Almost one in two children in single parent families live in poverty, compared with one in four children in two-parent families. This inequality isn’t inevitable though. High poverty rates are a result of political decisions. The current Government has overseen greater benefit conditionality, a relative decrease in social security payments and an expansion of zero-hour contracts.
Despite the system being stacked against them, single parents are doing a great job wherever you look. Marcus Rashford and Adele may be more high profile than the average child of a single parent, but children who experience single parent family life score as highly – or higher – on wellbeing measures as children who have always lived in a two-parent family.*
Childcare support: a system stacked against single parents
Last Spring when the Government announced the expansion of the funded childcare hours to younger children, parents breathed a sigh of relief. But it turns out single parents and low-income families will benefit the least.
To gain the funded childcare hours an individual must earn a minimum of £8,668. That’s the equivalent of 16 hours a week on the National Living Wage; single parents who are unable to work, and those who earn below this level don't qualify for the support. Yet single parents in receipt of Universal Credit are constantly being told they must work. The irony isn’t lost on single parents; you need childcare to work, but you must work to get childcare.
Single parent carers and disabled single parents excluded from childcare support
The current rules around couples are that if one parent is disabled or a carer and the other parent works, then they can access the free hours. This includes the 30 hours of childcare for those aged three and the 15 hours for 2-year-olds which will be introduced on April 1st. This policy is a positive step towards ensuring all families can benefit from childcare support and enables two-parent families to access work and provides support in challenging circumstances. Yet single parents who are unable to work for the same reasons do not receive this support.
Single parents of children with additional needs and/or a disability themselves already face a fine balancing act. Adding paid work into the mix isn’t always possible. Being excluded from the childcare support puts a huge strain on these families and limits children’s access to early years education. For those who do manage to work, they are left with the constant worry of meeting the earnings threshold or having to cover large nursery bills.
The childcare support available via the Universal Credit (UC) system suffers from the same problems. In practice this means a family receiving the childcare element through UC where one parent is in work and the other is disabled or a carer, stand to lose that support if the parent in work dies or the relationship breaks down.
A universal childcare guarantee
The exclusion of single parents from the Government funded childcare scheme is just the tip of the iceberg. Parents in education and training are also unable to access the support available to working parents, despite many studying to improve their career prospects. While the exclusions of single parents should be addressed as a matter of urgency, ultimately families need a Childcare Guarantee – universal, affordable childcare for all families from the end of parental leave to the end of primary school.
In 2022, Save the Children and IPPR set out a plan** to deliver this which would give the average parent an income boost of £1,200 per year. It would also deliver annual returns to the exchequer of £5.9 billion, boost GDP by £13 billion, narrow the gender pay gap, and lead to the creation of 130,000 jobs in the childcare sector.
Single parents are doing a brilliant job despite the inequalities they face. Just imagine what they could achieve if they were treated fairly.
* https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/social-sciences/news/childrens-wellbeing-not-negatively-affected-living-single-parent-households-study-shows
** https://www.ippr.org/articles/delivering-a-childcare-guarantee
