LONE parents and families in the Cowdenbeath area are benefitting from a series of projects run by the Fife Gingerbread organisation.

Their employability and progression manager, Laura Millar, told Cowdenbeath Area Committee on Wednesday, that two in particular were making a huge difference to families in the Cowdenbeath-Lochgelly area.

Fife Gingerbread is unique within Fife, in that it is a membership organisation. This means that members are able to have their say on matters regarding Fife Gingerbread.

Members are invited to the AGM, and are given the opportunity to raise matters and vote on issues that are addressed at the event.

Laura pointed out that since 2002 the local landscape had changed dramatically, and due to lower marriage rates and higher divorce rates, the chances of being a lone parent were higher than ever.

Child poverty had risen dramatically in recent years thanks to the Government’s welfare reform legislation, she said, and sanctioning by Job Centre Plus, affecting not only lone parents, but families too.

She added: "Fife Gingerbread recognised the impact these changes were having on families and adapted its approach in order to be able to support more parents and more importantly, children, by widening its constitution in 2014 to include vulnerable and disadvantaged families, whilst maintaining its specialist support for lone parents".

Making it Work for Families is a partnership project between Fife Gingerbread, Citizens Advice & Rights Fife, Supported Employment Services and Clued Up and is fully operational in the Cowdenbeath Area.

Said Laura: "We will support families who are out of work with a young person (aged 14-19) in the household 'at risk' of not achieving a positive destination.

"We will work with every member of the family to overcome barriers, and progress towards employment. The project is an innovative family approach to employability and will be evaluated by Poverty Alliance to measure the impact.

"The project will aim to engage with at least 58 families living in Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath before December 2018".

Making it Work is a unique partnership project which supports lone parents towards employment.

Started in 2013, with funding from Big Lottery, Making it Work has continued to deliver quality services to lone parents to support them to progress towards employment.

Over the years the project has been delivered in partnership with Fife Council, Citizens Advice & Rights Fife, One Parent Families Scotland and Fife Gingerbread.

Said Laura, who indicated that they were working with 15 lone parents in the Cowdenbeath Area: "We are supporting lone parents in Cowdenbeath, Glenrothes, Levenmouth and South West Fife areas. The project is funded by Opportunities Fife, ESIF and Fife Council Local Area Money.

"Fife Gingerbread support workers operate using a Engage-Support-Progress model to support our lone parents to engage on the project and overcome barriers. "The service is tailored to meet the needs of each individual, and the service is designed to meet their needs.

Citizens and Rights Fife are integrated throughout the project, providing a specialist money advice service to lone parents at all support stages. Overcoming debts and financial worries removes a huge barrier to employment.

"Groupwork plays an important role to increase self confidence, reduce social isolation and create peer networks for our lone parents. These groups range from confidence building to crafts to walking groups".

Laura added that an allotment project was set to take place in 2018 in Kelty where people were to be encouraged to work a plot which would be geared to producing different types of vegetables etc.

And she went on: "We are very grateful to the backing we get from the Cowdenbeath Area Committee which helps us to carry out our projects in this part of Fife"

Cowdenbeath and Kelty Councillor, Alex Campbell, said that the introduction of Universal Credit in December had proved controversial and he wondered if that was posing problems for Fife Gingerbread's clients.

Laura answered that there were some issues from it and they had met with Jobcentre staff to discuss how best to tackle these.

Committee chair, Councillor Linda Erskine said: "What has been outlined here shows that the investment that has been made has been money well spent. The projects are helping local people in all sorts of ways."

The Fife Gingerbread Festive Package supports families across Fife during the Christmas period. This is a time when families already living in poverty face additional stresses and strains.

We provide food, fuel, cosy clothes and toys to families. If you can help us help more families by donating to our appeal, please get in touch via the contact us form, emailing info@fifegingerbread.org.uk, or calling 01333 303124.