Benefit sanctions can make single parents less likely to find a job, and take a severe financial and emotional toll on parents and children, says Gingerbread.
Single parent employment rates are at a record high, but a third of children with a working single parent live in poverty, and the situation is set to worsen.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation says, “The Government’s big spending commitments for stamp duty giveaways and tax cuts prioritised higher earning households, with little support for people who need it most."
Single parents of pre-school aged children are at increased risk of poverty and debt as a result of new work search conditions placed on them under Universal Credit, finds new research published by Gingerbread.