We want to address the issues raised in the Gingerbread report and to give anyone looking for work while their children are at school, or in childcare, the chance to consider a career with us.

“We wish to support them, so they have a smooth entry into our sector and re-entry into the workforce. We understand they may have had to leave work during the pandemic for various reasons, as the Gingerbread report states, and are not feeling confident about returning.

“We hope that anyone who feels like this, will see the support we offer and feel more comfortable in applying for one of our roles. No experience is needed as we have a paid, comprehensive training programme to get new starters up to speed.

“We’re hoping that by having policies in place to support single parents, they will be encouraged to re-enter the world of work, as we know they have valuable skills that are greatly needed.”

SCA Care is well able to cope with the number of service users it already assists, but there has been a growing demand in Southampton from those seeking help and it’s keen to provide the support needed, so is looking to recruit 50 new carers this spring.

Returning single parents are encouraged to get in touch to find out how they can join the sector and have a role that helps them balance their work and home life.

New recruits are given their birthday off as a paid day’s leave, free uniforms, free training, PPE and all the equipment they need to make their calls. They also receive above average rates of pay, as well as 30 days paid holiday inclusive of bank holidays, paid mileage and payment for any time someone spends travelling to and between calls.

Ricky adds:

“No experience is necessary, as we cover all the costs of DBS checks and training for staff who remain with us after their probationary period and pay staff to attend training sessions. We offer new recruits an induction and on-boarding programme, as well as buddying-up with other experienced team members, and we train staff to an industry standard with all employees completing a Care Certificate.

“We also offer flexible working hours, both full and part-time, competitive wages, £10.90-£14.25 per hour, which are due for review at the end of March, plus paid travel time, and a generous holiday allocation, including giving an additional free day for a team member’s birthday. Further details of the current and evening roles we have are here:https://jobs.sciagroup.co.uk/.

“Joining us is a great opportunity for single parents to achieve a recognised qualification and they’ll also be able to access a career pathway, if they wish, through to management. Plus, you’ll be joining a charity, not some large money-making machine, we’re here for those we care for and not-for-profit.”

For further details, please call SCA Care on 023 8036 6663 or visit https://sciagroup.co.uk/homepage/care-jobs-in-southampton-and-hampshire/.