New deal plus for lone parents was introduced in April 2005 in North London, South East London, Bradford, Dudley and Sandwell, and Leicestershire. It was extended to Cardiff and Vale and Edinburgh, Lothian and Borders in October 2006. The current pilots, which run until March 2008, are open to eligible lone parents in non-London areas and eligible lone and couple parents in London areas.
The Child Poverty Strategy ‘Working for Children’, published in March 2007, announced the extension and expansion of the new deal plus pilots from April 2008 to March 2011. In pilot locations outside London, key elements of new deal plus for lone parents will be extended to eligible couple parents, and the pilots will be expanded to cover all London areas and will continue to be available to eligible lone and couple parents.
The effectiveness of the pilots is defined in terms of increased exits from benefit and increased employment outcomes compared with similar lone parents in non pilot areas. Evaluation also examines the effectiveness of delivery and impacts on the wider economy.
Early findings from the pilots were included in ‘The lone parent pilots after 12 to 24 months: an impact assessment of In-Work Credit, Work Search Premium, Extended Schools Childcare, Quarterly Work Focused Interviews and New Deal Plus for Lone Parents’, DWP Report 415, published in March 2007, and in ‘New Deal Plus for Lone Parents qualitative evaluation’ DWP Report 426, published in May 2007. Both reports are available in the Library. Qualitative findings from the Scottish and Welsh pilots, and findings from the next wave of Impact Assessments will be published next year and placed in the Library.
Details of the Parliamentary constituencies in which the new deal plus for lone parents pilots are currently operating are in the following table.
New deal for lone parent Jobcentre Plus Pilot District Parliamentary constituency North London (part of North and North East London Jobcentre Plus District) Finchley and Golders Green Hendon Edmonton Enfield, North Hornsey and Wood Green (the new deal plus for lone parents pilots do not cover Hornsey) Tottenham South East London Jobcentre Plus District Bexleyheath and Crayford Erith and Thamesmead Old Bexley and Sidcup Eltham Greenwich and Woolwich Lewisham, East Lewisham West Lewisham, Deptford Dudley and Sandwell (part of the Black Country Jobcentre Plus District) Dudley, North Dudley, South Halesowen and Rowley Regis Stourbridge Warley West Bromwich, East West Bromwich, West Leicestershire (part of the Leicestershire and Northampton Jobcentre Plus District) Leicester South, Leicester, East Leicester, West Harborough (Market Harborough) Blaby Hinckley and Bosworth Loughborough Charnwood North West Leicestershire Rutland and Melton (the new deal plus for lone parents pilots do not cover Rutland) Bradford (part of West Yorkshire Jobcentre Plus District) Bradford, North Bradford, South Bradford, West Shipley Keighley Cardiff and Vale (part of South East Wales Jobcentre District) Vale of Glamorgan Cardiff, Central Cardiff, North Cardiff, South and Penarth Cardiff, West Edinburgh, Lothian and Borders Jobcentre Plus District Edinburgh, West Edinburgh, East Edinburgh, South West Edinburgh, North and Leith Edinburgh, South Livingston, Broxburn, East Calder, Mid Calder East Lothian, Mussleburgh, Haddington Midlothian, Loanhead, Dalkeith, Gorebridge Roxburgh and Selkirk, Galashields, Penicuik Bathgate