Summary The benefit cap is not fit for purpose for single parent families. The policy also does not fulfil government intentions for the welfare system or wider society. The benefit cap should be abandoned, given its failings....

Key findings The benefit cap is at odds with other parts of the welfare system, and fails to recognise single parents’ intent or ability to work – meaning they have little chance to escape the cap,...

Summary Over a million single parents will eventually need to migrate from legacy benefits (including tax credits) to Universal Credit. It is vital that this process minimises the financial risk to low income families – particularly...

Key findings The managed migration process proposed by draft regulations places too much risk of financial loss on claimants, rather than government. The DWP must do more to demonstrate that systems and processes are ready for...

Summary Gingerbread’s research shows that – contrary to government intentions – sanctions are not an effective tool to ensure either job-seeking behaviour among single parent claimants or effective public spending. The government must overhaul ‘conditionality’ (the rules setting...

Key findings Benefit sanctions do not fulfil the government’s intentions to change behaviour (thereby moving people into work), nor to ensure ‘fairness for the taxpayer’ Single parent benefit sanctions tend to arise due to one-off errors or...

Summary Single parents want to work yet Gingerbread’s research shows that sanctions can make it less likely for parents to achieve that goal. This report also shows the first signs that Universal Credit risks making this...

Key findings Warnings and sanctions for single parents arise as a result of unrealistic and rigid job-seeking requirements under benefit rules, which fail to recognise single parents’ barriers to work (eg a lack of childcare or...

Summary This report profiles single parents today, to see how life has changed for the one in four families headed by a single parent in the UK. While huge progress has been made over the past 100...

Key findings Among the key findings about single parents today: Nearly seven in ten (68 per cent) single parents are now in work – two decades ago the majority of single parents were not in work Until 2008,...

This report profiles single parents today, to see how life has changed for the one in four families headed by a single parent in the UK. 

Summary The government’s draft strategy has welcome proposals, but lacks strategic intent. There are signs that the Department for Work and Pensions is listening to concerns that Gingerbread has raised about loopholes which allow some parents...

Key findings Compliance The strategy ignores whether charges and the use of Direct Pay are really encouraging ‘collaboration’ and ‘compliance’ Further enforcement powers are welcome but, to achieve real impact, the DWP must ensure more rigorous use of...

Summary The report examines the new job seeking requirements for parents with children aged three and four under Universal Credit (UC) rules. The research looks at this change which when fully rolled out with affect 220,000...

Key findings The findings show that a lack of part-time jobs and suitable childcare will make it difficult for parents with pre-school aged children to move into and sustain work.  This risks this group of parents...

Summary This report looks at single parents’ finances against a backdrop of austerity, and is the last from our ‘Paying the Price’ project. The findings show that, despite record high single parent employment, many single parents face...

Key findings The report found single parents affected by three main issues: Risk of debt: Most single parents are struggling, with many forced to borrow to make ends meet Work isn’t enough: Working single parents struggling as much...

Summary In-depth case studies illustrating the loopholes that allow child maintenance avoidance – where paying parents are able to minimise the amount of child support they’re requested to pay. The report shows how rules – and...

Key findings Reforms under the CMS mean the system is cheap to administer, but fail children Parents are left in the dark about their options, meaning many give up on a fair assessment The DWP passes the buck...

Summary The government maintains benefit sanctions are only used as a last resort for a very small minority of claimants. This briefing illustrates how the DWP understates Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) sanction rates, how the risk of...

Key findings Benefit sanctions are a significant part of the benefit system, and cannot be dismissed as a minor element – at a recent peak, around one in seven single parents claiming JSA were sanctioned Single parents...