Dawn has two teenage children and was made redundant from the probation service in a round of cuts. Three months later, three jars of coins in a kitchen cupboard contain the family’s savings. If the week has gone well, she puts aside whatever coins are left over. If there has been unexpected expenditure, she dips into the jars to buy bread and milk, or to give the children some money for school. Managing the family’s budget has become an all-consuming preoccupation. Dawn says, “It’s all very well politicians saying they want to reward work, but there are no jobs for us to be rewarded in.” The clothing firm where she worked after leaving school has shut down. She used to make clothes for M&S, but thinks most of the work she did is now being done abroad. She has worked in a hamburger van, as a night time office cleaner, in a bar, and as a self-employed childminder. She finds the obligation to spend time in the centre, looking for jobs that aren’t there, dispiriting.