Welfare reforms 'set single parents up to fail', cautions charity

All single parents whose youngest child is aged seven to nine will automatically be switched from income support to jobseeker’s allowance today, meaning they must seek work or risk having their benefits cut.

Gingerbread estimates that the changes threaten up to 111,000 single parents, who must look for work at a time when vacant positions are low, and job-search support and childcare assistance are inadequate.

"The coalition government says it wants to make work pay and support single parents into work, but the reality is that today thousands of single parents are being set up to fail," said Gingerbread’s chief executive Fiona Weir.

"The government needs to act fast to improve the availability of jobs with flexible working hours, improve the job-search support provided from day one of a claim, and increase access to childcare."

However, work and pensions minister Maria Miller said: "We know that work is the best route out of poverty. This is why lone parents with younger children will now be able to have access to help and support to look for work through Jobcentre Plus.

"Getting a good balance between work and family responsibilities is important for every parent. Jobcentre Plus advisers will actively support lone parents so that they can get that balance right too."

The reforms were announced by the former Labour government, which moved to include more parents by lowering the age of the youngest child to 12 in 2008, and to 10 in 2009. Since 2008, an average of 3.5 per cent of single parents whose youngest child is 12- to 15-years-old have found employment each month.

Last week’s spending review included reforms to the welfare system which Gingerbread says will aggravate the situation, such as reducing help for childcare costs for parents receiving tax credits from a maximum of 80 per cent to 70 per cent. Statistics published in April by HMRC show that working single parents make up 60 per cent of recipients of the childcare tax credit.

"We urge the government to introduce short-term measures to help make short-hours jobs pay, and to review recent decisions to cut help with childcare costs which will create a further barrier for single parents trying to get into work," said Weir.