Interview Spotlight- Laurence Manley from PaCE

We wanted to celebrate and tell you more information about PaCE. Lots of our single parent members have used their services and been able to remove any childcare barriers in order to get back into work. But that’s not all they do take a look…

Tell us about PaCE and what the name stands for?

PaCE stands for Parents, Childcare & Employment. We are the only project in Wales that offers a bespoke service to parents in order for them to address and overcome their childcare barriers when starting work. We are a 12-strong team stretching from Barry and Penarth all the way to Monmouth and Chepstow, covering all of the South-East Wales area. However, we don’t stop there as we have PaCE teams in every Local Authority in Wales providing the very same 1-2-1 support to parents. The PaCE project has been funded by the European Social Fund through the Welsh Government, along with joint beneficiary Department of Work and Pensions.

What projects and services do you offer in Wales?

Although our support structure is based upon addressing childcare barriers and moving people forward, our provision is in no way limited to this. Each PaCE Adviser offers a tailored service to parents out in the community whereby each individual’s circumstances are taken into account. We have many strands to the way we offer support; whether that’s sourcing childcare that meets a family’s needs and helping with associated costs or by offering help with application forms or CVs or linking in with our Job Centre Plus colleagues by seeking out suitable volunteer work or work trials. We consider each parent a value to the community and by creating a network of support for them, we help them to go on and achieve great things.

How have you adapted your services during Covid?

The pandemic has affected people in different ways; but our focus has always been about supporting parents. We have moved our entire operation onto digital platforms, minimising risk to everyone. We have been able to swiftly adapt the ways we work with our parents by carrying out all of our interventions virtually using various applications to do so. The PaCE team are completely committed to overcoming this new barrier that everyone is facing in order to get through this challenging time. We continue to make new friends and develop new partnerships, albeit within the virtual world, allowing for those who we support to access all that they need; and this could be generating links to food services and even sourcing various equipment, like laptops, for example – to help with applying for jobs or home-schooling!

What can community organisations do to support PaCE?

We would like to support everyone that we can, so it’s just about getting our name out there. This is a really difficult time for parents, and we want them to know about PaCE and the ways in which we can help them to ease the pressure and to know that they have someone in their corner. So, the ask to all of our friends and partners is to reach out to their communities and let them know about us and the service we offer. We would be extremely grateful if all social media channels can give us a shout out and highlight our proud organisation. Referrals from all are more than welcome.

What's your best advice for parents hoping to get back into employment or become self-employed?

First of all, the Mums and Dads of Wales are doing an amazing job. It’s a crazy time right now, but they should know that they’re doing great! 

The advice I would offer, at the moment though, is to stay focused and not to allow the current climate to limit their goals and opportunities. With a job market that isn’t quite the same as it was before, my recommendation would be for parents to use this time to upskill in any way that they can; whether that be completing an online Digital Skills or Customer Service course or working on their cover letters and CVs. There is a lot out there in the virtual world to improve employability and for parents to close the gap between now and them being in their perfect job. I would encourage parents to find out about all the support available to them, like PaCE, who can help navigate the childcare and employment world with them.

Why do you work for PaCE?

That’s easy; I love to support people to be the best that they can be and to empower, enable and encourage them to move forward and to overcome their obstacles. Some parents’ journeys to employment are fraught with anxiety and disbelief in themselves. My job is to build that belief back up, help remove the physical and emotional barriers and hope to watch those who I support to reach their goals. The PaCE project allows me to do that. 

What does 2021 have install for PaCE?

2021 is the year of hope and the unknown. It’s a strange time for everyone, but we will continue to endeavour to adapt and traverse this sometimes difficult employment landscape, with parents and childcare at the heart of everything that we do. How can we contact PaCE?

Website: pace.cardiff@dwp.gov.uk

Twitter: @JCPinSouthWales

Facebook: @JCPinSouthWales

Laurence Manley – 07824 622764

Verity Morgan – 07468 753069

Ann Thomas-Hart – 07468 753035

Interested in featuring as a Partner or want to know more about our networking meetings? Then get in touch!