Life in one-parent families

Wednesday, November 12, 2003

Lone parents in Northern Ireland need more support from the state, according to a report on life in one-parent families. From Strength to Strength, by Gingerbread NI and the University of Ulster, assessed children's and young people's emotional, financial and educational experiences in a country where one child in four is being brought up by a lone parent. The report called for more training and childcare to be made available to parents entering the labour market, for an increase in the minimum wage 'to make employment a more viable choice for lone parents', and for educational mentoring and parent support programmes.