Mother and toddler

ESF works across England to support women with caring responsibilities to develop their employability skills, tackle barriers to employment and secure sustainable jobs.

A number of ESF projects work with young mums who are NEET, and those who may have left school with no or low qualifications, had their children at a young age and now face a number of barriers, including the provision of childcare, to enable them to return to learning and work.

Young Mums Will Achieve (YMWA), based in Cornwall, tackles barriers of rural and social isolation and childcare by funding travel and providing childcare close by, where young NEET mums are confident about leaving their children. YMWA ensures that young women in some of the most disadvantaged communities are able to access and achieve literacy and numeracy qualifications, and develop employability skills, in community venues, with intensive one-to-one personal support.

The YMCA Break Through Project works with young parents (mainly but not exclusively women) in Croydon, providing free childcare in a well-resourced children's centre, delivering one-to-one personal support for young parents to address barriers to learning and work, and employability skills training to prepare them for work. There is a focus on childcare courses, which not only provides vital information for the growth and development of their own child, but offers a route to employment by the achievement of real vocational qualifications.