- Conference
- 2008 National Women's Conference
- Date
- 25 October 2007
- Decision
- Carried
This conference notes that the NCH Scotland report, which highlights that two thirds of lone parent families in Scotland are surviving on an income of less than £15,000 per year. Conference recognizes that the majority of lone parent families are led by women, and these women experience considerable challenges to get back into the workforce.
Conference also notes the announcement by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Peter Hain MP that lone parents will be extended to work once their youngest child goes to secondary school and it is intended that this age will fall to 7 by 2010. This forms that centre plank of the Green Paper on full employment.
Conference believes in employment but recognizes that for this to be achieved for lone parents, there must be a number of things to be put in place to ensure that women who enter the workforce, due to the measures within Green Paper, are given a real opportunity to get out of poverty. This must include the provision of well paid, high quality, part-time and term-time only work with real career development, as well as a right to flexible working.
Moreover conference believes that the Green Paper does not fully appreciate the challenges that exist for lone parents when bringing up older children and teenagers and that lone parents should not be faced with the dilemma of having to go to work or face a benefits sanction.
Conference further believes that the provision of high quality, integrated childcare services delivered by the public sector is key to allowing women to go back into the workforce. This childcare needs to be provided by highly trained professional staff whose skills are recognized and continually developed.
Conference calls on the National Women’s Committee to ensure that the barrier that affects lone parents in accessing both training and the workplace and our opposition to compulsion are appropriately addressed as part of the consultation on the Green Paper.