Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support is available through his Department and Jobcentre Plus to help single parents with childcare responsibilities find suitable part-time employment.

As set out in our Child Poverty Strategy, this Government is committed to boosting family incomes, supporting single parents and reducing the earnings gap within couple households by transforming employment support and removing barriers to work. The Government recognises that high childcare costs can affect parents’ decisions to take up paid work or increase their working hours, which is why we offer financial assistance and 30 hours of free childcare a week through the Free Childcare for Working Parents scheme. Following the publication of the Child Poverty Strategy, we are continuing to engage across the voluntary and community sector to understand and address issues facing parents and carers, including single parents.

In Universal Credit, working families can claim up to 85% of eligible childcare costs each month, up to a maximum of £1071.09 a month for a single child and £1836.16 a month for families with two or more children at the 2026/2027 rates. At the Budget, we announced that in 2026-27 we will help parents in work who have larger families by providing UC childcare support for each additional child beyond the first. Lead carers within Universal Credit also have different conditionality requirements that reflect their childcare responsibilities.

We are also supporting parents to balance work and childcare through the Make Work Pay legislation, which strengthens rights to request flexible working arrangements. We are rolling out free breakfast clubs in schools across the country, helping parents manage work schedules whilst ensuring children have a positive start to the day. Parents and carers can also benefit from our wider employment support initiatives including Inactivity Trailblazers in England and Wales, Skills Bootcamps, the Sector-based Work Academy Programme, the Adult Skills Fund, and personalised help for sick and disabled people through Pathways to Work. Further to this, DWP currently deploys around 300 Family Community Work Coaches in England to support the most vulnerable families in society with multiple, complex needs to make significant, positive changes in their lives that move them towards employment.

As we design and develop the new Jobs and Careers Service, we will ensure support is more personalised to meet individuals’ needs and help them overcome their specific barriers to work. We are also testing bringing services and support into the heart of communities, for example through partnership delivery in Family Hubs, Jobcentre vans and community pop-ups.