To think that if lone parents are switched from income support to jsa

[Dontgotosleep]

when their youngest child is 5, and with the lack of job opportunities, child care isn't cheap and the fear and threat of sanctions then this will just encourage women to go out and keep getting pregnant every few years to remain entitled to income support.
Please believe me this is not a debate about which is best sahm or working mums. I believe it should be a personal choice. My choice was to work. However I really don't think the government have thought this policy through.

Nothing is worked out properly. There are never any facts, no links to research, no follow through.
Just idiotic half baked spouting based on the op believing everything they read in the tabloids.

Bit like government policy on welfare then

I understand what you are saying dontgotosleep but most single mums dont take the easy way out. Bieng a single mum on benefits isnt easy take it from someone who knows.

Im back in work now and yes its a relief having more money. And not staring at the four walls. But im lucky in that I have the right working hours. But what if the only jobs available you have to work at night. And you have no babysitter ect. Most childminders I know only work between 7 and 6.

Congrats on your job misstired.

Absolutely Yoruba

I'm sure there are vast numbers of single mothers who didn't choose their situation and would work if they could. And many are bright, capable and keen to develop their skills. I think these outnumber those who are planning to pop out another to stay on IS.

Single mothers should be entitled to is untik youngest is 14 imo

Really bbq? Really? Oh.

I wouldn't agree with that BBQ - mot without some support, training or intervention anyway. It would be like writing them off and making it really difficult for them to reenter the workplace later on.

Oh if they want to return to work great they should get all the help possible

Oh dear, this thread has backfired on you op....

Agree with bbq it should be later the switch to JSA (12 maybe) with support and training if needed before that. Most LP work anyway, those who don't have good reason. Also they should be able to volunteer around their kids instead of being forced into unsuitable jobs if the prefer. In many cases it costs as much to pay for childcare and tax credits so why not let them stay home if they choose?

I think it's reasonable for most LPs to be looking for work much earlier than that, and I suspect many would like to be supported to do so.

Certainly volunteering and training opportunities should be appropriately funded and available. LPs with potential deserve better than to be shoe horned into dead end jobs.

Lol I don't know... You've got issues

Oh float!!!

5 seems early to me, 7 seems fairer

the system needs to be fair.

I was basically forced backed to work when DS was 6 months old, then I had DD and i was forced backed to work when she was 11.5 months old.

There is no funding to get me into a better job than cleaning, just went to an open day where i would have to pay £80 per month to retrain on top of losing £800 Per month wages. I can not afford to do it.

I am stuck in my job, because even if i quit then there is nothing to help. I am 28 had an operation to fix my knee from always being on them cleaning i have arthritis. I am tired and if it wasn't for my 2 DC i wouldn't be here.

Well I think the change to jsa when child is 5 is really unfair!

These are single parents you are talking about who have the responsibility of raising children on their own with no backup from a partner (unlike partnered parents).

This is a huge responsibility so the least a decent society can do is to give them the option to be in complete control of raising their children. You cannot guarantee that good quality and easily accessible childcare will be available for every child of a single parent. Some children do not fit easily into childcare or school. Some teenagers actually need a parent at home after school. You don't know the complexities of other peoples lives.

Partnered parents have more options about their childcare arrangements as there are 2 parents to sort it out amongst themselves and 2 potential salaries as well to pay for it.

I think IS should be available until child is 18, if we can't have what I think would be a much better system of universal benefit for anyone at a liveable level.

I was on IS before I went onto JSA, been on it 2 years, because I havent the experience anymore and cant find any childcare for my DD, so I'm a bit buggered.

The sooner a lone parent gets back to work the better. Even if its a dead end job.

What everyone seems to forget.. and this is frightening if you are a lone parent..as soon as your child leaves full time education EVERYTHING stops. Child tax credit, child benefit extra housing benefit working tax credit. Poof! Gone!
Then you really are on shit street. So I have done the dead end job but am using these years to desperately try and build up my income to prepare for that.
So if you didn't go to work until your child is 18 how likely is it you will walk into a well paid job if you have been out of the workplace for such a long time?

I know two women who have done just this and admit it. It's disgraceful.

It's an interesting debate. The government needs to look at the support part rather than just the income bit. If lone parents simply drop out of the system for years, once they've raised their children they're then the forgotten people in society with no skills to raise themselves out of a meagre income and no help and support to catch up. While they're raising their families they should be able to access support and funding to keep in the loop and be able to access employment and training that's flexible and complements their childcare needs.
And that should be something better than
zero hour contracts and dead end jobs. There's no need for lone parents of school aged children to be at home all day but the support such as flexible working should be available to them.

Why shouldn't you do a dead end job though? What makes a lone parent so special? There are 000"s of people with or without children in dead end jobs. I prefer to refer to them as a means to an end job. Just make sure you look at the bigger picture and have a plan for the future.

Childcare is a huge issue I agree. There needs to be more options available.