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CHAPTER SIX: DIFFERENT BARRIERS FOR DIFFERENT LONE PARENTS
Table 6.1: Summary of Key Points
- The lone parents interviewed are categorised according to the typology developed by Bell at el in 2005:
- Type 1: high orientations to work and high parental childcare orientations
- Type 2: high orientations to work and low parental childcare orientations
- Type 3: low orientations to work and high parental childcare orientations
- Type 4: low orientations to work and low parental childcare orientations
- Categorising lone parents according to this typology shows that around a quarter (11) of the lone parents interviewed fell into the Type 1 category. They wanted to work but also felt strongly compelled to parent their children.
- Two-fifths (16) of the lone parents interviewed fell into the Type 2 category. They were keen to work and keen/willing to use formal (and informal) childcare to enable them to do that.
- Around a third of lone parents (13) fell into the Type 3 category. They were not strongly motivated to work and felt strongly that they should parent their children themselves.
- Only a small number of lone parents (1) fell into the Type 4 category. These lone parents had low motivations to work and were positive about using formal (and informal) childcare.
- Overall, around two-fifths of the lone parents (17) interviewed had a high orientation towards the use of formal childcare and could have benefited from the availability of a childcare 'guarantee' and, therefore, the pilot. Lack of awareness and misperception of what childcare was available in their area partly affected lone parents' decisions about work. There is also evidence that lone parents in these groups had additional barriers that affected their decisions.
- Three-fifths (24) of the lone parents interviewed had strong views that parents should be there to parent their child. Such parents had a preference for parental or informal childcare and a deep-seated mistrust of formal provision. Through its focus on formal childcare, the pilot could not have assisted these lone parents without attempting to change firmly held attitudes on the importance of parental childcare. Attitudes towards childcare were often combined with a range of other barriers that affected decisions around work.
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Introduction
6.1 In the preceding section a number of factors affecting lone parents' take-up of the pilot were identified. In this section, we explore in further detail the barriers lone parents face and their attitudes towards work and childcare.
6.2 We categorise lone parents into different 'types' according to their orientations towards work and childcare in order to assess the extent to which the lack of accessible, affordable childcare constitutes the main barrier to work for lone parents on Income Support.
6.3 In classifying different types of lone parents we have used the typology developed by Bell et al. (2005) 13. The work of Bell et al. suggested that lone parents' work and parental childcare orientations could be broadly grouped into four key 'types' 14 (see Figure 6.1). Classifying lone parents into these four types helps to elucidate the extent to which lack of formal childcare is the main barrier to work. As Bell et al. highlight, in reality, lone parents often fall somewhere in the middle of the work/childcare continuum rather than into a discrete category. Parental views towards work and childcare may shift over time.
Figure 6.1: Typology of Lone Parents
Figure taken from Bell et al. (2005) A Question of Balance, pp28.
6.4 Whilst the descriptions of each type are based on the work of Bell at al. the examples cited by illustration are based on the feedback obtained during the course of our consultations with lone parents:
- Type 1 (H-H): high work orientation, high parental childcare orientation. Type 1 lone parents had high orientations to work and a strong inclination to provide childcare for their children themselves i.e. to provide parental childcare. Such parents had aspirations to work but also felt a deep-seated inclination that it was their responsibility to look after their children themselves:
Type 1 |
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High Work Orientation | High Parental Childcare Orientation |
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Lone Parent 1 |
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"I work part-time as a dinner lady at the school my children go to." | "I didn't have kids for someone else to bring them up. To be honest I don't quite believe in childcare." |
Lone Parent 2 |
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"My mum is retiring this year and I want to go back to work. " | "When you are a lone parent you are on your own, you are the only one there to look after them. When my mum retires she can look after the children. I don't trust childcare. You hear all sorts of horror stories. I'm not keen on leaving them with strangers." |
- Type 2 (H-L): high work orientation, low parental childcare orientation. Type 2 lone parents had high orientations to work and a lower inclination to provide parental childcare. Such parents had aspirations to work and did not necessarily feel compelled to provide full-time childcare themselves; in other words, they were amenable to using formal childcare;
Type 2 |
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High Work Orientation | Low Parental Childcare Orientation |
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Lone Parent 3 |
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"I work part-time at a call centre, 21 hours a week. My daughter goes to school in September and I'm going up to full-time then." | "My daughter goes to nursery in the mornings. I've found she has learned a lot there. Her dad has her some weekends and one evening a week." |
Lone Parent 4 |
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"I've been unemployed about 5 months. I'm looking for work as a carer and have applied for a job 17 hours a week. It's the shifts that are the problem. I can't see myself not working. I like care work and it gives me personal satisfaction." | "My daughter goes to playgroup and nursery. It's good for her general well-being, education and her social life. I like her to have contact with other children." |
- Type 3 (L-H): low work orientation, high parental childcare orientation. Type 3 lone parents had low orientations to work and a strong inclination to provide childcare for their children themselves i.e. to provide parental childcare. Such parents had low aspirations to work and a firmly held belief that it was their responsibility to look after their children;
Type 3 |
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Low Work Orientation | High Parental Childcare Orientation |
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Lone Parent 5 |
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"You may say I'm old fashioned but I don't think both parents should work. I have a neck injury anyway so I can't work." | "I think parents should be there for their kids. When parents are working the kids tend to get involved in vandalism and things." |
Lone Parent 6 |
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"My son is autistic. He has behavioural problems and needs someone trained in these problems. That is the reason I don't work" | "He's my son and my responsibility and I don't see why someone else should look after him." |
- Type 4 (L-L): low work orientation, low parental childcare orientation. Type 4 lone parents had low orientations towards work and a lower inclination to provide parental childcare. Such parents had low aspirations to work but were amenable to using formal childcare.
Type 4 |
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Low Work Orientation | Low Parental Childcare Orientation |
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Lone Parent 7 |
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"My child has problems. I need to be there for him." | "I don't think there is anything out there for my child. My advisor says I should try and get work in school hours because there is nothing out there for him." |
Interview Findings
Type 1: High Work and High Parental Childcare
6.5 Analysis of our consultations with lone parents shows that around a quarter (11) of the lone parents interviewed fell into the Type 1 category.
"I wouldn't really use anyone else. I value my time with my kids."
6.6 Mistrust of formal childcare was common amongst this group. Parents interviewed had a firmly held belief that only close relatives or friends should look after their children when they were unable to provide parental childcare.
"I only trust family."
6.7 The key issue for this group of lone parents then was finding work that would enable them to balance their parental childcare commitments (to look after the children themselves) and their desire to work. Key concerns or barriers for this group were:
- finding a part-time job or one that fits round school hours
- employer flexibility so that parents could be at home with their children after school and during school holidays
- securing stable informal childcare arrangements such as paying a relative to look after the children
- waiting until the child starts school to look for work then seeking employment round school hours.
6.8 Many of the lone parents interviewed highlighted that they were finding it hard to find a job within school hours only, or that they were waiting until their child had started school.
6.9 However, there were examples where lone parents had found work in schools that enabled them to balance the need to parent their child with the desire to work. Where lone parents were working, typically their jobs were part-time and informal childcare was used.
Does the pilot meet the needs of Type 1 Lone Parents?
6.10 The Extended Schools Childcare Pilot aims to offer a virtual childcare guarantee for parents that are not in work by ensuring that, as far as possible, if they want to work then there is formal childcare available to help them to do so. However, for Type 1 lone parents the barrier is not the availability of formal childcare but the availability of the types of jobs that will enable them to balance their aspiration to look after the child themselves or address their preference to use informal childcare. In this way, the pilot's aim to provide formal childcare does not resolve the issue for this group. Instead, the pilot would need to have concentrated on changing preferences towards parental and informal childcare or addressing the alterative barriers around flexible employment opportunities and financial recompense for informal childcare providers.
Type 2: High Work and Low Parental Childcare
6.11 Around two-fifths (16) of the lone parents interviewed fell into the Type 2 category. These lone parents were keen to work and had a lesser desire to look after their child themselves. They were content to use formal childcare options and felt that time away from their child could be of mutual benefit to the child and themselves as parents:
"It makes you a happier parent if you have a life outside of the children and the house. A happy parent is a good parent. It's vanity too, it gives you independence, get out and meet people, earn my own money." Lone Parent
"It's important to work to be a positive role model for children." Lone Parent
"It's [work] about showing an example to your kids." Lone Parent
"I like working. It gives me personal satisfaction. And it's good for my daughter's education and well- being." Lone Parent
6.12 The key issue for this group of lone parents was finding work and formal childcare. The availability, accessibility and affordability of formal childcare opportunities was therefore of central concern. This can be evidenced through their comments regarding the availability of childcare.
"You're still snookered for evenings and weekends." Lone Parent
"There is childcare [available] but it is expensive. I've heard of tax credits but I'm not sure that they really help." Lone Parent
"I'd definitely go back to work if I could find childcare. I've found out about childminders but they are fully booked. My child used to be at a different school and there was an After School Club there. But the one at the school he goes to now is fully booked and we are on the waiting list. I can't risk finding a job and then not finding childcare. You should be able to provisionally book a place at an After School Club so it's there when you get a job." Lone Parent
"My advisor has told me about that (tax credits) and I've worked out I'd need to work 16 hours or more. I used to be home carer and want to do that again. The problem is the hours. It's early morning and weekends and you can't get childcare. There's nothing at 7 in the morning." Lone Parent
"I've been looking for a job since Christmas. I'm after something round school hours. My main concern is childcare in the holidays that is reasonably priced."
"I'm working as a domestic, part-time. I'd like to go back full-time but it is out of the question. In this job you have to be flexible and work outside of normal hours. I can't find childcare. I just find it so difficult. I've contacted childminders but they are either busy, or won't take all 3 kids, or won't take them part-time." Lone Parent
"I'll be about £30 a week worse off working but I still want to do it. I'm desperate to get off benefits. The jobcentre have tried to help me get into retail work. They sent me on a course. I'd never have had the confidence to apply for retail work before. The course helped me. It was brilliant and the jobcentre were really helpful. The problem with retail is that a lot of it is anti-social hours and childcare doesn't cover evenings and weekends." Lone Parent
"There is no childcare for kids with special needs." Lone Parent
6.13 By providing a virtual childcare guarantee, the Extended Schools Childcare Pilot clearly has the potential to assist Type 2 lone parents. Both pilot areas developed new childcare (to complement that already in existence) to address the childcare gaps at evenings and weekends. The feedback obtained from lone parents therefore suggests that there was a lack of awareness of the availability of that provision. Many lone parents had not heard of the Children's Information Service and were not aware of the provision available in their area. Greater awareness of the existence of childcare was needed to attract this group. The evidence suggests that where lone parents had been advised on childcare in their area, feedback was very positive.
Case Study Example: The experience of a working lone parent |
Jessica is 22 and has a 2 year old child. She works part-time, 20 hours per week as a cleaner where she worked full-time before having her child. Jessica talked to her Jobcentre Plus advisor about finding childcare when she wanted to return to work part-time. She found her advisor "brilliant, very helpful" in assisting her to find childcare. Her advisor gave her a phone number for her local CIS and they gave her a list of nurseries, told her what to look for and what to pay. Jessica is clear that she only managed to return to work because of the availability of childcare in her area and because of tax credits. |
6.14 However, the evidence also demonstrates that formal childcare was not the only concern or barrier for this group. Feedback from lone parents suggests that a multitude of other barriers needed to be addressed, including:
- parent factors such as the presence of a disability, confidence issues
- child factors such as the presence of additional support needs ( e.g.ADHD or Autism) for which the parents interviewed felt there was no formal childcare available
- availability of local jobs or more specifically, suitable jobs, that parents wanted to do or that fit around school hours. Many lone parents expressed a preference for part-time work
- economic factors and the need to make work pay.
"I need a job I can actually do - it's not so much confidence or my qualifications. It's the hours and my illness. I want to work 9-3 and preferably, well it's whether employers will give you the school holidays off. Obviously, you don't get paid for that but otherwise you really need someone who's incredibly flexible for your childcare." Lone Parent
"I've been working 21 hours a week and my daughter goes to nursery. She starts school in September and then I'm hoping to work 9-5. I'll need someone then to pick my daughter up from school and sit with her for a couple of hours…. The cost of childcare isn't a problem cos the tax credits help. My main problem at the moment is transport. The company I work for has just relocated. So it's about getting to work and finding childcare for the extra hours." Lone Parent
"I'd love to go back to work. I'd like to work around 16 hours. That way I can work and be with my child. The problem is there are no jobs in this area and working 16 hours a week makes me not better off when you add on travel costs." Lone Parent
Does the pilot meet the needs of Type 2 Lone Parents?
6.15 The key issues for Type 2 lone parents were the availability of suitable jobs (part-time, flexible around school hours and school holidays, location and type of work) and the availability of formal childcare. Given that the availability of childcare is a key issue, the pilot clearly has the potential to assist this group. However, the feedback suggests that several lone parents perceived there to be gaps in childcare or had experienced difficulty in securing provision to meet their circumstances. Potentially, some of the Type 2 lone parents could have benefited from the pilot had they been aware of the provision available. However, the evidence also suggests that it is not just a case of removing the childcare barrier but also addressing other barriers such as confidence and the lack of local labour market opportunities that match parents' working preferences.
Type 3: Low Work and High Parental Childcare
6.16 Around a third (13) of the lone parents interviewed fell into the Type 3 category. These lone parents were not strongly motivated to work and considered it their main duty and 'job' to look after their child.
Table 6.2: Case study example - Type 3 lone parent
| Jackie is 41 and has two teenage children. She has been out of work due to a neck injury for four years. Being at home with her children has made her feel it is important to provide parental care. She feels that parents should be at home to listen and support their children. In her view, encouraging lone parents into work could have a negative effect on communities in terms of anti-social behaviour. This is because children do not have a parent at home to discipline them. |
6.17 Lone parents in this group had a deep mistrust of formal childcare:
"I want to look after them. They're my kids so I should look after them." Lone Parent
"I feel very wary of even leaving them with friends." Lone Parent
6.18 Lone parents in this group also presented a range of other barriers to work. These were often parent-focused barriers such as the presence of a disability, low self-esteem, confidence and qualifications. Other barriers included:
- economic factors such as the financial viability of work - one lone parent, for example, was on the housing list and securing stable housing for her and her children was her main priority:
"I live in a private let and the rent is steep. Housing benefit pays a lot of the rent. If I was working I'd just be working to pay the bills." Lone Parent
"I would go to work but it's not worthwhile in terms of money." Lone Parent
"I've been on the council housing list for 2 _ years. I don't feel like I can get a job until this is organised." Lone Parent
- child factors such as the presence of additional support needs:
"My son's got ADHD. It's very hard for me to go to interviews and work because I always expect a phone call from his school to say he's been excluded." Lone Parent
Does the pilot meet the needs of Type 3 Lone Parents?
6.19 For Type 3 lone parents, the availability, accessibility and affordability of formal childcare did not emerge as the main barrier to work. Therefore, by providing a virtual childcare guarantee the pilot could not address their needs. To assist them, the pilot would need to have concentrated on changing firmly held preferences for parental and informal childcare. The key issues to be addressed for this group of lone parents included:
- change attitudes towards childcare for example, by convincing lone parents of the benefits of employment for themselves and their child
- tackle the additional obstacles lone parents face when considering work, such as confidence, housing and the availability of specialised childcare.
Type 4: Low Work and Low Parental Childcare
6.20 Only one of the lone parents interviewed as part of this study fell into the Type 4 category. This lone parent was not motivated to work but did not necessarily feel compelled to provide full-time parental childcare. This lone parent was prepared to use formal childcare. The central issue was that this lone parent was not job-ready.
Does the pilot meet the needs of Type 4 Lone Parents?
6.21 Given that lone parents in this group are willing to use formal childcare, the pilot could potentially benefit these lone parents through the removal of the childcare barrier. However, the pilot would also need to have tackled the issue of work readiness and to have changed their attitudes towards work.
Figure 6.2: Proportion of Lone Parents in each type
Removing barriers for Lone Parents disposed to formal childcare
6.22 The evidence suggests that around two-fifths (17) of the lone parents interviewed were willing to use formal childcare and therefore could potentially have benefited from the formal provision available in their area. Feedback from some lone parents suggests they may have entered work if they had been aware that childcare provision existed to meet their needs, particularly the availability of flexible childcare in the evenings, weekends and school holidays.
6.23 However, there is also evidence that the availability of formal childcare was not the only barrier for lone parents and often there was a dearth of what were deemed suitable jobs (part-time, type, economically viable). Removing the childcare barrier was therefore not the only issue to be addressed.
Removing barriers for Lone Parents disposed to parental childcare
6.24 Around three-fifths (24) of the lone parents interviewed had a deep-seated mistrust of formal childcare and strongly entrenched orientations towards parental childcare. The Extended Schools Childcare Pilot, through its focus on formal childcare, could not have benefited this group without having more targeted support to address and change parents' attitudes towards formal childcare. Even if parental attitudes towards childcare could be changed, the evidence also shows that lone parents faced multiple barriers to work which would also need to be tackled.
Figure 6.3: Proportion of Lone Parents amenable to formal and informal childcare.
Summary
6.25 For some lone parents, the availability of formal childcare emerges as a key barrier to work, whereas for others it does not. Given that the availability of formal childcare was a concern for some of the lone parents interviewed, in the following section we explore the extent to which the pilot was successful in removing that barrier.
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