Parents in receipt of Universal Credit could benefit from a change made to the system from this week.

Parents of children aged either one or two will start to have more face-to-face employment support.

The appointments include exploring steps to improve their skills, identifying support needs, learning about childcare provision, and boosting their confidence.

The meetings increase the opportunity to engage and encourage claimants to think about a job in the future, consider the steps they can take and secure jobs when their child is older.

The Argus:

Parents with a one-year-old will start to have a work-focused meeting with their work coach every three months instead of the current every six months. Parents with a two-year-old meanwhile will start meeting with their work coach every month instead of the current every three months.

Claimants will be told of the change at their next scheduled appointment with their work coach.

Minister for Employment, Guy Opperman MP, said: “From today, thousands of parents of young children will start to meet their dedicated work coaches on a more regular basis.

“This extra support will help those on low incomes to think about and prepare for work while their child is young.

We’ve already taken steps to support families by increasing the amount of help through Universal Credit and providing upfront childcare costs.”

The change is in addition to extra support for parents announced last month, with a more generous childcare offer now being available through Universal Credit.

Maximum childcare payments for families on Universal Credit rose by 50%, meaning people can now claim up to £1,630.

The increase is worth a total of £900 million across the UK, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced.

Families with one child can claim £951, up from £646, while those with two or more can claim £1,630, up from £1,108.