The following statement was issued today by Julie Bettney, Minister of Human Resources and Employment. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

I am very happy today to share with you some of the exciting findings contained in an evaluation on the Single Parent Employment Support Program.

The Single Parent Support Program, as you may recall, is a joint initiative between the Department of Human Resources and Employment and the Single Parent Association of Newfoundland and Labrador. Launched in 1998, the pilot program helps single parents on income support obtain full time employment and work towards becoming financially independent.

The last time I spoke to you about this pilot, my department and the Single Parent Association, were getting ready to commission an overall evaluation of the program. The evaluation is now complete. The results are very encouraging and promising.

The report confirms that the SESP initiative is doing what it was designed to do - assist single parents to find and keep jobs so that they become more financially independent. It�s doing this by providing access to supports such as: child care, transportation, job search assistance, an earned income supplement, and also important personal support through the Single Parent Association.

Of the 173 single parents that have taken part in the program between August of 1998, and May 2000, about 75 per cent have found full or part time employment. Not only are they finding work, but they are maintaining it.

The report authors heard many stories about how this program is helping transform peoples� lives. Single parents talked about feeling empowered, about feeling more confident. They talked about having bank accounts for the first time, about how their income was allowing them to make choices about where they lived, and how their children were for the first time inviting friends home.

This is a true partnership. Staff from HRE and the Single Parent Association are working together for clients. Together we are making a difference. The approaches we are piloting here are part of our overall redesign process. They reaffirm the department�s commitment to working with the community and building strong partnerships that will improve the well-being of our citizens.

The report confirms that investing our funds differently gives people the opportunity to change their lives, and the lives of their families. This is an important theme of government�s Strategic Social Plan. The department intends to continue this pilot with the Single Parent Association for two or three more years, to determine the long term outcomes for our clients.

I also want to mention before closing that there will be another intake for the Single Parent Employment Program after Christmas, starting in January. Single parents interested in taking part should contact the Single Parent Association of Newfoundland, or my department of Human Resources and Employment. I�d like to introduce you today to members of the Single Parent Association of Newfoundland who are here in the Gallery. Executive Director Margaret Acreman, and Yvette Walton, coordinator of the Single Parent Employment Support Program, have been key to the success of this exciting partnership.

It was a pleasure updating you on this important initiative.

2000 12 13 2:45 p.m.