Extra cash made available to support working parents in North Lanarkshire

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Additional money is to be made available to support working parents in North Lanarkshire.The Scottish Government has allocated £3.9 million to North Lanarkshire Council to support parental employment in 2023/2024.The support will primarily target six groups of people - lone parents, those with a disability or child with a disability, ethnic minorities, those with babies under one year of age, and parents under 25.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android A plan to best utilise the funding is currently under development, but proposed investments include dedicated case workers, advice services and financial incentives for employers which create vacancies for parents.Programmes of work focused on improving the employment prospects for people from specific ethnic backgrounds are also under development.A successful pilot programme recently saw parents placed in six-month paid work placements in the public sector, including the council and NHS Lanarkshire.Other measures being considered include grants for self-employed parents and new childcare businesses as well as adding to the number of positions within NLC’s Working for Families team.The council’s Employment and Fair Work committee has endorsed accepting the funding from the Scottish Government and the development of the full investment plan.