18 September 2007 – DWP research underlines importance of supporting lone parents back into work
Mothers who have fallen out of the job market following a break-up or change in circumstances need help and support to get them back into work as quickly as possible, said Minister for Welfare Reform and Employment, Caroline Flint.
Caroline Flint was commenting on new DWP research published today that showed women with children who have just split up from their partner were more likely to leave the workplace immediately afterwards.
The research, ‘Partnership Transitions and Mother’s Employment’, examined the relationship between changes in the partnership status of mothers, and changes in their employment status.
Caroline Flint said
“This research shows why it is so important that we help single mothers find work and stay in work and offer support as soon as we are aware that their relationship is breaking up.
“We are consulting on a proposal in our ‘In Work: Better Off’ green paper that from October 2008 lone parents whose youngest child has reached the age of 12 will be expected to look for suitable work in return for tailored, personalised help.
"And the Prime Minister recently announced that lone parents across the country who move off benefit into work are to receive £40 a week 'In Work Credit' - £60 in London - to ensure that they are better of in work than on benefits, and that they will be guaranteed a job interview if they are looking and ready for work.
“We are also cracking down on those non-resident parents who do not pay for their children's upbringing.
"All of these measures are targeted at raising the employment rate of lone parents - which is crucial to achieving our overall goal of full employment - and making child poverty a thing of the past."
Notes to Editors
- Copies of ‘Partnership Transitions and Mother’s Employment’ can be downloaded from the DWP’s Research Series Report (no. 452); see: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rrs2007.asp.
- An analytical summary of the report is also available from the DWP’s media centre; see http://www.dwp.gov.uk/mediacentre/
- The author is Gillian Paull from the Institute of Fiscal Studies
- The study used data from the DWP’s Families and Children Study (and the British Household Panel Survey).
- The Families and Children Study is a refreshed panel study of approximately 7000 families in Britain, investigating the circumstances of all families with dependent children. It covers a range of topics including: health; disability and caring; education; income; childcare; child maintenance; housing; transport; and labour market activity.
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