One Parent Families condemns Liberal Democrat proposals

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19/12/06 National charity One Parent Families welcomes the Liberal Democrat's support for the target to end child poverty by 2020, announced today by the party's leader Menzies Campbell, but criticises the party's proposals to force lone parents to work and to introduce a Child Tax Credit premium for couple-families only.

Commenting on today's speech by Menzies Campbell, Chief Executive of the charity Chris Pond said:

"Forty three per cent of poor children are living in one parent families so it is hard to see how introducing a couples' premium into Child Tax Credit would create the 'fairer Britain' that the Party envisages, unless there were equivalent measures for lone parents' children.

"While we are pleased to see the Liberal Democrats adhering to the poverty- reduction targets, in picking on lone parents the Party seems more interested in achieving political capital than in making real inroads into child poverty.

"Two thirds of lone parents with children aged between eleven and sixteen are already working and those who are parenting full-time are doing so because they judge that their children need them at home for a time. Children of all ages can need a parent at home for a period, especially in the aftermath of a family break-up. Lone parents have a right to put their children first without fear of even deeper impoverishment and criticism."

Mr Pond added that there are only 143,000 lone parents on income support with children aged between eleven and sixteen. Of those, 15,000 have a child with a disability.

"Imposing tough penalties on lone parents can be bad for childrens' outcomes, particularly in this age group: American research shows that welfare programmes which do not raise mothers incomes result in adverse effects on adolescent behaviour and achievement. Lone parents want help with getting back to work when it is right for their children that they do so. Children of separated families would be the losers if there were tougher sanctions in a system that already places substantial requirements on lone parents to stay in touch with employment services."

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