Christian Advocacy Organisation Calls on Government to Help Single Parents

The founder of The Help, an organisation working among churches, to support single parents, has spoken out against government comments encouraging lone parents back to work.

"The government should think very carefully about forcing lone parents back to work - it could have a detrimental effect on their children and family life. Is this recent policy of real benefit to society in the long run or just another political assault on the weakest sector of society?," asks Triumph Ayo-Isegun, founder of The HELP.

Ms Ayo-Isegun was commenting in response to the government's recent comments about lone parents. She continued, "On paper, it is a good idea to encourage single parents to go out to work as it can help them to develop self-esteem and sets a good example for their children, but no-one is highlighting the fact that when lone parents go out to work, they often experience a drastic cut in their income."

"If parents go out to work when their child is 12, how can they be involved in rearing their child. Each child is different and may want to spend quality time with their parent upon arriving home from school, so that they can talk to them about their day and even get help with their homework.

"Furthermore, child minders can be difficult to find and our expensive. Unsupervised children also serve as fodder for gangs and can get drawn into participating in criminal and unsavoury activities."

Ms Ayo-Isegun, is mother to three teenage children and a member of a Baptist Church in south west London. She feels that the government should instead help single parents by providing affordable childcare and increasing the minimum wage.

She stated: "To make work an attractive option, the government should consider a more realistic minimum wage, alongside affordable childcare and good educational support systems since by going back to work lone parents will be spending less time with their children."

She added, "The prospect of less parenting should be of real concern for a pro-family government. We recently had a report pointing out that British children are the most lacking in social attributes and moral values.

"Who will be there to guide the children through the maze of adolescence? I suggest the government focus on introducing policies which empowers parents and helps them to fulfil their personal and career goals and equips them with tools that helps them to be even better parents to their children."