From a DfEE press release -
Employment Minister Andrew Smith announced the national launch of the New Deal for Partners of unemployed people today.
Andrew Smith said:
"Our priority is to ensure that people from households without a wage-earner who want to work have the opportunity to improve their employability and are given support tailored to their individual needs. The New Deal for Partners has been designed to help those who previously faced a lifetime on benefit.
"The New Deal for Partners offers partners of people who have been receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance for six months or more the opportunity, on a voluntary basis, to receive guidance and advice on jobsearch and training from specialist Employment Service Personal Advisers. At an initial interview advisers will look at how to break down barriers to employment through discussing Employment Service programmes, training opportunities, in-work benefits and where appropriate, information on local childcare provision. Partners aged 18 to 24 who do not have children will have the chance to go onto the New Deal for Young People.
"There will be some partners, such as carers or the recently bereaved who are not in a position to think about taking a job at the moment. An opportunity will be kept open for them to join New Deal for Partners at a later stage if they want to.
"Partners of unemployed people have for far too long been overlooked in employment programmes. This New Deal will, for the first time, provide both members of an unemployed couple with the expert and personalised help of the Employment Service to find work, thus helping to reduce the number of workless households. "
