As part of its drive to increase the numbers of single parents in employment - and end child poverty - the government is changing the system of financial support it provides for lone parents. Around 68,000 single parents with a youngest child of 10 or over will be expected to seek work and take up a job if it is offered. Critics of the changes argue that it will increase hardship for a group already under pressure. But for how long should single parents with school age children expect to stay at home on State benefits?
