Just the job for parents who want to work

Indeed, joblessness is a major factor driving child poverty. Lone parents in particular find it difficult to find work that allows them to fulfil their parenting responsibilities. Child poverty will not be reduced unless we help deprived families overcome barriers to finding and remaining in work.

Lisa Harker's report Delivering on Child Poverty: What Would it Take? just over a year ago, threw down the gauntlet to policy makers to address the needs of jobseekers not just as individuals, but also in the context of their family commitments, as parents or as carers. The challenge is to offer tailored support to parents in the most disadvantaged families who want to go back to work. Particular concerns of parents returning to work may relate to childcare, leaving the home environment and worries that their skills might no longer meet the requirements of the labour market.