Wrexham Family Information Service (WFIS) has been supporting employers and employees in Wales and the UK with up to date information on Work Life Balance legislation, research and good practice for over a decade.

As a partner in the Eurobalance project WFIS has supported the project partners with expertise and research and WFIS has also updated and published a WLB Guide for Wales/UK.

The Welsh Government’s Child Poverty Strategy, published this year, addresses the vital role that childcare plays in enabling parents to train or work. It recognises that we can address in-work poverty by enabling individuals to work more flexibly, by ensuring that childcare provision is affordable and accessible and by providing sustainable routes out of poverty through genuine career paths that have the chance of progression.

WFIS identified an unmet need for support for employees and employers to address ‘in work poverty’ in North East Wales. More co-ordinated work is required with employers, particularly those employing staff on a low income such as in the manufacturing and retail sectors. This will increase employees’ awareness of financial entitlements and Work Life Balance to lessen the chances of families living in poverty.

A new Employment Information Outreach Officer will be appointed in September to work with employers and employees across the three counties in North East Wales, coordinated through WFIS and Family Information Services in Flintshire and Denbighshire.

The new ‘Sparks’ Project will:

• Provide information and guidance to employers on the range of support available to employees to lessen the chances of families living in poverty.
• Raise financial awareness of employees to ensure they are in receipt of all financial entitlements.
• Contribute to improving the skill levels of employed parents on low incomes.
• Promote up to date information on Work Life Balance legislation, policies and good practice.

The project will also:

• Hold quarterly Learning sets, initially with Denbighshire and Flintshire FIS, to ensure effective targetting of employers who draw employees from across the three counties and to share good practice. Colleagues from Businessline, Economic Development and other agencies providing employment, careers and training  advice and guidance across the North Wales area will also take part.
• Analyse Childcare Sufficiency Audit results across the three counties to inform action planning.
• Analyse tax credits uptake to inform action planning.
• Produce action plan to include: Information surgeries at large employers/companies, raising awareness in SMEs and business networks of support opportunities.
• Support and encourage employers to provide a link from their intranet to our service/ routinely provide information to employees with families about FIS.
• Support employers to conduct childcare needs audits.
• Update and promote Work Life Balance Information Guide.
• Promote the business benefits of effective Work Life Balance practices.
• Support employers with Work Life Balance issues.
• Work with partners to develop referral routes.
• Support employees in the uptake of WTC and Childcare element of WTC.
• Production of Help with Childcare Costs and other fact sheets for working parents.
• Link with agencies providing Basic Skills.
• Childcare funding to address barriers to training.

Regular updates on the Sparks project will be posted on the Work Life Balance Forum website.
More details can be obtained from Alma Belles ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or Lisa Atherton ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) Tel: (0044) 1978 292094