Thanks to all of you who invited your MP, in just an hour and a half, we were able to meet almost 20 MPs or representatives from their offices. They listened to voice notes from single parents about their personal experiences with Universal Credit. Echoing the findings in our They’re Sanctioning the Children report, the recordings highlighted the injustices of the current system and why urgent reform is needed. 

The voice notes were presented across five different ‘story stations’ in the room, each representing a key theme from our report: 

1. Universal Credit is insufficient and needs fairer rules 
2. The system is hostile and confusing 
3. Conditionality rules and sanctions 
4. Financial and mental health impact 
5. Work coaches and UC staff 

After moving around the stations, MPs had the opportunity to speak directly with some of the single parents they heard, giving them a deeper insight into their stories and the changes they want to see.

The majority of single parents are in work. However, due to balancing caring responsibilities, they are often employed in low-paid, part-time roles and rely on Universal Credit to make ends meet. And the system which should be supporting them is broken. 

Gingerbread research shows that conditionality and sanctions create a Universal Credit system that is hostile and punitive. Many of the rules are confusing and overly bureaucratic. Single parents report how challenging and stressful they find the system, with many on edge, worried about what the next communication from Universal Credit will say.  

The government is conducting a review of Universal Credit and is expected to deliver a child poverty strategy this year. So our message is clear: the system needs to be overhauled so that it supports rather than punishes claimants. Gingerbread is calling for the review of Universal Credit to include: 

• Reform of conditionality rules on ‘lead’ carers (and single parents in particular). 

• The benefits of scrapping sanctions entirely or how we can ensure they are only used in the most exceptional circumstances with forewarning and discussion with the claimant. 

• Identifying and minimising unnecessary bureaucratic processes. 

• Identifying how to better communicate with and support claimants so they are much clearer about the rules. 

• The publication of clearer guidance and information about what claimants should expect and how the rules work in practice. 
• The government to set a more positive tone in its leadership of the system to help create a less hostile environment and ensure this translates to training of and expectations of staff. 
• Greater expertise on what works for single parents built into Jobcentres. We believe there is a clear case for specialist single parent work coaches to be introduced as part of the major overhaul of Jobcentre Plus. 
• Abolition of the two-child limit and benefit cap. 

A full list of recommendations can be found in our report. 

Sarah Lambert, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Gingerbread, said: 

“Thank you to everyone who submitted a voice note for our #SupportNotPunish week of action. By sharing your story, you’ve helped to shed a light on the real-life impact our social security system is having on families across the country. Single-parent families are almost twice as likely to live in poverty compared to couple parents, and urgent action is needed. Gingerbread is calling for an end to Universal Credit Sanctions and a fairer social security system.” 

What’s next? 

We will continue to share the stories we collected, alongside our asks to the government, across our social media platforms for the rest of our week of action. 

Social Security and Disability Minister Sir Stephen Timms MP is currently carrying out a review of Universal Credit. We will work with the MPs who attended the drop-in session to write letters to Sir Stephen, highlighting the issues they heard so he can look at them as part of the review. 

And we’ll send all the stories we have collected from single parents to their MPs, calling on them to speak up for change in Parliament. 

If you’d like to join our call for a Universal Credit system to #SupportNotPunish, there are two ways you can get still get involved in our week of action.

Add your name in support of Universal Credit reform!

Together, we can push the government to create a fairer Universal Credit system for single parents and their children.

We’ve created a quick and easy template for you to use. And we’ll share your story with your MP.