Lone parents urged to head back to work

Tue 22 Jul 2008 at 2:53 PM

Lone parents in the UK look set to be urged back into work by the government via a number of new welfare reform plans.

Even before their children reach school age, British parents could soon be obliged to take part in some form of professional training that will be aimed at improving their chances of success when they then initiate a job search.

Anyone with children older than seven will be unable to claim benefits unless they prove they are looking for work, explained James Purnell as he unveiled the proposals for welfare reform contained within his new green paper.

"Moving all lone parents who can work, whatever the age of their child, on to job seekers allowance would underline the message that we see work as the best way for them to improve their family's prosperity," the green paper suggests.

Meanwhile, the number of job vacancies available around the country fell by close to 32,000 over the course of the second quarter of this year, the Office of National Statistics reported recently.

Randstad employment bureau is currently recruiting for a variety of roles, including call centre jobs in Cardiff.