Helping parents into employment with Chaucer Plc
News article from July 17, 2017
Chaucer and School-Home Support (SHS) have teamed up on a project to ensure that disadvantaged children in Tower Hamlets are in school and ready to learn. School-Home Support works to tackle the stresses that some children live with so they better able to concentrate at school. Our approach to improve attainment and school attendance involves working with parents. Thanks to Chaucer’s partnership with SHS, children in Bangabandhu Primary School benefit from a School-Home Support Practitioner, someone who provides direct support to children and families. Breaking down barriers to learning such as poverty, poor housing or poor mental health needs this consistent support. School-Home Support and Chaucer work together to improve school attendance and engagement in learning and raise the aspirations of vulnerable children and families in the Tower Hamlets Primary School.
Getting parents into work has a big impact on children. When parents are working, family incomes tend to improve, there’s more structure at home, and working parents are also generally more positive role models. They have wider social networks and are better able to link educational achievement with their children’s future employment prospects. Creating lasting change within families is our goal. Helping unemployed parents into work is one of our key initiatives that really benefits from corporate employee involvement. Late last week, a small group of staff from Chaucer spent the morning at the primary school working one-to-one with parents in a practical way. The session took place in the school IT suite, and nine parents (three more than we initially expected) turned up for some much needed support.
Chaucer volunteers worked hard all morning, helping parents get their first CV together. They provided some much needed support and encouragement and the morning was highly productive and hugely beneficial for the mums attending. It was a particularly busy morning – word had got around the playground so the volunteers were outnumbered by two to one! We did lose the one and only Dad who initially joined the session, so we’d love to recruit some of the guys from Chaucer to get involved next time.
Meeting someone from the business world is in itself really valuable for parents. The opportunity to engage with someone who works in the city and to benefit from their advice, practical help and support is often the boost parents need to kick start their job search.
We think the feedback from the mums who attended speaks volumes.
“I am so glad I swapped my doctor’s appointment for this workshop as I really needed help with doing up my CV.” – Rushia, Mum of Year 2 child.
“If it wasn’t for Taslima (SHS Practitioner) at the school I wouldn’t know where else to get this support of getting a CV made as well as an email address.” – Isolated single Mum of 3 children.
“I am actually looking for work. This has given me a booster to start actively seeking, thank you everyone for this very useful workshop.’’ – Mahbuba, Mum to child in Year 2.
“Feel a lot confident about updating my CV when I need to, thank you.” – Mashira, Mum to child in Year 2.
“More workshops like these please!” – Suaad, Mum to 2 children in year 4 and year 5.
Chaucer staff involved agree the session was hugely beneficial and a genuinely rewarding morning.
“It was extremely rewarding to see how pleased the parents were with having their first ever CV and also great to give them some positive affirmation by pointing out that they had valuable skills and experience that they often hadn’t appreciated could be mentioned in a CV.” – Deborah Wyatt, Chaucer
“We really enjoyed ourselves, it was such a great feeling to know that ten ladies walked out at the end of the session with a CV.” – Victoria Jarman, Chaucer
“I thoroughly enjoyed myself and thought the whole morning ran very smoothly. It was a great experience! Helping the parents out with their CVs was a fun challenge.” – Lizzy Rees, Chaucer