Posted 17 September 2026
On Tuesday, the government published its response to the consultation on improving access to flexible working, setting out a new process that employers must follow before rejecting a flexible working request. The reforms are a positive step forward, but do they go far enough for single-parent families?
What is changing?
The government has announced that employers will be required to hold a meeting to consult with an employee before rejecting a flexible working request. The purpose of this meeting will be to consider whether the requested arrangement is feasible, address any challenges where possible and explore suitable alternatives where it is not. Employers must approach the meeting with a view to reaching an agreement with the employee and will also need to meet additional requirements, including giving fair and reasonable notice of the meeting and providing written notification of the outcome.
This new process builds on recent changes to flexible working regulations, including the introduction of a day-one right to request flexible working in April 2024, alongside a “reasonableness test” for rejecting flexible working requests which was introduced through the Employment Rights Act 2025.
Flexible working and single-parent families:
Single parents often have to balance childcare responsibilities and employment by themselves, so employer flexibility is crucial in enabling them to enter, remain and progress in work.
“I’m a single parent of a primary school-aged child and childcare is a constant juggling challenge during the school holidays… Having [a flexible employer] has been invaluable. It means I can spend quality time with my son over the summer holidays without the constant worry of trying to make childcare arrangements work or the financial pressure that comes with them.”
– Emily, Groups Manager at Gingerbread
However, a shortage of quality part-time and flexible jobs means that they are frequently forced to set their long-term career ambitions aside, accept roles below their skill level or leave the workforce altogether, slowing their career progression and earning potential.
“[We make] huge career compromises and we are left vulnerable to being exploited and treated poorly. We are overlooked for promotion, given less development and treated very poorly by comparison.” – single parent
” I lost my job after making a flexible working request that was denied. I had been at the company for 12 years.”
– Single parent
Gingerbread welcomes the announced reforms, which should strengthen flexible working rights by improving engagement and transparency in the decision-making process. This is an important step towards removing some of the barriers single parents face in accessing the flexibility they need.
However, the reforms alone will not address the scale of the challenge. Our recent survey, conducted to inform our response to the consultation, found that:
The most common challenges included workplace culture and manger attitudes, fear of negative impact on career progression and flexible roles not being advertised.
“…There was a huge stigma initially associated with [my flexible working] proposal. I was made to feel guilty and other staff made it clear they thought it was unfair despite knowing my circumstances…”
– Single parent
“Employers ask what flex you want at interview stage, and it counts towards their decision to hire you.”
– Single parent
Encouragingly, in its response, the government recognised the role of workplace culture and management practices in enabling employees to access flexible working. It also committed to monitoring the reforms and working with employers to promote good practice. But this is not enough to remove the barriers single parents face. The government must now take concrete action to drive change.
Gingerbread is calling for a duty on employers to advertise all roles as flexible by default and explain what that flexibility looks like, unless there is a good business reason not to, alongside the redevelopment of Flexible Working Taskforce to drive better practise among employers.
What’s next?
The government will move forward with the reforms outlined above and will set out the process that employers must follow in regulations that will come into force in autumn 2027. Gingerbread will continue to engage with the government as the regulations are laid and to push for further, meaningful employment reform that meets the needs of single-parent families.
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