Elizabethwoodville - wow that is possibly the most fucking "I'm alright Jack and sod everyone else" post I've ever read on here!
How the hell can you claim single parents aren't being currently treated like shit JUST because YOU never have been? What a narrow, blinkered view!
Take the OP'S situation - her 2 DC that are her 3rd & 4th children aren't going to be covered by the benefits system because of the 2 child limit. But her partner isn't affected by this rule and isn't even expected to cover half the costs of those DC.
The 2 child limit is trapping women in abusive even violent life threatening situations because if they leave that partner and their 3rd+ children are born after the cut off they're even more vulnerable financially. If the family is on UC then that's a joint claim where both parties are informed of any changes and so anyone in an abusive relationship is even more vulnerable than they were to financial abuse and unable to save to escape.
Those that have split since having children after the cut off are worse off than those who's children are older, that's putting single parent families - inc the children into serious poverty and even homelessness.
Already Lp are being expected to work in jobs with ridiculously long commutes and somehow find the money to pay childcare upfront and reclaim the money from the govt. Time for commuting and taking children to childcare isn't accounted for in the no of hours work expected to be fulfilled.
Men who have more than 2 children but don't live with them all though are not affected by such policies. And it is usually women the children live with and men as nrps.
Due to the cuts there's now very little support for single parents to return to work. College courses have been closed as have job centres and libraries and careers centres. Funding for training and education has been cut to the bone - student loans are counted as "income" ffs - BUT worse as I believe you lose £ for £ with student loan whereas with a wage you get to keep some! Actively discouraging people from getting more training/education. A huge sector for women used to be nursing but the bursary for that is now gone making it virtually impossible for any but those supported by either parents or partner/spouse to consider (and that will mean much fewer nurses in future too which is such a stupid decision I can't even begin to fathom!). The most basic IT course near me is 2 hours away & has few places. Most people have fairly ok IT skills but employers are expecting the most ridiculous entry requirements now and generally want a certificate awarded within last 18 months to "prove" you can do X y z on a computer.
Childcare support has all but gone - how are women supposed to work if they can't afford childcare? Not everyone can or even wants to be in a high paid job like yours - and we need as a society people in all types of jobs.
There used to be - when there were jobs centres - and specialist Lp advisors. They've all but gone now too!
Community initiatives that supported all families but were particularly helpful for Lp have also mostly gone due to cuts.
Sick & disabled Lp (like me) are having benefits claims rejected despite clear medical evidence of their conditions - often overturned on appeal as they're usually being "assessed" by blatantly lying assessors - not opinion fact, several cases of this have been proven. But while the appeals process is ongoing that's a family trying to live on no income. Hence so many relying on food banks, clothes banks - there's even BABY BANKS being opened now!
Benefits have been frozen so families are having to cope with rising prices with no increase in income.
In addition many jobs now involve shifts/hours not covered by childcare, don't offer set reliable hours/income (zero hours contracts) which are crucial when that's a homes only income.
Have you been completely oblivious to all that's going on in our country with regard to all this? That mothers are committing suicide, suicide rates generally have increased as a direct result of austerity policies especially UC?
And whatever you think about the parents, there's no good reason for plunging CHILDREN into poverty & homelessness.
As a 50 year old - just a few years older than me - people your age benefited from university grants, better employment & training prospects, cheaper housing etc
I've been a single mum almost 15 years, when I had dd I was married, healthy, had a good job with prospects. Then my ex cheated, we got divorced, I was a sahm at the time of the split but I was lucky enough to find a job relatively quickly, but I also went back to uni for a time full time and worked a part time job while doing that. Ex paid no maintenance for several years and when he did it was unreliable and very rarely in full. I got another job after finishing uni and while it was hard going and we weren't rich or anything we were doing ok. Then some twat ran into me at a red light crossroads and shunted me into traffic resulting in my getting hit from the side too. Car written off and ins value not enough to get another, me (not immediately apparent) ending up disabled as a result. All the stress led to my having a breakdown and having to give up work. I fought back health wise, the disability got diagnosed and at that time wasn't hugely debilitating but gradually worsening. Managed to get another job but various issues led me almost to another breakdown and at this point I stopped working again. My health is such I cannot currently even consider working.
Ever heard the phrase "there but by the grace of God"? You're where you are at least partly through LUCK not because you're better than others. Yet you still see fit to kick down those less fortunate than you. Not a pleasant attitude at all.