The Government's pledge to provide full-time childcare places for every lone parent entering employment in the most disadvantaged areas by 2004 is one of its three key goals for the national childcare strategy.
But some campaigners for lone parents feel that they are being put under pressure to work and more emphasis should be put on giving them the support and encouragement to choose when they feel it is right for them to go out to work.
Annie Oliver, information officer for the national campaign group Single Parent Action Network (SPAN), says, 'I think lone parents are being pressured. I don't agree with divide and rule. Why is the emphasis on childcare places for lone parents in the most disadvantaged areas? Why is it not on help for all families in disadvantaged areas?' Alison Garnham, Director of Policy, Research and Information at the National Council for One-Parent Families says, 'Research shows that something like 90 per cent of lone parents would like to work at some point. When that point is depends upon the individual, the age of the children and what support they have. Lone parents suffer from a lot of bad press and they feel terribly conscious about doing the right thing.' She complains about prejudice towards lone parents and points to the statistics -that three million children are cared for by single parents, they make up one in four families and only 3 per cent of lone parents are teenagers.
'Some lone parents think they should not go out to work until their children have reached a certain age. There is good research saying that Afro-Caribbean mothers think that working full-time is the best way they can provide for their children, whereas white working-class mothers don't. It is a cultural perception of their role as mothers.' Ms Garnham says many lone parents prefer to leave their children with a family member as the next best carer to themselves, rather than make formal arrangements. They then do not qualify for help with childcare costs unless the carer is registered, for example as a registered childminder.
'Anecdotally we have evidence that it is quite difficult for grandmothers to register as childminders because of the long waiting times for applications to be approved by social services departments.' A significant barrier to work which lone parents have to overcome is to organise out-of-school or wrap-around care. Ms Garnham says parents on Working Families Tax Credit can face having to fill gaps in childcare provision. The benefit is only available to low-income parents working 16 hours a week or more. From 2004 the Government is offering free nursery education for every three-year-old, but for only 12.5 hours a week.
Ms Oliver adds, 'If parents are going to get good jobs, what do they do about picking up the children? There aren't many decent jobs that finish at 3.30pm.'
Another problem facing lone parents is how to arrange emergency cover in the event of sickness. Mother-of-two Monica Byrne, of Bristol, says, 'I have a girl aged seven and a boy aged three and have not had a job for seven years. I've been doing voluntary work a couple of times a week, which has helped build my confidence and update my office skills. It has gone well but in the last few weeks there has been a virus we have all had. I worry about how I'd manage if I had a job. The schools and nurseries here won't have them if they are on antibiotics.'
