Submission to
the Joint
Committee on
Education and
Social Protection
Wednesday 18 February 2015
One-Parent
Family Payment
Founded in 1972 as Cherish, One Family is Ireland’s organisation for one-parent
families, providing services to people parenting alone, sharing parenting and going
through family transitions. Our policy work is rooted in our extensive family support
work over the past four decades.
One-Parent Family Headlines Today
1. Children in one-parent families are more than twice more likely to live in poverty than a
two-parent family.
2. Family-friendly paid work helps to reduce family poverty.
3. Parents need to be supported (financially and developmentally) to access and remain in
paid employment.
10 Facts about One-Parent Families in Ireland Today
1. More than one in four families with children in Ireland is headed by a lone parent (215,315
families, (Census 2011)
Prof Philip Alston, addressing a conference on taxation justice, February 2015: “The reality, of course, is that there is
money available if Ireland chooses to make it available. These social policies are clear choices. These are not choices made by a
Government that has no option. They are not choices that are simply precluded because ‘we need to maintain our tax policy’. It is a
clear decision not to address the rate of child poverty. It is a decision not to roll back some of the very harmful reductions that had
to be taken over the last seven or eight years. These are conscious decisions, not matters that are beyond our control.”
2. Almost one in five children (18.3%) lives in a one-parent family in Ireland, far higher than
the European average of 13%. (Census 2011?)
3. 56% of people parenting alone are aged between 25 and 39 years old; 31% between 40 and
66. (Census 2011)
4. 63% of one-parent family households in Ireland suffer deprivation (SILC Report 2013).
5. Enforced deprivation was experienced by 30% of the population in 2013, up from 26% in
2012.
6. The deprivation rate for those at risk of poverty increased from 46% to 53%, which proves
that the income gap is widening (CSO 2015).
7. 53% of lone parents are in the labour market, compared to 60% in 2012.
8. Participation of lone parents in Community Employment is down to 9% from 33% in 2012,.
9. One-parent family households account for only 0.7% of total net wealth (CSO 2015).
10. In July 2013 there were 78,586 recipients of the One Parent Family payment which will be
reducing to 45,000 or fewer in 2015.
Policy Result: Creating In-Work Poverty in 2015/Government Policy has Created inwork Poverty?
In July 2015, 39,000 recipients of the One Parent Family Payment (OFP) will lose the payment.
This was as a result of the decision announced in Budget 2012 to restrict eligibility for the OFP to
those parenting alone whose youngest child is aged seven or under. Most will be transitioned to the
Job Seekers Allowance Transitional payment (JSTA).
Previously Táiniste Joan Burton TD highlighted two reasons for the decision:


The high rate of poverty among one-parent families in spite of considerable expenditure on
social welfare.
The desire to support one-parent families in getting employment, in order to tackle poverty.
One-parent families have the highest rates of poverty and deprivation of any family type in Ireland
with 29% at risk of poverty and almost 50% experiencing basic deprivation, with 63% of all oneparent household experiencing deprivation. The need to address poverty is clear.
The Job-seekers Transition Allowance is a step forward in recognizing parents needs, however:
•
there has been inadequate planning for it implementation:
•
there are no supports in place, such as bridging programmes; there is no ‘package’
put together to ensure the smooth transition form one payment to another
•
there are no specific plans for individual engagement;
•
local Education and Training Boards are unaware of the increase demand for courses
we know this through our conversations with the ETBs;
•
the approach to communications is poor with local front-line officers not being
trained in departmental policies;
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•
parents in receipt of the OFP do not have equal access to all of the government
activation measures, and as yet it is not clarified if those on JSTA will have
immediate access to programmes such as MOMENTUM;
•
the retention of the income disregard of €90 is more positive than cutting to the
planned €60 but it has been cut from €146 since 2012 which has lessened earnings in
low-income families;
•
the new child care provision (ASCCS) only lasts for twelve months, is not available for
existing workers and does not take into account existing childcare relationships; and
•
the Single Person Child Carer Credit discriminates against those sharing parenting
because the tax credit is not allocated or shared by both parents.
Long term, passive recipiency of a social welfare payment is in no-one’s best interests. However,
penalising those one-parent families already in employment and making it more difficult for those
who might be considering taking up employment, education or training makes no sense and will
result in government policies not working and higher levels of child poverty.
Policy Impacts 2015
1. This already has and will make it more difficult for people parenting alone to
take up employment, education or training opportunities. This is because they will
no longer have access to the features of the OFP which were designed with the additional
needs of those parenting alone in mind. The reform of the OFP was introduced concurrently
with the full removal of payment for Community Employment Schemes and the slashing of
the income disregard and changes to education support. The cumulative impact of this has
meant:




Numbers participating in Community Employment have gone down from 33% to
9%.
Parents being financially unable to sustain their third level education.
Parents unable to take up training and up-skilling options.
Parents have givenup part-time employment.
In order for the Government’s activation policy to be successful, it is vital that the
appropriate supports need to be put in place and this has not happened.
2. The loss of the OFP is and will be most keenly felt by lone parents who are
already in employment. Lone parents make rational choices for the well being
of their family. One Family knows lone parents who are earning €200 per week net
income, combining part-time employment with the OFP and Family Income Supplement
(FIS) and this reform has meant they have had a loss of income of around €70 per week.
Given this One Family can only predict that more will follow. This is in spite of an increase
in the Family Income Supplement payment, which, while vitally important, is not enough to
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compensate fully for the loss of the OFP. It is likely that this loss of income will make it
impossible for many lone parents to stay in employment. This cut comes on top of the other
significant cuts to incomes and services that have particularly targeted one- parent families.
3. One-parent families who wish to take up education or training opportunities
are struggling due to the loss of the OFP. Parents are dropping out from their
final year of degree programmes because of a lack of joined-up planning and
implementation, and more will do so come July 2015. The payment can be claimed
by those parenting alone and undertaking education or training courses, along with a
student maintenance grant. Those who lose the payment but who wish to take up education
or training will now have to claim the Back to Education Allowance.
This cannot be claimed at the same time as a student maintenance grant. This further
disadvantages one-parent families on low incomes with limited resources and high levels of
caring responsibilities. It will be too much for many who will now not take up education and
training opportunities as a result.
4. The loss of the OFP when the youngest child turns seven years old will
undermine Government’s stated objective of supporting those in jobless households
and assisting families in low paid work. The development of a system of quality childcare
and afterschool care that is affordable and accessible would have supported the
Government’s objective of tackling poverty and joblessness. Such a system would have
provided real support to all parents, particularly those with low earnings potential, to enter
and remain in the labour market.
10 URGENT actions for Government and the Department of Social Protection (DSP)
1. The over-arching aim must be to ensure that work pays and is seen to pay.
2. Provide parents with timely, accurate, clear, objective and complete information about the
transition arrangements, programmes, services and initiatives. Hold information sessions
when children are at school and not in mid-term time.
3. Employ a variety of ways and means to communicate, and provide information in multiple
formats to accommodate diverse needs regarding the transition arrangements and that
those that are facilitating the information sessions have the appropriate facilitation skills
4. DSP needs to take responsibility for the impact their policies will have on families who are
in need of service from other departments. For example out of school care; smooth
transitions through education and training, bridging programmes; one to one engagement.
5. Ensure that social welfare local office front desk clerks become aware of changes and their
detail and consequently can answer queries. Profound efforts need to be made to ensure
that front-line staff are knowledgeable and competent in giving the correct information in a
respectful, professional and customer focused manner.
6. Encourage public service managers and employees to communicate openly with parents
about policies, programmes, services and initiatives for which they have responsibility thus
ensuring comprehensive understanding of JSTA and ACCS across the whole of the DSP
7. Put in place a system of one to one engagements with lone parents and consider Obair as the
local partner in delivering given their expertise and ability
8. As a point of urgency clarify and ensure that those lone parents in education will not be
financially compromised by the transition forcing them to drop-out of their course as this
would be entirely against Government policy.
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9. Listen to and take account of parents’ interests and concerns when establishing priorities,
developing responses , and planning programmes and services,working from a place of
respect and acceptance of one parent families.
10. Actively consider enabling access to free part-time education options for those parenting
alone: this is both cost effective and good activation policy and practice.
Economy and the Labour Market
The headline recovery in the jobs market disguises four key social and economic challenges for
those parenting alone and anyone low income families which are that:
1. Earnings have fallen by 8.5% in real terms since 2009.
2. Living standards among low income families have stagnated.
3. Working poverty is increasing with a majority of poor one-parent families now in working
households.
4. Job insecurity is up, with more parents in temporary or part-time work.
It costs a lone parent more than a couple to bring up a child because there is only one adult to
make offsetting savings from their own living expenses. Therefore, financing childcare becomes an
excessive burden on family living costs.
Childcare is an economic issue: good quality, affordable and accessible childcare is a pivotal part of
Ireland’s economic development proposition. It also provides good employment opportunities. It is
important to consider all approaches to financially supporting childcare particularly statesubsidised quality child and out of school care.
Future and Long-term Consequence for Government and the Department of Social
Protection
1. Understand why those parents in low pay do not progress, and what more can be done to
improve job retention, pay and progression.
2. Ensure that employment and skills systems become more cohesive to support retention and
progression: this is critical because improving progression will be central to delivering the
Government’s ambitions on social mobility and welfare reform.
3. Ensuring they act now to address these challenges is of overriding importance if they are to
help future growth to become more equally shared and to prevent more child poverty and
costs into the future, and subsequently failure of policies.
4. Children in one-parent families are more than twice as likely to live in poverty. Parents in
one-parent families are twice as likely to suffer from depression. Flexible paid work reduces
child poverty and according to recent research, also reduces depression rates, and poor
quality employment impacts on a child’s well-being.
5. Parents need to be supported to remain in paid employment. Parents are the most
important people in their children’s lives. All parents need support at particular times, for
example during family separation, unemployment or ill health might mean that they need
extra help. Time constraints, poverty,someone’s social and economic background, cultural
identity, discrimination, previous negative experiences, literacy difficulties, language, or
different abilities, can also make it difficult for parents. DSP must recognise that they were
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the creators of the passive welfare system and that they need to be a major part of the
solution which can benefit all parents and families.
And in that context it is important to remind ourselves why the Department of Social Protection
exists :
a. Social protection is a human right as well as a social and economic necessity.
b. Social protection is a factor in alleviating poverty, in helping cope with risks, and in
adapting to changing economic, political, demographic and societal circumstances.
c. Social security has a pivotal role in delivering income equality.
Social protection policy overall is universalistic, in practice tailoring needs to be used to make
universalism effective; in which low-income families and in particularly one-parent families,
involves the fine-tuning to enhance the effectiveness of universal social programmes and practices.
Recommendations: SMART Plan for the Reform of the One Parent Family Payment
submitted to the Advisory Council on Better Outcomes Brighter Futures 2015
Lead and
Partners
4.4 Reform the OneParent Family
Payment Scheme so
that lone parents
have access to a
range of supports
and services designed
to provide them with
pathways to work
while acknowledging
their caring
DSP lead
DCYA
DES
DJES
Whole of
Government
and
outcome-
2014
Continue implementation of
reductions in the age threshold
on a yearly basis and support
move to the Jobseeker’s
Allowance payment, including
the transitional arrangement &
other income supports as
appropriate.
Develop, communicate clearly
written and explained
information pack regarding the
2015
Continue the implementation of the
reductions in the age threshold on a
phased basis each year and support
move to the Jobseeker’s Allowance
payment, including the transitional
arrangement and other income
supports as appropriate. This
involves transitioning
approximately 41,158 customers
from the OFP scheme to other
income supports as appropriate.
2016
Complete the
implementation
reductions in th
threshold and s
move to the Job
Allowance paym
including the
transitional
arrangement an
income support
appropriate.
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responsibilities.
based
budget
solutions
transition to the Job Seekers
Transition Allowance including
financial assistance and
supports as well as employment
and education servicesPrevious recipients of OneParent Family (OPF) payments
who move to a normal
Jobseeker’s Allowance payment
will be selected for activation
and receive access to all
available
educational/employment
supports to move them back
into the workforce.
Previous OPF recipients on the
Jobseeker’s Allowance
transitional arrangements will
receive a one-to-one meeting
with a Case Officer who will
guide them through the
available education and
employment supports to move
them into the workforce.
Train case officers to advise and
deliver a ‘gateway’ service
ensuring that the needs of one
parent families are reflected in
their guidance. Within the 121
meetings ‘making work pay’
calculations must be
undertaken; Childcare and out
of school care systems should be
fully and clearly explained.
An integrated service response
agreement needs to be in place
across the whole of government
and its agencies.
All activation programmes
including MOMENTUM should be
open immediately to JSTA
recipients
Effective discussions should be
undertaken with DES, DCYA, Solas,
ETBs on the provision of training
and skill development
opportunities for those parents
making the transition off the OPFP
DES should give consideration to
enabling, where appropriate, JSTA
recipients to access free part time
education options at 3rd level thus
helping to alleviate some of the
challenges around the provision of
childcare and out of school care
Given the large numbers leaving the
scheme in 2015, the process for
activating previous OPF recipients
now on a Jobseeker’s Allowance
payment will need to be integrated
into the wider activation processes
and targets. These recipients will be
activated and given access to the
necessary employment/educational
supports to move them into the
workforce.
DSP and DCYA- A national strategy
and policy on the provision; quality;
accessibility and affordability of out
of school care.
DSP and DESJ
equality and eq
one-parent fam
across all job ac
measures.
Build and prom
access program
3rd level which
recognises the n
one-parent fam
ensure retentio
programmes
Monitor, evalua
review activatio
regimes for one
families
Develop and im
and engagemen
strategy for reci
OPF
DES and Solas- Specific access and
conversion programme made
available in STEM areas for oneparent families
Have knowledgeable and
specialist OPF officers in local
offices who act as the ‘go to’
source for information.
DSP & DESJ A part-time
JobBridge option should be enabled
for one-parent families and/or
additional support for childcare
associated with JobBridge
Develop and promote a joint
communications strategy and
operation between DSP and the
C&V sector to ensure clear
information is given to OPFs.
DSP- Specific Community
Employment programme for One
Parent Families which includes
personal and interpersonal
development and career planning.
A joint management group is
developed to advise and
scrutinize the transition to JSTA
including the C and V sector.
Charge Obair to work with those
OPF recipients who are
transitioning to JSTA
Bridging programmes and
supports (personal and
interpersonal development as
Continue to act
previous OPF re
who move to a
Jobseeker’s Allo
payment and pr
the necessary
education/emp
supports to mo
into the workfo
DSP Develop and promote a
national media campaign to inform
OPFs of the transitions.
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well as career/educational/
training planning) should be
made available to ensure an
effective transition to the
Jobseeker transition Allowance
Solas and ETBs need to be made
ready and have propositions in
place to meet the demand from
parents transitioning
A programme of tailored
supports; education; welfare to
work initiatives need to be made
available
DSP DESJ- build and promote a
coalition of family-friendly
employment policies and practices
which supports new ways of
working ensuring that OPFs are
neither discriminated nor penalized
within the work-fore
Build and develop public sector
work opportunities for OPFs
Develop and promote a OPF
Charter across the whole of
Government ensuring a fully
integrated service plan.
DSP should use The Activation
and Family Support Fund to
target the delivery of personal
and interpersonal development
as well as career planning for
OPFs at community level for the
next 3 years
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