Supplementary memorandum submitted by
One Plus: One Parent Families (SG39)
INTRODUCTION
At the meeting of the Social Security Committee
on 10 May, the issue of whether exemption to participate in the
Gateway should be dealt with by regulation or guidance was discussed.
The Committee asked the organisations providing oral evidence
to provide supplementary information on this issue.
ONE PLUS
VIEW
As detailed in the One Plus submission to the
Committee, our first position is that access to the work focused
element of the Gateway should not be compulsory for lone parents.
Therefore all lone parents should be exempt. If this is not the
case then we believe that regulation should be developed which
exempts:
— Those lone parents who have recently
experienced divorce, separation, the birth of a child, bereavement,
domestic violence or abuse to themselves or any of the children
living with them. This would not preclude lone parents in this
group taking part in the Gateway if they so wished.
— In addition, exemption should be
considered for lone parents whose children are of school age but
who feel that it is in the child's best interests that the parent
remain at home to meet them after school.
One Plus believes that a Gateway could be of
great benefit to lone parents but only if it is voluntary. We
believe that the success of the New Deal for Lone Parents is based
on its voluntary nature and the benefits it can offer lone parents
who are ready and able to return to work or education.
May 1999
|
