New Universal Credit rule change for parents of young children starts this week

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has introduced a new rule change this week that will see parents of children aged one and two on Universal Credit attend more face-to-face meetings with work coaches to help them prepare for employment.

The appointments will include exploring steps to improve their skills, identifying support needs, learning about childcare provision, and boosting their confidence.DWP said the meetings increase the opportunity to engage and encourage claimants to think about a job in the future, consider the steps they can take and secure jobs when their child is older.

Universal Credit claimants will be told of the change at their next scheduled appointment with their work coach.Parents with a one-year-old will start to have a work-focused meeting with their work coach every three months instead of the current six months and parents with a two-year-old will start meeting with their work coach every month, instead of the current three months.Minister for Employment, Guy Opperman MP, said: “Thousands of parents of young children will start to meet their dedicated work coaches on a more regular basis.

This extra support will help those on low incomes to think about and prepare for work while their child is young.“We’ve already taken steps to support families by increasing the amount of help through Universal Credit and providing upfront childcare costs.”He added that the change, implemented on Monday, July 24 is the “latest example of how this Government is putting families first”.DWP said that helping parents return to work is part of the UK Government’s continued efforts to drive down economic inactivity and get Britain working to grow the economy.The announcement builds on support announced in