Single parents of 10- and 11-year-olds must look for work

The new welfare reform came into effect today, and sees all single parents with a youngest child aged 10 or 11 switched from Income Support to Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA). The switch means they must now attend fortnightly Jobcentre interviews and show they have been applying for jobs between the interviews.

Single parents with a youngest child aged 12 were the first to be moved to the new system last year. But research from single-parent charity Gingerbread has revealed that many of those parents have suffered from a lack of support since the switch.

Government promised single parents more support in return for tough work-search conditions but the back-up just isn’t there, said Gingerbread chief executive Fiona Weir.

Single parents are being hurried through a sign-on system, which puts them under intense pressure yet doesn’t recognise the real-world constraints that make it hard for them to find and keep a job.

The research showed many parents have not been offered meetings with a New Deal adviser. Others feel demoralised by job rejections, financially insecure and under pressure, yet no better equipped.

According to Gingerbread, the latest switch will see more than 68,000 single parents moved on to JSA.

The news comes amid reports that Work and Pensions Secretary Yvette Cooper has called upon employers to offer more part-time jobs to help parents fit work around school times.

Sarah Jackson, chief executive of charity Working Families, claims that most job-seeking parents are looking for part-time work.

Most jobs are advertised full-time, but we found when we tried phoning round that many employers are very willing to consider part-time or job-share applications, she added. If those same jobs were advertised as suitable for flexible working, it could open up a much wider pool of candidates.