7 is Too Young

Published: Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Passing the Social Welfare Bill in its current format will push more one-parent families into poverty. OPEN, Barnardos and the National Women's Council of Ireland have expressed serious concerns that proposed changes to the One Parent Family Payment in the Bill which was published today will exacerbate already high levels of poverty among these families and will entrench poverty traps that prevent lone parents moving from welfare to work. The measures proposed means that by 2015 all lone parents in receipt of the One Parent Family Payment will be forced on to Job Seekers Allowance once their youngest child reaches the age of 7.

Frances Byrne, Director of OPEN, said: "There is huge fear among lone parents that the changes being proposed to stop the One Parent Family Payment when children reach the age of seven will make it increasingly difficult for parents to meet the costs of raising a family alone. The majority of lone parents are already in work or want to work but the ongoing lack of supports such as reliable and affordable childcare and afterschool care present impossible challenges, as the government cannot address this by 2015. Removing the One Parent Family Payment and moving parents to Job Seekers Allowance without addressing the absence of appropriate supports will inevitably push more families into poverty and welfare dependency."

Norah Gibbons, Barnardos' Director of Advocacy, said that the moves would make life even more difficult for children already adversely affected by the recession. "1 in 5 children live in a one-parent family. These children have already suffered unduly as a result of the financial crisis and successive cuts to social welfare and supports in education and health. The changes proposed in the Social Welfare Bill fail wholly to take into account the dearth of adequate services to facilitate lone parents to work while ensuring their children are adequately cared for. At seven, children are too young for parents to consider full time work unless there are viable and affordable childcare options available."

Orla O'Connor, Acting CEO of the National Women's Council of Ireland, said: "97.7% of lone parents on this Payment are mothers. While we support activation measures, the current proposal does not take into account the fact that many of those receiving the One Parent Family Payment are already working but continue to need the support provided by the payment to meet the high costs of parenting alone, especially the high cost of childcare. Irish childcare costs take up as much as 29% of parental earnings, compared to the European norm of 13%. This proposal will also single out lone mothers as workers when their children are at a very young & dependent age. The NWCI is appalled by this, as other mothers will not be subjected to the same treatment. Does this government really want to do this to a cohort of mothers who already experience high levels of poverty, isolation & social exclusion?"

The three organisations said that they are in favour of social welfare reforms that support families in poverty to move from welfare to work but that the current proposals in the Social Welfare Bill would not achieve this. Ms. Byrne concluded: "In reality, these changes will increase welfare dependency among one parent families. The proposal is a regressive step by the Government that will increase poverty in families who are already at a much higher risk of poverty than other family types. Parents struggling to meet caring and financial responsibilities alone must be supported to move into work."