About Single Parents Action Network

SPAN is a broad umbrella organisation representing the diversity of one parent families across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Membership includes small single parent self-help groups, individual single parents, large charitable organisations and all kinds of support groups which are concerned in some way with supporting the needs of one parent families. Members may be divorced, separated, widowed, never married, heterosexual or gay and from many different backgrounds and cultures.

http://www.spanuk.org.uk/

Single Parents Action Network's Project

SPAN's EQUIPE project was aimed at developing a new model for a childcare service to meet the needs of single parents and those needing respite care. Their main objectives were:

• To set up a new model of childcare service in Easton, Bristol.
• To develop a childcare service to meet the needs of working parents.
• To develop the service as a model of good practice for supporting work/life balance student/trainee parents and those needing respite care.

Project Outputs

• Provided increased opportunities for flexible access to childcare and employment, including the creation of sessional employment for registered childminders. Part & full-time childcare/mobile crèche employment over life of programme - flexible home-based childcare tailored to needs of individual families provided. Increase in number of young single parents accessing training with on & off-site childcare.
• Provided Training for childcarers to NVQ level 3. Also provided paediatric first aid training for community-based practitioners.
• Database created to record range of childcare usage throughout project: combination of mobile crèche, on-site crèche & home childcare.
• Supported by UpStart, developed new business plan to develop home-based childcare as a social enterprise.
• Provided childcare support for self-organising groups of single parents developing peer group learning. Some of whom received accredited qualifications and continued on into employment and further education.
• Supported regular meetings of Childminders Group.
• Provided childcare provision to support parents in the SureStart initiative in Easton, Bristol.