Universal Credit
(asked on 20th March 2023) - View Source
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the statement in the Spring Budget 2023 factsheet – Labour Market Measures that over 700,000 lead carers of children in receipt of Universal Credit will be made to look for work or increase the number of hours they work, what is their estimate of how this number will be broken down by (1) age of youngest child, and (2) by lone parent/other; and what additional work-related requirements will be applied to such claimants.
Answered by
Viscount Younger of Leckie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is provided in the tables below.
1) Estimate of the proportion of lead carers broken down by age of youngest child
Age of youngest child | Proportion |
1 | 14% |
2 | 12% |
3 | 11% |
4 | 9% |
5 | 10% |
6 | 9% |
7 | 8% |
8 | 7% |
9 | 6% |
10 | 6% |
11 | 5% |
12 | 4% |
2) Estimate of the proportion of lead carers broken down by family type
Family Type | Proportion |
Single, with children | 70% |
Couple, with children | 30% |
Caveats & Data Definitions:
- We do not hold data that explicitly identifies lead carers, as a result, figures are estimated assuming that if one member of the household has age of youngest child as required, and is in the relevant conditionality regime, then they are a “lead carer”.
- Universal Credit conditionality regimes included are Intensive Work Search, Working with requirements, Planning for work and Preparing for work
- Based on average volumes 2022/23
- Based on internal Universal Credit Household dataset
Lead carers of children aged 1-2 will be required to have regular work focussed conversations with a dedicated Jobcentre work coach more often.
For lead carers of children aged 2, work coaches can offer claimants more support with work preparation activities such as, job readiness workshops; help with developing a CV; practicing interviewing skills; skills assessment; participating in training or employment programme.
Lead carers of children aged 3-12 will be supported by their work coach to increase their work search and preparation activity and will be required to be available for higher paid or longer hours jobs to align with Department for Education’s 30hr free childcare offer.
Work search activities could include carrying out work searches, making job applications and creating and maintaining online job profiles. The requirements will be tailored to a claimant’s circumstances (e.g., location of job, claimant eligibility for free childcare provision, availability and location of childcare provision, and transport).