DEPARTMENT FOR WORK
AND PENSIONS News Release (Reference DRC-101) issued by COI News
Distribution Service. 6 October 2008
New benefit rules
to help lone parents into work by helping them find additional
training, prepare for the workplace and find suitable childcare,
have been laid in Parliament today.
Under the current rules lone parents can claim Income Support
until their youngest child reaches 16. As a result of these
changes, from November 2008 those lone parents, whose children are
aged 12 and over, will move off Income Support and onto
Jobseeker's Allowance if they are capable of work or
Employment and Support Allowance if they cannot work because they
have a disability or health condition.
Under the new proposals, first outlined in January 2006 in the
Green Paper published by John Hutton, lone parents of older
children will have increased contact with a Jobcentre Plus
employment adviser for bespoke support and, for those that can, to
help them find work.
The Government understands that lone parents need to balance
responsibilities for their children with work requirements, paid
work has benefits that go beyond making families better off. It
improves the health and well-being and future prospects of both
parents and children.
There will be additional flexibility for lone parents claiming
Jobseeker's Allowance, as we recognise that some lone parents
face circumstances that need special consideration. This includes
taking into account the availability, suitability and
affordability of childcare, including in the school holidays.
Secretary of State James Purnell said:
"More than a million lone parents across the UK are already
working, supporting themselves and their families. The number of
lone parents in work has risen by 11.6 per cent since 1997,
meaning an extra 320, 000 lone parents now have a job. Work is the
best route out of poverty and these reforms will offer lone
parents access to a range of support to help move into paid work
and stay there."
As well as offering one-on-one back to work support Jobcentre
Plus employment advisers can also offer Better Off In-Work
calculations to show how much more money lone parents will have if
they work, skills checks and advice on financial support such as
In-work Credit, which is a tax-free weekly payment of £40 (£60 in
London), available for up to a year.
Advisers also offer practical support such as helping lone
parents find local, affordable childcare, discuss time management
and arrange guaranteed interviews through Local Employment Partnerships.
The Government plans to further extend this support to lone
parents whose youngest child is 10 from 2009 and whose youngest
child is seven from 2010.
If the regulations are approved by Parliament they will come into
force from 24th November 2008.
Notes to editors
1. The Green Paper, A New Deal for Welfare: Empowering people to
work, published by John Hutton in January 2006 first discussed
these proposals. They are part of the wider reforms of the welfare
system aimed at helping people back in to work.
2. These changes are one of a number of reforms being delivered
by the Department for Work and Pensions this month. A new benefit,
Employment and Support Allowance will be introduced on October
27th and also this month the Child Maintenance and Enforcement
Commission will take over from the Child Support Agency.
3. These reforms are part of wider plans to reform the benefits
system and help more people into work.
4. International evidence indicates that, in the majority of
cases, countries with higher lone parent employment rates have
lower poverty rates for lone parent households.
5. In countries where active labour measures are in place,
eligibility is often limited to lone parents with a youngest child
above a certain age. For example, conditionality in Australia
begins when the child is six, in the Netherlands when the child is
five, and in France and Germany when the child is three.
6. Under current rules lone parents can claim income support,
solely on the basis of being a lone parent until their youngest
child is 16.
7. Jobcentre Plus staff will ensure that every lone parent is
contacted before the changes affect them to give them enough time
to claim another benefit or find paid work.
8. Loan parents whose youngest child is 12 and above will be
invited to a special interview with an employment adviser to
discuss their options. Lone parents whose youngest child is aged
between nine and 11 will be invited to more frequent sessions with
an employment adviser (increasing from bi-annually to quarterly).
9. Some lone parents will continue to receive Income Support if:
* They are in receipt of the middle or highest rate of Disability
Living Allowance for one of their children;
* Receive Carer's Allowance, or;
* Are Fostering.
10. These regulations were laid before Parliament today. The
regulations will be the subject of a debate in both the House of
Commons and the House of Lords before coming into effect. Exact
timings for these debates will be announced by Parliament.
Press office: 0203 267 5144
Website: http://www.dwp.gov.uk