The report shows that children in single-parent families are twice as likely to fall into poverty and far less likely to escape it than those in couple households, a finding that will come as no surprise to many single parents. These families are forced to live with rising costs and the precarity of only one income, while often feeling the impact of a failing child maintenance system and a punitive social security system.

The majority of single parents are in work, yet a disproportionate number of single-parent families live in poverty. Work alone is not enough to protect families, and particularly not single-parent families, from financial hardhip. Meanwhile, our social security system is failing in its fundamental role as a safety net, leaving families exposed rather than supported.

Gingerbread’s research has shown that the more hours a single parent works, the more likely they are to be in debt. The main reason for this is our dysfunctional childcare system. In addition, single parents are more likely to be stuck in jobs beneath their level of skill, qualification or experience. This is because they rely on flexibility that is rarely available in more senior roles.

This toxic combination of structural barriers hits single parents hard and means too many children grow up in poverty.

It is not enough for our government to address these issues in isolation. Real change requires joined-up action that recognises how childcare, insecure work, and an inadequate social security system conspire to keep single-parent families locked out of financial security and locked into poverty.