LONE PARENTS, THEIR CHILDREN AND WELFARE REFORM

1. LONE PARENTS, THEIR CHILDREN AND WELFARE REFORM Dr Stephanie Petrie School of Law and Social Justice University of Liverpool spetrie@liverpool.ac.uk

2. RESEARCH FINDINGS Petrie, S., Campbell, P., (2009), Lone Parent Advancement – A Greater Merseyside Profile: a contextual report supporting further, local action research, University of Liverpool: Liverpool. Ahmad, S., B., Lance Jones, Graham, C., Petrie, S.., Reith., L. (2010), Are we nearly there yet? Managing children and work, University of Liverpool: Liverpool

3. National and International Research Findings on Welfare Reform and Lone Parents - commonalities Lone parents are mainly female A common aim is to reduce child poverty through participation in the labour market Policies have brought LP into employment but ‘making work pay’ (e.g. WFTC) is more effective than ‘welfare to work’(NDFLP)

4. National and International Research Findings on Welfare Reform and Lone Parents - problems Employment sustainability – due to lack of flexibility in the workplace; lack of accessible and suitable childcare; income gaps at times of transition Employment support only effective if same advisor involved throughout and is well informed Poor health for Lone Parents correlates with work/ family conflict

5. Lone Parents in Merseyside Mainly female % of LP in pop. stable over the last 5 yrs % higher in all Merseyside areas than national average (15%) ranging from St. Helens (20%) to L’pool (30%) % correlate with indicators of socio-economic deprivation – Merseyside in the lowest 25% in England – Liverpool is the lowest Guestimates of children affected by reforms to be implemented in Oct 2010 range from approx. 2,000 in Halton to 9,000 in L’pool

6. Barriers to employment identified by lone parents in Liverpool Childcare Information and advice Career development Training and education Inflexibility in the workplace

7. Choice for children They don’t want to go to after school club ... they said ‘who’d pick us up?(C3) After school club and stuff like that. The kids didn't want to go to that. They were unhappy, which made me unhappy and I wasn't happy going to work, because they were unhappy(B7) 7

8. Lack of provision for older children If they are teenagers how they are going to go home and let themselves in because after-school clubs don't cater for the age of 11 and upwards (B4) I am not leaving my child alone, going home alone. If I left the children home alone until I get in at 6 or 7 I could get done by social services. They don’t do after school clubs in secondary (C6). Generally childminders only pick up children under eight years old (A6) Teenagers are not mature enough to be left ‘home alone(B5). 8

9. Children’s Safety There’s no guarantee that government childcare will bring up our children in a safe and secure environment. Internet abuse, abuse in nurseries ... if that is not enough to scare single parents to stay at home I don’t know what is (A3)

10. Implications Implementing ‘Welfare to Work’ reforms in local areas when exact numbers of lone parents and their children are unknown in the context of likely redundancies in the public sector Lack of suitable out-of-family care or choice for older children and young teenagers in the context of public and political concern about anti-social behaviour and lack of parental supervision 10

11. You are jumping from one job to another trying to better yourself…but also your family is falling apart as well…because your kids are shoved into all these care ...I look at kids today and feel so sorry for them and think no wonder the kids are smashing up the city, are causing all these things because where’s the parents?...they are out at work, they’re coming in, they’re shattered...they don’t want to sit down and start playing with the kids and say how was school today, they’re exhausted (C2)

12. Damned if they do and damned if they don’t